New Hampshire 529 Plan And College Savings Options

New Hampshire 529 Plans At A Glance

New Hampshire 529 Tax Rules

New Hampshire has no income tax on wages, and its interest and dividends tax was repealed for taxable periods beginning after December 31, 2024 (New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration). That means there's no state deduction for 529 contributions, no state tax on withdrawals, and nothing lost on the state return by choosing another state's plan, which our state-by-state 529 tax deduction table shows is unusual.

Even before the repeal, UNIQUE's fact kit said distributions for qualified higher education expenses were exempt from the interest and dividends tax (Fidelity). Federal rules still apply: growth is tax-deferred and qualified withdrawals are tax-free, including for an out-of-state college, which our list of qualified 529 plan expenses breaks down.

Churning doesn't apply in New Hampshire because there's no state deduction to claim. UNIQUE's January 2026 fact kit sets no holding period on contributions (Fidelity), so a family can deposit money and pay a qualified bill soon after, though there's no state tax benefit from doing so, as our breakdown of 529 plan churning and withdrawal limits explains.

A 529-to-Roth IRA rollover follows the federal rules, which require the account to be open at least 15 years and cap the lifetime rollover at $35,000, and with the interest and dividends tax gone, New Hampshire has no tax to apply to it. Read our 529-to-Roth IRA rollover rules before you move leftover money.

UNIQUE's fact kit already reflects the federal $20,000 annual K-12 limit (Fidelity). Families who move to a state with an income tax should check that state's rules, and our breakdown of the 2026 529 plan expansion covers what changed federally.

How New Hampshire's 529 Plan Ranks

New Hampshire ranks 38th of the 50 state plans in our best 529 plans rankings, which include Washington, D.C., with a 58.5% net return on investment. Our Net ROI score models $100 a month for 10 years at a 5% annual return, subtracts plan fees, and reinvests the value of the state tax break each year. With no state tax break, New Hampshire's score comes down to fees alone, and UNIQUE's 7 basis point figure is low but can't match states that add a deduction.

New Hampshire residents can read this table differently than most. Each state's score assumes a taxpayer in that state using its own plan, and UNIQUE gives New Hampshire families no home-state tax edge, so they can shop any state's plan on fees alone. UNIQUE's index portfolios already rank among the cheapest options open to anyone, and the full rankings table lists all 50 state plans.

The gap with its neighbors comes down to the tax break, which New Hampshire can't offer without a broad income tax. Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts all have similar or higher fees but add a deduction or credit, while New Hampshire's fees are already low, so direct incentives like matching grants are the lever left. If that matters to you, share these numbers with your state legislators, and use our 529 plan tax deductions by state table to show how other states reward savers.

Should New Hampshire Residents Use UNIQUE?

Yes, for most New Hampshire families who pick their own investments, as long as they choose the Fidelity Index portfolios. Those cost 0.08% to 0.12% a year with no minimum and no account fee (Fidelity), which puts UNIQUE alongside the cheapest plans in our best 529 plans rankings. With no state tax break at stake, a New Hampshire family can also open another state's plan if it prefers that plan's fund lineup.

Families with an older UNIQUE account in the Fidelity Funds or Blend portfolios can switch to the Index portfolios inside the plan, since federal rules allow two investment changes a year, and our explainer on 529 plan rollovers and transfers covers moving money between plans. Grandparents and other relatives can open their own UNIQUE account too, which our multiple 529 plans explainer covers.

Four years at a New Hampshire public university runs about $127,000 on campus, so the average UNIQUE balance of about $27,700 covers less than one year. Our New Hampshire college costs and financial aid breakdown lists costs by school, and our 529 savings benchmarks by age show what to aim for.

New Hampshire 529 Plan Details

Both New Hampshire plans are sponsored by the state, with the New Hampshire Treasurer as trustee, the College Tuition Savings Plan Advisory Commission providing oversight, and Fidelity Investments as program manager (Fidelity). As of June 30, 2026, the two plans held $37.34 billion across 1,282,042 open accounts, which ranked New Hampshire 4th among the states in 529 assets (The 529 Network). Our 529 plan and college savings statistics show how that compares nationally.

Other New Hampshire College Savings Programs

Upromise. Upromise lets you earn money for your UNIQUE account through rebates and rewards on everyday spending, and the Upromise credit card sends cash back straight into your child's 529 plan (Upromise). You can link a UNIQUE account to your Upromise profile, so the rewards add to what you save even without a state tax deduction.

NH ABLE Plan. New Hampshire residents with disabilities can save in the NH ABLE Plan, part of the National ABLE Alliance, which also accepts out-of-state residents (ABLE National Resource Center). ABLE accounts are 529A accounts for disability-related expenses, and our 529 plan overview compares them with regular college savings.

Leftover money. Families with money left after college can change the beneficiary to a sibling, pay down up to $10,000 of student loans, or roll to a Roth IRA, with no New Hampshire tax on any of them. Our list of what to do with leftover 529 money covers each option, and New Hampshire graduates in health care or teaching should also check New Hampshire student loan forgiveness programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related New Hampshire Resources

How We Sourced This Data

Plan details on this page come from the plan and the state: Fidelity's UNIQUE College Investing Plan page, the UNIQUE fact kit effective January 2, 2026, the UNIQUE annual report dated September 30, 2025, The 529 Network 529 plan data as of June 30, 2026, and the ABLE National Resource Center's New Hampshire listing. The interest and dividends tax repeal comes from the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. The college cost figure comes from our New Hampshire financial aid page, which draws on institutional cost pages and NCES IPEDS data. Read more about how we fact-check and update content.

Page refreshed annually in September, after UNIQUE publishes its updated fee schedule, and reviewed in January for tax season. Last full refresh: September 24, 2026.