Using a VA 529 Account to Pay for K-12 Private School Tuition

Paying K-12 private school tuition bills? You may be able to get a Virginia state income tax deduction by contributing the money you were going to send directly to your child’s school to VA 529 first. After the money is deposited at VA 529 you can request a check be sent directly to your child’s school.

*This is educational in nature & not tax advice. Please speak with your tax preparer or financial planner before making any changes.*

Important Details Before You Use Your VA 529 to Pay for Private K-12 Tuition

1. You can’t withdraw more than $10,000/beneficiary (kid) for private K-12 tuition each year from VA 529 in 2025. Starting in 2026 you’ll be able to withdraw up to $20,000 from a 529 account to pay for private school tuition.

2. To get the maximum tax benefit you’ll need to open multiple accounts at VA 529 that have different investment options (current VA state income tax deduction is capped at $4,000/year per beneficiary per account owner PER account type).

3. Watch out for investment options that have a lot of risk or that have a required holding period.

4. Avoid broker-sold plans that have sales commissions (loads) on purchases.

5. Don’t wait until the last minute. This is fairly quick but it doesn’t take several days to go through the whole process.

6. Do not use funds earmarked for college for private K-12 tuition. Keep those monies separate.