Your PA 529 Account

You have several options if your child does not pursue education.

One option is doing nothing, there are no time limits or mandatory withdrawal requirements, so you can maintain your account if your child does not pursue education immediately after high school.

Another option is processing a rollover from your PA 529 GSP or PA 529 IP account into a Roth Individual Retirement Account (Roth IRA). Details about 529 to Roth IRA rollovers are available here.

You may also change the beneficiary on the account to a member of the family* of the original beneficiary or transfer funds from the 529 account into the account of another, related beneficiary.

Additionally, at any time for any reason, you can take a non-qualified withdrawal. Non-qualified withdrawals have certain tax implications and for a PA 529 GSP account, the valuation of the account may vary. For more information related to non-qualified withdrawals, please refer to the appropriate plan disclosure statement.

Member of the Family

As defined under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, a member of the family of a beneficiary is a person related to the beneficiary as follows:

son or daughter, or a descendent of either

stepson or stepdaughter, or a descendent of either

brother, sister, stepbrother, or stepsister

father or mother, or an ancestor of either

stepfather or stepmother

son or daughter of a brother or sister

brother or sister of the father or mother

son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law or sister-in-law

spouse of the beneficiary or of any of the foregoing individuals

first cousin

For this purpose, a child includes a legally adopted child or a foster child, and a brother or sister includes a brother or sister by half-blood.

Information regarding your account is confidential and will not be released, even to your spouse, beneficiary or successor. If you wish, you may allow individuals such as your spouse or financial advisor to be an Authorized Agent, giving them one of four levels of access:

Authorized Agents

A person or entity authorized by the account owner to access account information and/or act on his or her behalf. Authorized Agents may have four different levels of permissions, ranging from access to account information to the ability to change account owners and beneficiaries.

Level 1: Access information and account statements only.

Level 2: Level 1 plus permission to make electronic contributions, change Tuition Levels (for the GSP), and move money among investment options (for the IP).

Level 3: Level 2 plus permission to make distributions from the account.

Level 4: Full control including changing the account owner or beneficiary.

For questions, or to designate a Level 1 Authorized Agent, call Customer Service at 800-440-4000. For Level 2 or 3, you must complete the Limited Power of Attorney/Agent Authorization form ( GSP | IP ). Level 4 requires a Power of Attorney form ( GSP | IP ). Forms for Levels 2-4 must be notarized. Permissions may be changed or revoked at any time in writing for Levels 2-4, or over the phone for Level 1.

An aggregator is a service that gathers information from multiple sources and displays it in one location. Examples include CashEdge, Personal Capital, and Mint. You can grant aggregators access to financial information found, for example, in your bank, credit card, and 529 accounts. Aggregators will then collect the information to which you have granted them access and allow you to view it on their respective websites.

Aggregators require you to provide them with your login and password information so that they can collect your financial information. This can create significant security risks.

The PA 529 College and Career Savings Program allows you to provide aggregators a unique username and password different than the login information that you use to access your online account.

To establish access for an aggregator, follow these steps:

Log in to your account here .

Select “ Profile & Documents ”

Select “ Password & Security Features ”

Under “ Manage Financial Aggregator Access ,” select “ Edit ”

Create password and copy new aggregator URL for your PA 529 account.

Visit your aggregation service provider to provide the new URL and login credentials so that the aggregator can continue to access your PA 529 account

Please note that aggregators are optional services and are not affiliated with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, or PA 529.

Access to your PA 529 online account is protected using two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication is a security process which provides an extra level of account security by asking account owners to verify they are who they say they are. This makes it more difficult for hackers to gain access to your account(s), because knowing your password by itself is not enough to pass the authentication check. You may read more about two-factor authentication here .

Each time you log in to your account, you will be required to enter a one-time-use PIN to verify your identity. To simplify sign-in, you may select a trusted device for future sign-ins. Once you have designated the trusted device, your future logins will no longer require you to enter a code each time you sign-in.

You may obtain a one-time-use PIN in one of three ways:

• Receiving a Text Message (most convenient). Account owners are encouraged to update their account profile with a text-enabled mobile phone number for easy self-service.

• Receiving a Phone Call. Account owners may receive an automated phone call 24 hours per day to the number listed on their PA 529 account.

• Contacting PA 529 by Phone. Account owners may call PA 529’s customer service line. This option is only available during normal business hours (Monday – Friday | 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST).

You may update your PA 529 account when logged in or by calling 800-440-4000 .

Yes. You can access the funds in your account at any time for any reason.

A withdrawal used to move your funds to another 529 plan is called a "transfer" (if from the GSP to the IP or vice versa) or "rollover" (if to another state's 529 plan). A withdrawal for any reason other than paying for qualified expenses is called a "non-qualified withdrawal." There are several factors to consider prior to making a transfer, rollover, or non-qualified withdrawal:

If made from a PA 529 GSP account, the growth on contributions used for these types of withdrawals is calculated differently and often is less than growth on contributions used for qualified withdrawals.

There may be federal and state income tax consequences.

The number of transfers, rollovers and non-qualified withdrawals that may be taken in a given period of time may be limited. See the appropriate Disclosure Statement for more information.

You can request most non-qualified withdrawals online by logging into your account and clicking on the "Account Management" link and then "Make a Withdrawal." Simply follow the withdrawal flow for the appropriate non-qualified withdrawal type. You may also request a non-qualified withdrawal in writing by submitting a signed letter of instruction, with any necessary documentation, to our processing center. You may fax or mail your request to our office.

To request a transfer, simply send us a signed letter of instruction detailing your request.

Non-qualified withdrawals processed online may take 5-7 business days to complete, and withdrawals completed by paper may take 14 business days to complete.

Sage Scholars Tuition Rewards (SAGE) is a free scholarship program that helps families earn Tuition Reward Points that reduce the cost of undergraduate tuition at participating private colleges and universities.

Each quarter you earn Tuition Rewards equal to 2.5% of the value of your PA 529 account – adding up to approximately 10% per year. Each point is worth $1.00 in scholarships at SAGE member schools. Learn more at tuitionrewards.com .

Tuition Rewards costs nothing to join. It's easy to get started – just sign up when you open your PA 529 account. To track your SAGE Rewards, to get more information, and to receive a 500-point bonus, register and visit your account at tuitionrewards.com . You'll get another 500-point bonus for each child that has a PA 529 account.

SAGE Scholars' Tuition Rewards is an optional service, separate from PA 529, and not affiliated with the Commonwealth or the Treasury Department. Specific terms and conditions apply. Contact Support@SAGEscholars.com for more information.