How Do I Open an Account?
Get started with opening an ABLE account by following these steps.
Prepare Your Information
Gather your personal information which includes:
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- Account owner’s name
- Date of birth
- Mailing address
- Social Security number or Taxpayer Identification number
- Email address
- Identification Type – Driver’s license or State Issued I.D. Card
- Know if you are a U.S Citizen or resident alien
- Know your mother’s maiden name
- Identify how the first contribution will be funded to open the account. Obtain bank routing and account numbers if making an initial deposit using an electronic fund transfer option or write out a check that you will mail.
- Identify the source(s) of recurring contributions (if applicable).
- If you are opening the account as an authorized legal representative (ALR) or beneficiary representative, you will gather the account owner’s information and you will need to provide some of your personal information too. An ALR or beneficiary representative is the person or entity that can transact on the account on behalf of the account owner. The authorized individual may be any person or entity selected by an account owner with legal capacity, the account owner’s agent under a power of attorney, or, if none, a conservator or legal guardian, spouse, parent, sibling, grandparent, or representative payee appointed by the Social Security Administration, in that order of priority.
Know Your Primary Disability
Know your primary disability or select from the diagnosis code descriptions you are given. Before you turned age 26*, your disability must have resulted in marked and severe functional limitations. This severity is defined as can be expected to result in death or has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months or is blind. Social Security maintains a Complete List of Conditions | Compassionate Allowances | SSA that meet Social Security standards for disability benefits. The IRS uses these same conditions to determine someone to be ABLE-eligible. An example of ABLE plans’ codes and the qualifiers on an ABLE enrollment application are outlined as follows:
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- Code 1: Developmental Disorders: autism spectrum disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, developmental delays and learning disabilities
- Code 2: Intellectual Disability: mild, moderate, or severe intellectual disability
- Code 3: Psychiatric Disorders: schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anorexia nervosa, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) and bipolar disorder
- Code 4: Nervous Disorders: blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, juvenile-onset Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, severe sensorineural hearing loss and congenital cataracts
- Code 5: Congenital Anomalies: Chromosomal abnormalities: Down syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, xeroderma pigmentosum, spinal muscular atrophy, fragile X syndrome and Edwards syndrome
- Code 6: Respiratory Disorders: cystic fibrosis
- Code 7: Other: Anything not listed under codes 1-6 and tetralogy of Fallot, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, end-stage liver disease, juvenile-onset rheumatoid arthritis, sickle cell disease and hemophilia
Know Your Status of Social Security Benefits
Know your status of Social Security benefits, if applicable. Are you receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits? If you received SSI or SSDI before the ABLE age of onset criteria, you can skip step 4 as you are eligible without a doctor’s signature.
Obtain a Signed Disability Certification
Obtain a signed Disability Certification from your physician. This is important to keep in your personal records to show proof of your eligibility to open an ABLE account. You will want to obtain a signed verification of your disability if you did not have SSI or SSDI before the age of 26.* During the enrollment process, most plans ask you to self-certify that your disability qualifies and do not require the signed physician’s statement to be uploaded.
Complete an Online Application
Click on the state plan link of the ABLE plan that best fits your needs from the ABLE NRC comparison tools. ABLE accounts are opened through the state ABLE plan websites. You will be directed to another secure website as you complete the online application, so please come back to visit us to learn how to manage and grow your ABLE account! Several of the ABLE NRC ambassadors have said that the online application takes around 10 minutes to complete. If online applications do not appeal to you, call the state plan’s customer service phone number to ask for other options. As one example, some state plans will mail you a paper copy of the application to complete upon request.
Other information that some, but not all, ABLE plans will ask includes how you want your statements to be provided to you, your employment status and sources of income.
Identify Your Correct Account Type(s)
Most plans offer options such as savings, checking and investments. If you are unsure about investing, you can always make this election later.
Choose A Plan and Deposit Initial Funds to Begin Saving Today!
*Changing to before the age of 46 on January 1, 2026.