Related Content What is a Coverdell Education Savings Account and who's eligible to contribute? Coverdell education savings accounts (ESAs) offer tax-sheltered growth and tax-free qualified distribution to help families save for future education expenses.

If a Coverdell ESA beneficiary withdraws too much money from the account, the excess distribution is taxable. In addition, all earnings that are taken out and used to pay qualified educational expenses are tax exempt. You can cash in part or all of a Coverdell account to pay for tuition, books and academic fees. In general, the designated beneficiary of a Coverdell ESA can receive tax-free distributions to pay qualified education expenses. Distributions are generally tax-free if used to pay for the beneficiary's qualified education expenses. Contributions to a CESA are not tax deductible, but distributions are tax-free if used for qualified education expenses at an …

The distributions are tax-free to the extent the amount of the distributions doesn't exceed the beneficiary's qualified education expenses. Check out the complete formula for calculating the tax liability — warning: it involves fractions — in the Taxable Distributions section of IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education.

Money › Taxes › Educational Tax Benefits Coverdell Educational Savings Accounts.

A Coverdell Education Savings Account (CESA) is a special account that can be used to save, invest and pay for a child’s education with tax advantages. Investment earnings in a Coverdell ESA are not taxable as long as they remain in the account.