Who is eligible?
Who can have an account?
To be eligible for an ABLE account, the beneficiary must:
Be blind or have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that results in marked and severe functional limitations, and such condition developed before the age of 26 and will last, or has lasted, at least a year;
Have a Social Security number or a tax identification number;
Have a U.S. permanent address that is not a Post Office Box; and
Confirm one of the following:
Are eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) because of a disability;
Experience blindness as determined by the Social Security Act; or
Have an eligible disability included in the Social Security Administration’s Listing of Impairments or list of Compassionate Allowances Conditions.*
In 2022, the U.S. Congress passed the ABLE Age Adjustment Act. This legislation increases the eligibility age of beneficiaries of ABLE accounts from the onset of disability before age 26 to age 46 — beginning January 1, 2026. Until then, only individuals who have a qualifying disability beginning before age 26 are eligible to open a CalABLE account.
*CalABLE recommends you seek a signed diagnosis form from a licensed physician if you are not already receiving SSI or SSDI. This is not required to open an account and will not be submitted to CalABLE, but CalABLE suggests you have one on hand for your own record keeping.
How to open an account?
If you are the beneficiary and are over the age of 18 and can manage your own account, go ahead, and get started.
If you’re the Authorized Legal Representative (ALR) of an individual with a qualifying disability, you can open an account if you can attest that you have been selected by the eligible beneficiary with legal capacity, have a fully and properly executed Power of Attorney, are a court-appointed conservator or legal guardian, are a spouse, parent, sibling, or grandparent, or are a representative payee (individual or organization), in that order of priority.
