What is an “ABLE” account?
Congress passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act in 2014. The new law allowed 42 states, including Ohio, to create special savings and investment accounts for individuals with disabilities. In Ohio, these special accounts are called STABLE Accounts.
STABLE Accounts offer the opportunity to save money and build wealth. They do not affect eligibility for needs-based public benefits programs like SSI, Medicaid, and SNAP. Anyone can contribute money to a STABLE account. The maximum total amount that can be deposited each year is $15,000.
If you decide to invest, you can choose among several options. If you use the money you make from investments on qualified expenses, then the investment money you earned is tax-free. If you do not want to invest, you can use the STABLE account as a savings account.
Who is eligible for a STABLE account?
The basic requirements to open a STABLE Account in Ohio are:
• You must have developed disabilities before age 26, and
• Have at least $50.00 to put in the account
Disability status may be shown with either SSI or SSDI benefit statements, or a certification letter from your doctor.
Even if you’re not eligible now, proposed changes to the law may make you eligible in the future. For example, a bill before Congress would raise the age before which you must have developed your disability from 26 to 46.1 This bill would drastically increase the number of Americans eligible.
Visit www.stableaccount.com and click “Eligibility Quiz” to find out if you or a loved one qualifies to start saving with STABLE.
What are the benefits of a STABLE account?
You can easily use your STABLE account to pay for certain programs and items. You can use the money in your account to fund education,
transportation, basic living expenses, job training, legal fees, assistive technology, and more!
How does a person sign up?
Go to www.stableaccount.com to get started!
This article was written by Bridget Sciscento and appeared in The Alert: Volume 35, Issue 3.