D had unlimited meal plan first semester. At least 3 nights per week didn’t eat in cafeteria because of class schedule and she stopped going for breakfast. So, for upcoming spring semester, I downgraded to 12 meals per week. A $300 debit card loaded by University, includes some off campus restaurants and on campus fast food, and the costs are included in the meal plan. D is unaware of any statements that quantify what each swipe was used for. I will investigate further with Univ since I find it hard to believe that there is no accounting other than transaction balances.Receipts for swipes show the balance only. Part of the debit card funds can be used for laundry, though she usually just brings it home for me :). Unused amounts on debit card carry forward over semesters and years.Some eating will be done at off campus restaurants not covered by debit card, and food she will buy and have in dorm.
For first semester, I just used the entire meal plan amount as 529 QHEE and didn’t keep up with any outside meals not covered by meal plan since I figured that was over the COA and wouldn’t be covered. I didn’t think about unused balances on debit card though she tells me it is low.
- Do I need to keep up with balances on debit card account for 529 QHEE, or just use the entire meal plan amount that includes the debit card amount?
- Since D now has partial meal plan, can I claim for QHEE purposes the partial plan amount plus any restaurant and grocery charges up to the amount of full meal plan COA? I will try to impress upon her that I will need every receipt for every food-related transaction.
- Next year she wants to live off campus. She thinks it will be cheaper but I am skeptical. I know that for QHEE I can claim larger of COA or amount charged for room and board. Univ has a published amount for COA for off campus. So if university charges $400 per month for dorm and COA is $300 per month, do I claim $400? What complicates this is that all off campus housing is for 12 months and dorms are for 10 months. I assume I figure out the true cost of housing over a year: 12 months divided by 12 equals monthly charge for off campus versus dorm charges divided by 10.
4 Food is what I can’t figure out for off campus. There is a block plan for off campus residents which I would purchase since D is not really a cook and I want to avoid every meal being in a restaurant. Again, do I add cost of meal plan to receipts for groceries and restaurants, up to the actual cost, but no more than the cost of full meal plan? Or is there something else I would use as the maximum for food QHEE?