If you have a Prepaid Tuition Plan (such as a Florida Prepaid College Savings Plan, or a similar state-sponsored prepaid plan), you most likely do not need to create a Backpack account.

A 529 Investment Plan (sometimes called a 529 College Savings Plan) is a brokerage account that grows your contributions over time. These plans use standard bank account and routing numbers, which allows them to be linked to a Backpack account and send funds electronically.

A Prepaid Tuition Plan works differently. Instead of investing your contributions, it locks in future tuition at in-state public colleges at today's rates. Because Prepaid Tuition Plans don't use account and routing numbers and don't support electronic disbursements the way investment plans do, they can't be linked to Backpack.

Instead of creating a Backpack account, you'll work directly with your Prepaid Tuition Plan provider:

Every university handles Prepaid Plan payments a little differently, so it's a good idea to check your university's billing office website for the specific process at your school. Some schools also ask that you let them know a Prepaid Plan payment is on its way, so your class registration isn't held up while they wait for the funds to arrive.

Some states, like Florida, offer both a Prepaid Tuition Plan and a separate 529 Investment Plan. If you're not sure which one you have, check your account statement or your plan's online portal. You're also welcome to reach out to our support team and we can help you figure it out.

No problem, this happens often. Just reach out to our support team through live chat or at [email protected] and we'll help you close it out.