A 529 plan is a state-sponsored account that offers tax-advantaged savings to cover college, trade and vocational courses, as well as qualified K-12 expenses. It can be a powerful tool for saving for your child’s college expenses, especially in light of rising tuition and concerns about high student loan debt. There's little doubt that tax-advantaged 529 plans are a smart funding option.
As of September 2025, the average published tuition and fees for full-time undergraduate students, as reported by Saving for College, are:
- Public four-year in-state: $11,610 ($300 higher than in 2024)
- Public four-year out-of-state: $30,780 ($940 higher than in 2024)
- Public two-year in-district: $4,050 ($100 higher than in 2024)
- Private nonprofit four-year: $43,350 ($1,610 higher than in 2024)
But one price doesn't fit all. The average 2025 four-year in-state college tuition and fees range from $17,360 in New Hampshire and $17,490 in Vermont to $6,360 in Florida and $6,960 in Wyoming. With parents and students contending with the rising cost of tuition and the burden of student loan debt, a tax-advantaged 529 savings plan can be a smart way to fund education.
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What are 529 plans?
Broadly speaking, a 529 plan is a qualified tuition plan that allows federal tax-free withdrawal of earnings, as well as the possibility for tax deductions. Each state offers a 529 plan, providing families with an opportunity to save for their child’s education. While this once only applied to colleges, the Tax Act of 2017 now allows contributions to be used toward primary and secondary school-qualified expenses as well.
A main benefit of 529 plans is the high contribution limits, which are usually high enough that you may never have to worry about hitting the ceiling. Regardless, if the limit is reached, any contributions made to the account will not be accepted and will be returned to the investor.
529 plans can be estate-planning tools
In addition to helping with educational costs, a 529 plan can also be a valuable estate planning and retirement savings tool. 529 account holders can transfer up to a lifetime limit of $35,000 to a Roth IRA for a beneficiary (subject to certain limitations). That's welcome news to families worried about having leftover or unused funds in a 529 plan account.
The Roth IRA rule, included in the SECURE 2.0 Act, will help beneficiaries avoid both taxes and the usual 10% penalty for non-qualified withdrawals. It will also help people who want to fund a Roth in the years when their income may be too high to contribute.
Read: How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Could Reshape 529 Plans
What are 529 plan contribution limits?
Anyone can contribute to a 529 plan and name anyone as a beneficiary. Parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, spouses, stepparents, and friends can all contribute on behalf of your recipient.
Unlike certain other retirement plans, a 529 plan has no yearly contribution limits. However, all states and the District of Columbia have maximum aggregate contribution limits for each 529 account. This year, you can gift up to $19,000 in a single 529 plan (up from $18,000 in 2024) without the funds counting against the lifetime gift tax exemption amount, as of September 2025, according to SavingForCollege.
That means you can fund a 529 plan with up to five years’ worth of contributions all at once — individuals can contribute up to $95,000 in a single year to a particular 529 plan in 2025. Married couples filing jointly can each contribute up to $95,000 for a total one-time contribution of $190,000.
Georgia and Mississippi have the lowest limits at $235,000 per beneficiary. The highest limit is in New Hampshire at $621,411 in 2025.
Five states with the highest aggregate contribution limits in 2025
State | Contribution Limit |
1. New Hampshire | $621,411 |
2. Wisconsin | $589,650 |
3. Arizona | $590,000 |
4. South Carolina | $575,000 |
5. Utah | $574,000 |
Five states with the lowest aggregate contribution limits in 2025
State | Contribution Limits |
Mississippi | $235,000 |
Georgia | $235,000 |
North Dakota | $269,000 |
Oklahoma | $300,000 |
Missouri | $325,000 |
How much can be contributed to a 529 plan each year?
Provided you don't exceed the maximum aggregate contribution limit set by the state where the 529 plan is registered, you can contribute as much as you like each year. That said, the IRS treats 529 contributions as gifts, which means they may be subject to federal taxation if contributions are more than $19,000 per year or $38,000 for married couples filing jointly in 2025.
