More people are leveraging a 529 plan to save for college than ever before. While this is great for families, the sheer volume of paper checks for 529 payments has become increasingly unmanageable for institutions and has created operational problems for administrators and students alike.
Flywire is proud to offer a solution that enables institutions to eliminate paper checks, speed delivery, improve accuracy and increase payment security. With more than forty 529 savings plans connected to our solution, several hundred institutions have already eliminated thousands of checks through electronic ACH delivery. We will continue to expand our network of 529 Plans in order to simplify 529 plan payments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should use this guide?
School administrators who are currently connected or considering connecting to Flywire for digital 529 disbursements.
How does it work?
529 plans and plan managers use Flywire’s disbursement technology to automatically send electronic ACH transactions to any school that connects to Flywire. 529 payments are bundled across all connected plans and delivered via one ACH deposit to your institution's bank account on record. Schools will receive an email notification anytime 529 payments are deposited. Individual payment details are available in your existing Flywire Dashboard and a disbursement file is also available for download. All transactions will include relevant details, such as payment amount, student full name, student ID number, and the 529 Plan name.
- For Flywire clients, individual payment details are available in your existing Flywire Dashboard, and a disbursement file is also available for download. Designated Dashboard users at your institution are able to add or change the list of staff members who can view transactions and who will receive disbursement email notifications at your institution.
- Non-Flywire clients will receive a secure disbursement roster via email with all relevant information.
What 529 plans are included?
Below you will find a current list of participating 529 plans. We will be adding more in the future. We ask that you not publish this list or webpage as it is subject to change. If families have questions about digital delivery, please direct them to their 529 plan’s customer service team.
| State | Plan Name |
|---|---|
| Arizona | Goldman Sachs 529 Plan |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Brighter Future 529 Plan (formerly the GIFT Plan) |
| Arkansas | Brighter Future 529 Plan (formerly iShares 529 Plan) |
| California | ScholarShare 529 |
| Colorado | CollegeInvest Direct |
| Colorado | Scholars Choice® College Savings |
| District of Columbia | DC College Savings Plan |
| Georgia | Path2College 529 Plan |
| Hawaii | HI529 - Hawaii's College Savings Program |
| Idaho | IDeal Idaho College Savings Program |
| Indiana | CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan |
| Indiana | CollegeChoice Advisor 529 Savings Plan |
| Iowa | College Savings Iowa |
| Kansas | Learning Quest Education Savings |
| Kansas | Learning Quest Advisor |
| Kansas | Schwab 529 College Savings Plan |
| Kansas | Schwab Learning Quest 529 Plan |
| Kentucky | KY Saves 529 |
| Maryland | Maryland College Investment Plan |
| Michigan | Michigan Education Savings Program (MESP) |
| Michigan | Michigan 529 Advisor Plan |
| Minnesota | Minnesota College Savings Plan |
| Missouri | MOST - Missouri 529 Education Plan |
| Montana | Achieve Montana |
| Nevada | Future Path 529 (formerly SSGA Upromise 529) |
| Nevada | The Vanguard 529 Education Savings Plan |
| Nevada | USAA 529 Education Savings Plan |
| New Mexico | Scholar’s Edge |
| New Mexico | The Education Plan |
| North Dakota | North Dakota: College SAVE |
| Ohio | CollegeAdvantage Direct 529 Savings Plan |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma College Savings Plan (Oklahoma 529) |
| Oregon | Oregon College Savings Plan |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan (PA Direct) |
| Rhode Island | CollegeBound Saver |
| Rhode Island | CollegeBound 529 |
| South Carolina | Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan |
| Tennessee | TNStars College Savings 529 Program |
| Utah | My529 |
| Washington | DreamAhead College Investment Plan |
| West Virginia | SMART529 WV Direct |
| West Virginia | The Hartford SMART529 |
| West Virginia | SMART529 Select |
| Wisconsin | Edvest College Savings Plan |
How do I get started?
| Existing Flywire Clients | Non-Flywire Clients |
|---|---|
| Notify your Relationship Manager or email [email protected] | Request and complete our ACH Authorization Form |
| Optional: Some schools choose to create a new item-type or detail code for digital 529 payments. | Confirm receipt of a $1 test payment |
| That’s it! | That's it! |
We will deliver payments in a daily lump-sum to your institution's bank account on file. The 529 deposits are easily distinguished from other deposits received through Flywire. Flywire clients will also have access to the Flywire Dashboard for easy reconciliation, as well as the option to automate cashiering into your student information system.
What’s the catch?
There is no catch! Flywire wants to support 529 plans and students and families who are seeking a faster and more sustainable way of sending payments to you.
What's included?
In support of Flywire’s mission to eliminate all paper checks and simplify the most complex payments, the following features and functionality are offered to schools at no-cost.
| Flywire Clients | Non-Flywire Clients | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily ACH deposit for all 529 payments | ✅ | ✅ |
| Fast delivery – funds delivered in 1-3 days | ✅ | ✅ |
| Instant access to our growing network of 529 College Savings Plans (40+) | ✅ | ✅ |
| A digital option to your school for more than 5 million 529 account holders | ✅ | ✅ |
| Essential transaction identifiers on every 529 payment | ✅ | ✅ |
| Optional cashiering integration | ✅ | $ (fees apply) |
| Centralized administrator dashboard to track and report on all 529 payments and manage staff access and workflow | ✅ | $ (fees apply) |
| Electronic returns/refunds back to the 529 plan | ✅ | $ (fees apply) |
How do I promote digital adoption?
There is no need for you to promote the digital 529 option since the process is intuitive for families, and some state 529 plan managers are promoting the digital option to their participants already. By activating the digital option, families will simply have an electronic payment method available when requesting a withdrawal from their savings plan. There is no Flywire interface or user experience for plan participants.
If you would like to encourage digital adoption on your website or bill, here is some standard language approved by Flywire and our 529 partners:
Many 529 College Savings Plans now offer a digital distribution option, which saves time and improves transparency with real-time payment tracking. When requesting a withdrawal from your 529 account, check with your plan manager to see if a digital distribution option is available.
What happens if we do not activate digital delivery?
If your school does not activate digital delivery, the digital option is replaced with an expedited check option, which usually means a higher fee and inability to track the payment status for the account owner. Your school will also be unable to automate the reconciliation process, adding time and manual processing to payment posting.
Is this solution available for other 529 plans?
Flywire is pursuing additional partnerships with other 529 Plan providers to ensure our network is as complete and robust as possible. What plans do you want to see added to our network? Let us know and make your voice heard by answering a few questions.
For additional questions related to Flywire’s 529 Disbursement solution or if you are interested in becoming a Flywire client, please contact your Relationship Manager, or email us at [email protected].