ABLE Saving Plan

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The Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE), which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 2014, allows young people with disabilities and their families to save up to $18,000 in a tax-advantaged account for disability-related expenses annually, without impacting their ability to benefit from supplemental security income (SSI), Medicaid, and other federal programs.

Rhode Island's ABLE investment accounts are now open for enrollment. Individuals living with a disability and their family or guardians can register or learn more by visiting RI's ABLE website. Paper enrollment will be available at the end of February.

Other helpful resources to learn more about ABLE accounts include RI's ABLE presentation and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) blog post. 

ABLE Quick Facts

The federal Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE) of 2014 amends Section 529 of the IRS code to create tax-advantaged savings accounts for individuals with disabilities.

These tax-advantaged savings accounts can be used by individuals with disabilities and their families to save for many daily, disability-related expenses on a tax-deferred basis – without limiting their ability to benefit from supplemental security income (SSI), Medicaid, and other federal programs.

Eligible expenses include: Education; health and wellness; housing; transportation; legal fees; financial management; employment training and support; and assistive technology.

Rhode Island families can open an ABLE account with as little as $25.00. The total annual contributions, including those by friends and family, into an ABLE account is limited to $14,000 per tax year.

The Act, which was signed into law by Governor Raimondo in April 2016, allows Rhode Island to join a multi-state consortium, ensuring that families in the Ocean State can access low-cost and high-quality investment options when investing their money for disability-related expenses.

In implementing the program, Rhode Island worked with 11 other states. Following a competitive bidding process, Ascensus College Savings was selected to administer the program.

Ascensus College Savings was recently selected to administer Rhode Island's 529 college savings program, and subsequently opened an office in Warwick. Between CollegeBound and ABLE, Ascensus expects to bring up to 60 permanent jobs to Rhode Island.

In addition to the investment product, an FDIC insured banking and payment product will be made available in Spring 2017.

Visit http://ri.savewithable.com to learn more.