Maximum 529 plan contribution limits
The maximum contribution limit pertains to each recipient. These limits depend on the state, and range from $235,000 to just over 600,000 (New Hampshire).
These are the 529 plan contribution limits by state, per year, in 2025.
State | Contribution limit |
Alabama | $450,000 |
Alaska | $550,000 |
Arizona | $590,000 |
Arkansas | $500,000 |
California | $575,000 |
Colorado | $500,000 |
Connecticut | $550,000 |
Delaware | $500,000 |
Florida | $418,000 |
Georgia | $235,000 |
Hawaii | $350,000 |
Idaho | $500,000 |
Illinois | $550,000 |
Indiana | $450,000 |
Iowa | $505,000 |
Kansas | $447,000 |
Kentucky | $500,000 |
Louisiana | $500,000 |
Maine | $425,000 |
Maryland | $500,000 |
Massachusetts | $500,000 |
Michigan | $500,000 |
Minnesota | $425,000 |
Mississippi | $235,000 |
Missouri | $325,000 |
Montana | $392,000 |
Nebraska | $500,000 |
Nevada | $500,000 |
New Hampshire | $621,411 |
New Jersey | $550,000 |
New Mexico | $500,000 |
New York | $520,000 |
North Carolina | $540,000 |
North Dakota | $269,000 |
Ohio | $550,000 |
Oklahoma | $300,000 |
Oregon | $500,000 |
Pennsylvania | $511,758 |
Rhode Island | $520,000 |
South Carolina | $575,000 |
South Dakota | $350,000 |
Tennessee | $500,000 |
Texas | $500,000 |
Utah | $574,000 |
Vermont | $550,000 |
Virginia | $575,000 |
Washington | $500,000 |
Washington D.C. | $500,000 |
West Virginia | $550,000 |
Wisconsin | $589,650 |
Wyoming | $235,000 |
529 contributions and the gift tax for 2025
As mentioned, the IRS counts contributions to 529 plans as gifts. So, if you, as an individual, set aside more than the gift tax exclusion — $19,000 for individuals or $38,000 for a married couple giving jointly in 2025 — for any one recipient in a tax year, your 529 contributions may trigger gift tax consequences. If you exceed the annual exclusion, you may need to file a gift tax return.
For example:
Let’s say you have two kids and two 529 plans, and you are a single parent. In 2025, you can contribute $19,000 each or $38,000 total in a year without reporting these contributions to the IRS. However, any contributions above $19,000 (or $38,000 if you're married and filing jointly) must be reported to the IRS and will count toward your lifetime gift tax exemption of $13.99 million for individuals or $27.98 million for couples in 2025. Give more than that limit, and you could incur a flat gift tax of 40% for the excess amount.
In 2025, the lifetime gift tax exemption is higher, as is the amount you can contribute in a year without reporting these contributions to the IRS.
529 superfunding
If you want to contribute more to a 529 account without the contributions counting against your lifetime gift tax exemption, the account can be superfunded, which means you fund the 529 plan all at once with up to five years’ worth of contributions.
That means you can contribute up to $95,000 in a single year to a particular 529 plan in 2025 as an individual. Keep in mind that you can’t contribute more money to the same beneficiary within those five years without it counting against your lifetime gift tax exemption.
Pros and Cons of 529 Plans
Pros | Cons |
Tax advantages | Potential for overfunding |
No income restrictions | Market risk |
High contribution limits | Impact on financial aid |
Flexibility | Penalty for non-qualified withdrawals |
May offer state tax benefits | Fees and expenses |
Account ownership control | State-specific restrictions |
Variety of Investment options | Limited investment options |
Final word
Like most everything in life, there are benefits and potential drawbacks to 529 plans. While these plans are flexible and easy to open and maintain, they must be used for educational purposes, they have limited investment options and you may incur fees. Even so, the tax advantages — tax-deferred growth, tax-free withdrawals, and tax-deductible contributions — far outweigh the possible negatives. Plus, some states offer the added tax benefits of deductions or credits for contributions to in-state 529 plans.
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