Final Section 529A ABLE Plan Regulations Are Well-Intended But Will Require Further Clarification

On October 2, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service released final regulations providing guidance for Section 529A "qualified ABLE programs" established by states under the Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014 (the "ABLE Act") to provide tax-favored savings and investment accounts for individuals with disabilities. Building on proposed regulations issued in 2015 and 2019 and several prior IRS notices as to how the final regulations would resolve specific issues under the ABLE Act, the final regulations clearly seek to avoid, within statutory constraints, imposing major administrative burdens on ABLE programs. Nonetheless, several key provisions contain ambiguities or raise concerns. As indicated by prior IRS guidance, the regulations provide a transition period of at least two years for ABLE programs operating in good faith to implement provisions applicable to such programs, and thus an opportunity for the IRS to address such ambiguities and