Pay For School

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What can GET units be used for?

Pay for School with GET

The payout value for the 2024-25 academic year is $123.76.

Is it almost time to start paying for college expenses? Requesting account distributions is easy by logging in to your online GET account. 

NOTES:

• Students may use up to 200 units per academic year (plus rollover units from a prior year).
• Remember GET does not guarantee the unit payout value will exceed the unit purchase price at the time you use your units. 
• Review the status of your account before paying for school with your GET units.

First, Ask Yourself These Two Questions:

1. Are my GET units eligible for use?
Units become available for use on August 1 of the benefit use year listed on your account. The benefit use year is the year you anticipate your student will start college (typically the same year they graduate from high school).     

2. Is my student enrolled in an eligible institution of higher education?

GET can be used to cover a variety of qualified higher education expenses at eligible institutions of higher education, including most accredited public and private universities and colleges, community and technical colleges, and eligible apprenticeship programs.
To check if your student's school is an eligible institution, use the Federal School Code Search tool on the FAFSA website. 

To look for registered apprenticeship programs, The Department of Labor provides a search tool. 

To search for trade schools, technical schools, career training, or certification programs use this career search tool sponsored by the Department of Labor.

If You Answered "Yes" to Both Questions:

Follow the steps below to request an account distribution to pay for college expenses.

1. Log in to your online GET account
2. Select Use Units 
3. Review your available unit balance and click “Request a new distribution” to start the process.
4. Follow the easy steps to tell us where your student is attending college, what academic term the distribution request is for, the amount of your payment, and where we should send it.  

• It’s easy for us to pay your student’s school directly by requesting a direct payment.
• If you already paid for the expenses, you can request a reimbursement to the GET account owner.
• If you request reimbursement for expenses incurred in a year prior to the current calendar year, consult a tax advisor. Your reimbursement may be considered a non-qualified withdrawal and the earnings portion may be subject to income tax and a 10% federal tax penalty.
• You’re all done! Allow up to two weeks for us to process the payment.

If You Prefer Paper

You can request account distributions by downloading and mailing the appropriate paper form. 

Notes About Using GET Units

Whenever you withdraw funds, WA529 will send you a 1099-Q tax form the following January. For more details, read these Frequently Asked Questions about the 1099-Q form.

GET units can be used to repay up to $10,000 on existing student loans. Learn more about the Secure Act.

Your GET account may have an impact on financial aid eligibility. Contact your student’s school to learn more about the impact and how to report GET on the FAFSA form.

Sign in to GET

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Pay for School with DreamAhead

You can have payments sent to any eligible educational institution using online distribution, or by using a Withdrawal form (found on the DreamAhead forms page).

In addition to tuition and fees, other qualified expenses payable with your DreamAhead account include: 

• Books 
• Computers
• Tablets
• Room & Board
• Private K-12 schools
• International schools
• Trade schools 
• Apprenticeship costs

Check WA529 Qualified Expenses for a complete list. 

To see if your student's school is an eligible institution, use the Federal School Code Search tool on the FAFSA website. 

To look for registered apprenticeship programs, The Department of Labor provides a search tool.

To search for trade schools, technical schools, career training, or certification programs use this career search tool sponsored by the Department of Labor.

Whenever you withdraw funds, WA529 will send you a 1099-Q tax form the following January. For more details, read these Frequently Asked Questions about the 1099-Q form.

Your DreamAhead account may have an impact on financial aid eligibility. Contact your student’s school to learn more about the impact and how to report DreamAhead on the FAFSA form.

Sign in to DreamAhead

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