Maine’s 529 tax deduction
Maine takes up to $1,000 a year for each child off state taxable income, single or filing jointly, for money put into any state’s 529 plan.
The rules for 2026
What Maine counts, how much and until when.
- What it gives
- A deduction from state taxable income
- Single
- $1,000 a year
- Filing jointly
- $1,000 a year
- Counted
- For each child
- Which plans
- Any state’s 529 plan
- Last day for 2026
- December 31, 2026
- Also
- Not for incomes over $100,000 single or married filing separately, or $200,000 as head of household or filing jointly.
- Source
- 36 MRS 5122(2)(YY) and 2025 1040ME instructions
What it’s worth
A deduction is worth your state tax rate on what it takes off. Two examples on wages alone with one child, each putting in the most that counts.
Where a 529 fits among your other accounts, after the 401(k) match and an HSA: the savings waterfall.
| An example | Single, $75,000 | Married, $150,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Put in | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Maine’s rate | 6.75% | 6.75% |
| Off state tax | $68 back | $68 back |
An example, not your numbers: wages only, the federal standard deduction standing in for Maine’s own, and Maine’s 2026 schedule.
Questions people ask
Does Maine have a 529 tax deduction?
Yes. Maine takes up to $1,000 a year for each child off state taxable income, single or filing jointly, for money put into any state’s 529 plan.
Can I use another state’s 529 plan?
Yes. Maine counts money put into any state’s 529 plan.
When is the last day for 2026?
Money counts for 2026 if it goes in by December 31, 2026.
Is there a federal deduction for 529 money?
No. Nothing comes off your federal taxes going in. What the account earns grows untaxed and comes out tax free when it pays for qualified education; earnings taken out for anything else are taxed, plus a 10% additional tax.
Can leftover 529 money go to a Roth IRA?
Yes, up to $35,000 over the child’s lifetime, into a Roth IRA in the child’s name, and no more in a year than the Roth IRA limit ($7,500 for 2026). The 529 must have been open more than 15 years, money put in during the last five years and what it earned can’t move, and it has to go straight from the plan to the Roth IRA. Whether Maine taxes that move or takes back the deduction is its own rule, so ask its plan first.
Checked on October 1, 2026 against Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education, Publication 590-A, Contributions to IRAs and Maine’s own sources, 36 MRS 5122(2)(YY) and 2025 1040ME instructions. An estimate for your records, not tax advice.
More if you save or invest
- Tax-equivalent yield calculatorThe money market fund that pays you most after tax
- Savings waterfall calculatorWhich account your next dollar goes to, and how much
- 401(k) contribution limitsThis year’s limits, catch-ups and the total
- Roth IRA income limitsWhere a Roth IRA shrinks and stops, by filing status
- Backdoor RothOver the income line, step by step, and the mega backdoor
Put more back in your pocket.
Reimburse works out what a 529 takes off your taxes beside every other account, and reminds you before December 31, 2026.