Backpack doesn’t offer or manage payment plans, but you can use your Backpack account as the funding source (and any 529 funds you withdraw to your Backpack account) when setting one up through your university.
Backpack acts just like a checking account. So if your school offers a payment plan, you can enter your Backpack account and routing number to have your installments withdrawn automatically.
How it works:
Log in to your University’s payment portal
Begin setting up a payment plan
When prompted to select a payment method, choose “Bank Account” or “Electronic Check”.
Enter your Backpack account and routing number (found in your Backpack dashboard).
Once added, your university will automatically pull each installment directly from your Backpack account on schedule. You won’t need to click “Pay Tuition” in Backpack for these payments.
⚠️ A few important reminders:
You’ll still need to fund your Backpack account - Backpack does not pull funds in from your 529 plan automatically, so you will need to initiate a withdrawal from your 529 Plan to your Backpack account. You can either do the full amount of all installments at the beginning or withdraw before installment.
Be sure to withdraw funds from your 529 plan to Backpack BEFORE each scheduled installment.
If your Backpack account doesn’t have enough funds at the time of withdrawal, the payment will fail and your school could charge a fee.