A STABLE Account is an investment account available to eligible individuals with disabilities. STABLE Accounts are made possible by the federal Achieving a Better Life Experience (“ABLE”) Act. STABLE Accounts allow individuals with disabilities to save and invest money without losing eligibility for certain public benefits programs, like Medicaid, SSI, or SSDI. Earnings in your STABLE Account are not subject to federal income tax, so long as you spend them on “Qualified Disability Expenses.”
STABLE Accounts have some similar features to normal bank accounts, but they are not checking or savings accounts. STABLE Accounts are investment accounts, similar to 529 college savings accounts or 401(k) retirement accounts. When you deposit money into your STABLE Account, your money will be invested in different options that you choose. While you can still withdraw and spend your money whenever you need it, a STABLE Account also allows you to grow your money and to save long-term for disability expenses. For more information on STABLE Accounts, please visit: http://www.stableaccount.com/stable-account/
The STABLE Card is a debit card you can use to easily spend money from your STABLE Account. The card is available to all current STABLE Account holders at no cost! The STABLE Card is a loadable prepaid debit card. It does not pull money directly out of your STABLE Account. Instead, you choose a specific amount of money to withdrawal from your STABLE Account and load onto your STABLE Card. You can load as much or as little onto your card as you want, up to $15,000. You can use your STABLE Card to spend money anywhere MasterCard is accepted. Although it is a loadable card, it works just like a regular debit card. When you login to your STABLE Card portal, you can easily view, sort, and categorize all of your expenditures in one place. The STABLE Card portal allows you to mark every expense you make as either “Qualified” or “Non-Qualified.” You can also write personal notes on every transaction, detailing exactly what you purchased and why. These unique features make it incredibly easy for STABLE Account users to report expenses to agencies like the IRS, SSA, or Medicaid, if necessary.
For more information on the STABLE card, please visit: http://www.stableaccount.com/stablecard-info/
An “Eligible Individual” is someone who developed their disability before the age of 26. The individual must have been living with their disability for at least one year, or they must expect their disability to last for at least a year. In addition, the individual must meet at least one of the following criteria: Be entitled to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) because of their disability; Have a condition listed on the Social Security Administration’s List of Compassionate Allowances Conditions; or Self-certify which simply requires an individual to agree to the following statements during enrollment: The individual has a written, signed diagnosis from a licensed physician (note: individuals do not have to provide us with a copy of the diagnosis during enrollment, but a copy of the diagnosis must be available upon request); The individual is either: (1) blind, within the meaning of the Social Security Act, or (2) has a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that results in “marked and severe functional limitations.”
For more information on Eligibility, please visit: http://www.stableaccount.com/eligibility-info/
