Is spending up to COA $, regardless of category allowed?

[boom]

University COA total is $24k, broken up into 5 categories (Tuition, Books/supplies, Room/board, transportation, personal expenses). Are we allowed to spend 529 monies a a lump sum of allowed expenses? For example, Books/Supplies = $1.2k and personal expenses is $2k. Could we spend, say $1.8k for school supplies (laptop) and still be ok? thanks

[dcandmc]

Of your five categories, the 529 qualified expenses are tuition, books/required supplies, and room and board (if the student is enrolled at least half-time). Transportation and personal expenses are not 529 qualified expenses. Expenses for textbooks and class supplies that are required by the professor are 529 qualified, and so is "the purchase of computer or peripheral equipment, computer software, or Internet access and related services, if it's to be used primarily by the beneficiary during any of the years the beneficiary is enrolled at an eligible postsecondary school. (This doesn't include expenses for computer software for sports, games, or hobbies unless the software is predominantly educational in nature.)"

[boom]

Thanks Dcandmc,

Yes, I understand that we are only able to use 529 funds for specific categories...however, my question is:

Are we allowed to spend 529 monies a a lump sum of allowed expenses? For example, Books/Supplies = $1.2k and personal expenses is $2k. Could we spend, say $1.8k for school supplies (laptop) and still be ok?

Would appreciate specifics on that.

[dcandmc]

Yes, you can take a lump sum distribution from a 529 account to pay for or reimburse all 529 qualified expenses that were or will be paid in the same year that the distribution is taken. If in January you paid $6,000 in spring semester tuition, $6,000 for room and board for your at least half-time enrolled student, $500 for textbooks and $1,800 for a computer to be used by the student, you could take one 529 distribution of $14,300 this month (or any time before the end of the year) to cover those qualified expenses. Does that answer your question?

I don't understand why you are using "personal expenses" in your example. "Personal expenses" are not a 529 qualified expense.