Exciting updates and enhancement coming in late September!

Bright Start 529 is proud to announce plan and website enhancements coming on September 30, 2024. In preparation for these updates, account owner transactions and maintenance requests will not be available starting Wednesday, September 25 at 3:00 p.m. CT until Monday, September 30, 2024. The BrightStart.com website, online account access and phone center will be temporarily unavailable from Friday, September 27 at 3:00 p.m. CT until Monday, September 30, 2024. For complete details, please review the Bright Start 529 Transition Guide and Plan Description available at BrightStartEnhancements.com. We apologize for the inconvenience.

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Explore how the Bright Start 529 plan can help you save for college.

With college costs on the rise, it’s essential to start saving early for your child’s education.

Learn how much to save for college, what a 529 college savings plan is, and how Bright Start can help you prepare to give your child a brighter future.

$50 To Help You Start Saving

Illinois resident parents with a baby born or adopted on or after January 1, 2023 are eligible to claim a free $50 seed deposit when they open a Bright Start account.

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Meet a few of the hundreds of thousands of families saving with Bright Start.

Think about saving for college while you have that time before your child is born. If it’s a month before, a week before — do it. No matter what.
Sagar Deo

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Gifting

One of the most meaningful gifts you can give a loved one is helping to put them on the path to a bright future with a college savings account. It’s easy for friends and family to make a contribution toward future education costs with Bright Start’s GiftED.

Make a Gift

How much will you save if you start now?

With our college savings calculator, use the amount you can afford to contribute each month and the child’s current age to estimate how much you’ll save by the time they’re ready for college.
More About the Cost of College

How much can you afford to save? Slide the bar to the amount you can afford to save each month .
You could save: $19,474.75

* Amount assumes an actual investment return of 6% with monthly contribution on the first day of each month. This hypothetical is for illustrative purposes only. It does not reflect an actual investment in any particular college savings plan or in a Bright Start account or any taxes payable upon withdrawal.

Bright Start Is Here to Help You Learn.

Explore our resources to support your successful college savings journey.

With Bright Start, your savings can grow with your child and can be used for a variety of schools and higher education expenses. This Bright Start Study Hall video shows you why this 529 is a great way to save.

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Sign Up for a Webinar

Want to know how you can save on taxes and increase your savings? Looking for the best vehicle to save for college? Need to know how to make wise 529 account withdrawals? Sign up for our free webinars.

Frequently Asked Questions

See our FAQs to learn more about Bright Start college savings plans.

Blog: Save For College Now to Avoid Borrowing Later

In this short blog, we talked with several financial aid experts and examined how using a 529 college savings plan helps interest work for you now rather than against you later in student loan repayment.

Save on Taxes with a Rollover

Did you recently move to Illinois? Are you an Illinois taxpayer with an out-of-state plan? Discover how to deduct up to $20,000 from your Illinois state taxable income with a Bright Start rollover.