California State Treasurer Fiona Ma and CalABLE, California’s savings and investment program for people with disabilities, applauded the recent passage of the ABLE Age Adjustment Act included in the Congressional Omnibus Spending Bill. CalABLE advocates have urged Congress to act on expanding access to ABLE accounts by raising the age of disability onset limits for ABLE eligibility. First introduced by Rep. Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), H.R. 1219 will amend the Internal Revenue Code to raise the age threshold from 26 to 46 for tax-favored ABLE accounts beginning January 1, 2026. Previously, only individuals with a qualifying disability prior to age 26 were eligible to open an ABLE account.
“The federal Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 was the most significant legislation for people with disabilities since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, nearly 30 years ago,” said Treasurer Ma, who also chairs the CalABLE board of directors. “Through savings in ABLE accounts, Californians with disabilities have purchased homes, paid for educational expenses, covered out-of-pocket medical costs, and so much more. CalABLE’s impact will be even greater with the passage of the ABLE Age Adjustment Act, giving millions of veterans and others who became disabled later in life the opportunity to achieve financial equity.”
CalABLE accounts are a relatively new financial tool for people with disabilities. The program allows people with disabilities to have money that is not counted towards asset limitations set by means-tested benefit programs like Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income. These asset limits prevent people with disabilities from saving money beyond $2,000 and planning for their future.
“The passage of the ABLE Age Adjustment Act is a big win on behalf of people with disabilities across the country and right here in California," said Dante Allen, executive director of CalABLE. “Since 2018, Californians have saved and invested more than $80 million in CalABLE accounts. These funds are being used to raise the quality of life of account owners, and increase their independence, while often helping to reduce the cycle of poverty among one of our most vulnerable populations.”
For more information about CalABLE or how to open an account, visit www.calable.ca.gov.
CalABLE is the state of California’s tax-advantaged savings and investment program administered through the California State Treasurer’s Office. Based on the federal Achieving Better Life Experiences (ABLE) Act, the program allows eligible individuals with a disability to save up to $16,000 per year in an ABLE account and access the money at any time without taxes or penalties when the money is used to maintain or improve the health, independence or quality of life of the account owner. Up to $100,000 of funds in CalABLE accounts are not counted against resource limits of federal and state benefit programs like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid. Established in December of 2018, CalABLE has enrolled more than 8,000 account holders who have saved and invested more than $80 million, making CalABLE one of the fastest growing ABLE programs in the nation.
