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Trump Account Planning

Updated July 2026 · §530A + Dell Foundation gift

Trump Account eligibility: who gets the $1,000 — and who gets the $250

Two free deposits, two birth windows — and no child gets both. Born 2025–2028: the $1,000 federal seed. Born 2016–2024: possibly $250 from the Dell Foundation, depending on your ZIP code. No free deposit? Parents can still open a Trump Account for any child under 18. Here's where your child lands.

Trump Account free-deposit eligibility windows, 2016–2030 Timeline of Trump Account free-deposit eligibility from 2016 to 2030. Children born January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2028 receive the $1,000 federal seed deposit. Children born 2016 through December 31, 2024 may instead qualify for the $250 Dell Foundation gift in qualifying ZIP codes. Today marker at Jul 2026. $1,000 federal seed depositNo seed — born before 2025Eligible windowNo seed$250 Dell Foundation gift — qualifying ZIP codes onlyBorn 2016 – Dec 31, 2024 · under 102016201820202022Jan 1, 2025Dec 31, 2028Today · Jul 2026 Trump Account free-deposit eligibility windows, 2016–2030 Timeline of Trump Account free-deposit eligibility from 2016 to 2030. Children born January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2028 receive the $1,000 federal seed deposit. Children born 2016 through December 31, 2024 may instead qualify for the $250 Dell Foundation gift in qualifying ZIP codes. Today marker at Jul 2026. $1,000 federal seed depositNo seed before 2025Eligible$250 Dell gift — qualifying ZIPs onlyBorn 2016 – 202420162020Jan 1 '25Dec 31 '28Today
Born on or before Dec 31, 2024? No $1,000 seed — but the $250 Dell gift may apply. Born after Dec 31, 2028? A Trump Account is still available; there's just no free deposit.

Dell gift · born 2016–2024

Does your ZIP code qualify for the $250?

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation's $250 gift goes to children born 2016–2024 who live in ZIP codes with a median household income of $150,000 or less. Enter yours to check against Census income data.

Income figures are Census ACS 2020–2024 estimates (table B19013). The foundation's own list may differ, so treat a result as an indication — not a guarantee. The check runs entirely in your browser; your ZIP is never sent to us.

No application, no claim form

Open the account — the money follows

Neither free deposit is something you apply for separately. In both cases, setting up the child's account is what triggers the money.

$1,000 federal seed

Enroll, and the Treasury deposits it

A parent makes the one-time election through trumpaccounts.gov or IRS Form 4547. The Treasury then deposits the $1,000 into the child's account — nothing further to claim.

$250 Dell gift

No application exists — just the account

If the child qualifies (born 2016–2024, qualifying ZIP), the foundation's $250 is expected to be deposited automatically once a Trump Account exists. Opening the account is the only step.

What to do with your answer

Your next move, whichever window you're in

Born 2025–2028 · $1,000 seed

Lock in the seed, then let it compound

The $1,000 is locked in once you enroll. The bigger variable is everything after — market growth, your contributions, and the age-18 Roth decision.

Project the seed's growth → What to do after the seed →
Born 2016–2024 · $250 Dell gift

Small seed, same engine

$250 at age five still has sixty-plus years of compounding ahead of it. See what it becomes — and whether adding even $25 a month changes the story.

See what $250 + contributions become →
No free deposit

Your actual options are still good

Outside both windows, or in a ZIP that doesn't qualify? A Trump Account still works — up to $5,000 a year into index funds — but compare it against a custodial account or a 529 first.

Trump Account vs. 529 vs. custodial →

The fine print, in plain English

The eligibility rules, unabridged

The $1,000 federal seed deposit

The Treasury makes a one-time $1,000 deposit for every qualifying child: a U.S. citizen born January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2028 with a valid Social Security number. There is no family income limit and no means test. The deposit isn't sent on its own — a parent or guardian first makes an election through IRS Form 4547 or trumpaccounts.gov, and the Treasury deposits the seed after enrollment.

The $250 Dell Foundation gift

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation pledged $6.25 billion to cover children who just miss the federal window: $250 apiece for kids born 2016–2024 (under age 10, born before January 1, 2025). One extra condition applies — the child must live in a ZIP code with a median household income of $150,000 or less. Use the checker above for a first read on your ZIP; the foundation's own list governs.

One free deposit — never both

A child gets either the $1,000 seed or the $250 gift, never both. The birth windows make this automatic: 2025 or later means the seed, 2024 or earlier means the gift.

The December 31, 2024 vs. January 1, 2025 boundary

The dividing line is midnight, New Year's Eve 2024. Born December 31, 2024: no $1,000 seed, but the $250 Dell gift applies in a qualifying ZIP. Born January 1, 2025: the full $1,000 seed, and no Dell gift. No proration and no exceptions have been announced on either side of the line.

No free deposit ≠ no account

Any child who is under 18 at the end of the calendar year the account is opened and has a Social Security number can have a Trump Account — born 2010, born 2029, doesn't matter. They simply receive no free deposit. The account otherwise works identically: up to $5,000 a year in combined contributions, invested in low-cost U.S. index funds, growing tax-deferred until at least 18.

Plain answers

Eligibility questions, answered straight

My child was born in December 2024 — do we get the $1,000?
No. The seed window starts January 1, 2025, and the law draws a hard line — a child born December 31, 2024 misses it by a day, with no exceptions announced. The same child, though, lands inside the $250 Dell Foundation gift window (born 2016–2024), so check your ZIP code above. And parents can still open a Trump Account for any child under 18.
Our baby is due in 2027 — will they get the seed?
Yes, if born a U.S. citizen with a Social Security number — 2027 sits comfortably inside the 2025–2028 birth window. There's nothing to do before the birth. Once the SSN arrives, make the election through trumpaccounts.gov or IRS Form 4547, and the Treasury deposits the $1,000 after enrollment.
Can a child get both the $1,000 seed and the $250 Dell gift?
No — it's one or the other. The birth windows don't overlap: the Dell gift is for children born 2016–2024, the federal seed for children born 2025–2028.
I'm not a U.S. citizen — can my child still get the $1,000?
The requirements attach to the child, not the parents: a U.S. citizen with a valid Social Security number, born 2025–2028. IRS Notice 2025-68 covers enrollment details for different household situations; a tax professional can confirm yours if the paperwork is complicated.
My child doesn't have a Social Security number yet — are we out of luck?
No — eligibility keys off the birth year, not how quickly you enroll. Get the SSN first (usually part of newborn paperwork), then make the election. The account and the seed require a valid SSN, so enrollment simply waits until you have one.
Is it still worth opening for an older teen who gets no free deposit?
It can be. Any child under 18 at the end of the calendar year (with an SSN) can have a Trump Account — up to $5,000 a year going into low-cost index funds, growing tax-deferred for decades. Fewer compounding years means a smaller result, so run the calculator with your teen's actual timeline; for some families a custodial Roth IRA (if the teen has earned income) or a 529 fits better.
Is the $1,000 deposited automatically?
Not entirely — someone has to enroll the child first. The deposit itself is automatic after an election is made (IRS Form 4547 or trumpaccounts.gov): the Treasury then makes the one-time $1,000 deposit. No enrollment, no seed.
We moved — which ZIP code counts for the $250 Dell gift?
The published criterion is the ZIP code where the child lives, so check your current ZIP above. The foundation hasn't published detailed rules for edge cases like a recent move, so treat any checker result as a starting point and confirm against the foundation's own materials.

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