IDeal is Idaho’s official college savings program, created as a qualified tuition program under Internal Revenue Code section 529.
IDeal helps families save money to pay the higher education costs such as tuition, certain room and board costs, books, supplies, and other qualified higher education expenses for a designated beneficiary. And, families receive a tax benefit for their contributions. IDeal’s “Quick Facts on 529s” explains more about the features of a 529 plan.
Anyone can contribute to an Idaho college savings program, including family and friends.
For the purposes of this document, the recipient is the person receiving the money, and the beneficiary is the student receiving benefits from the account.
Subtraction for Idaho College Savings Program
If you contribute to an IDeal account, you can claim an Idaho income tax deduction for your contribution of up to $6,000 per year or $12,000 if you’re married and file a joint return. You can take the deduction even if you don’t itemize.
Claim the deduction on Idaho Form 39R (for Idaho residents), or Idaho Form 39NR (for nonresidents and part-year Idaho residents). You only get the deduction if you file an Idaho income tax return.
- You must make a contribution on or before December 31 of a calendar year for it to be deductible in that taxable year.
- You can’t take the contribution as a federal income tax deduction.
- Neither Idaho nor the federal government will tax the amount the account earns while the funds remain in the account.
- Contributions to a 529 program that a state other than Idaho administers aren’t eligible for a deduction on the Idaho return.
Qualified withdrawals
A qualified withdrawal can pay for the following qualified expenses (see IRC 529(e)(3)):
- Tuition and fees for students attending higher education
- Up to $10,000 in annual expenses for tuition to enroll or attend an elementary or secondary public, private or religious school
- Books, supplies, and equipment
- Expenses for special-needs services for a special-needs beneficiary that are incurred in connection with enrollment or attendance at an eligible educational institution.
- Expenses for room and board for students who are enrolled at least half-time. The expenses for room and board qualify only to the extent that they aren’t more than the greater of the following two amounts:
- The allowance for room and board, determined by the eligible educational institution, that was included in the cost of attendance (for federal financial aid purposes) for a particular academic period and living arrangement of the student.
- The actual amount charged if the student is residing in housing that the eligible educational institution owns or operates. You might need to contact the eligible educational institution for qualified room and board costs.
- The purchase of computer or related peripheral equipment, computer software, or internet access and related services, if the beneficiary primarily will use them during any of the years the beneficiary is enrolled at an eligible educational institution. (This doesn’t include expenses for computer software for sports, games, or hobbies unless the software is predominantly educational in nature.)
Addition – nonqualified withdrawal
When money is withdrawn from an account and not used to pay for qualified expenses of the designated beneficiary, the recipient of the money must add all amounts withdrawn to Idaho taxable income (if not included in federal adjusted gross income) in the year of the withdrawal. This addition to Idaho taxable income may include amounts contributed to the account, as well as earnings.
The recipient makes the addition on Idaho Form 39R (for Idaho residents) or Idaho Form 39NR (for nonresidents or part-year residents of Idaho).
A nonqualified withdrawal is an account withdrawal that isn’t one of the following:
- A qualified withdrawal;
- A withdrawal paid to a beneficiary of the beneficiary (or the estate of the beneficiary) on or after the death of the beneficiary;
- A withdrawal due to the disability of the beneficiary;
- A withdrawal because the beneficiary receives a qualified scholarship or tuition assistance, if the withdrawal doesn’t exceed the amount of the scholarship or tuition assistance;
- A withdrawal due to the use of education credits as allowed under federal income tax law; or
- A refund from an eligible educational institution that’s re-contributed to a qualified tuition program if the re-contribution is made no later than 60 days after the date of the refund and doesn’t exceed the refund amount.
See the 
Tax Consequences of Federal and Idaho College Savings Program Withdrawals for more examples of when a recipient must add account withdrawals to Idaho taxable income.
Addition – rollovers to another qualified tuition program
If you roll funds from an Idaho college savings account to a qualified program that another state or qualified ABLE program operates, you must make an addition to your Idaho taxable income. The amount added back is limited to your contributions deducted in the year of transfer and the prior tax year.
Other tax incentives for higher education
Some federal tax credits and deductions might be available if you’re saving for or paying higher education costs. Review IRS Publication 970.
For more information
For more information about qualified tuition programs, see IRS Publication 970.
For more information about the Idaho College Savings Program, visit IDeal’s website, or call (866) 433-2533.
An available disclosure statement describes investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information. Because investing in IDeal is an important decision for you and your family, you should read and consider the statement carefully before investing.
The Idaho College Savings Program Board administers IDeal. Ascensus Broker Dealer Services, Inc. (ABD) is the distributor of IDeal. ABD, the program manager, and its affiliates, have overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations, including investment advisory and recordkeeping and administrative services.