Terminology Changes
IL ABLE Terminology Changes with Able UP
IL ABLE terms you use today will change when the program transitions to Able UP on November 10, 2026.
Use the charts below to quickly see how current IL ABLE terminology will translate to the new Able UP experience.
Program Terms
| Current Term | New Term (Starting 11/10/2026) | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Account Owner | Account Owner / Beneficiary | The ABLE account owner who is the ABLE-eligible individual. Also known as the beneficiary. |
| Authorized Individual | Authorized Legal Representative (ALR) | A person or organization who can open and manage an account on behalf of an account owner. An organization is called an organizational ALR. By law, an ALR can be (in the following order of priority): 1. An individual or organization chosen by an account owner with legal capacity 2. Power of attorney 3. Legal guardian or conservator 4. Spouse 5. Parent 6. Sibling 7. Grandparent 8. Representative payee appointed by the Social Security Administration |
| -- | Authorized User | A trusted person who can have their own online login and custom permission (from view-only permission up to transactional permissions). Starting November 10th, the previous role of "Interested Party" will be called an authorized user, at the "viewer" permission level. |
| Ascensus | Vestwell | The program manager provides administrative, recordkeeping, and other management services for the program, including the online platform where individuals and organizations can open and manage ABLE accounts. Today, Ascensus is the program manager. Starting November 10, 2026, Vestwell will serve as the program manager. |
| Eligible Individual | Eligible Individual (no change) | An individual who meets the federal eligibility requirements to open and own an ABLE account. This includes a person whose qualifying disability began before age 46 and who either receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or is able to certify that they have a qualifying disability. The eligible individual is the owner of the ABLE account and is also referred to as the account owner or beneficiary. |
| Know Your Customer (KYC) | Customer Identification Program (CIP) | CIP is the federally required identity-verification step inside the Know Your Customer (KYC) Bank Secrecy Act requirement — it requires collecting name, date of birth, residential address, and SSN, and then verifying and recording that information. Required for individuals opening a new account, including senior leaders of non-profit and for-profit organizational ALRs, and owners. CIP information is not collected for agents, or for the senior leader of a government agency. |
| Plan Disclosure Booklet | Program Disclosure Statement | Governs all aspects of the program. |
| SSA Representative Payee | SSA Representative Payee (no change) | An individual or organization appointed by the Social Security Administration to manage SSDI, SSI, or other SSA benefits on behalf of an individual who is unable to manage those benefits themself. Organizations serving as representative payee can register to become an organizational ALR. |
Organization-Related Terms
| Current Term | New Term (starting 11/10/2026) | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Team Member | Agent | An employee of the organization who has been granted permission to help manage one or more ABLE accounts on behalf of the organization. Agents may be granted different permissions – viewer, contributor, or manager – to different accounts. Each agent has unique login credentials. |
| Beneficial Owner | Owner | Any person who owns 25% or more of a for-profit organization. |
| Control Person | Senior Leader | Any person with significant authority to manage or direct the organization – such as a CEO, CFO, COO, President, VP, Partner, Treasurer, or anyone in a similar leadership role. Starting November 10th, the senior leader must log in to the new Vestwell platform to retrieve all accounts associated with your organization. The senior leader must also assign agents' permissions on ABLE accounts. The senior leader (or another person acting with authority from a senior leader) can complete organization registration; both individuals are automatically made organization administrators. If multiple individuals meet the description of a "senior leader," the organization only needs to identify one. |
| Entity | Organization | Registration must be completed before adding agents and opening ABLE accounts. It can be done by a senior leader or another person acting with authority from a senior leader at the organization. |
| Entity Authorized Individual (AI) | Organizational Authorized Legal Representative (ALR) | The shared group inbox that will receive all email alerts for all ABLE accounts managed by the organization. This inbox should be accessible to all administrators and agents and not associated with a specific administrator, agent, or other employee. |
| Entity Certification Form | N/A | |
| Entity Management Dashboard | Organization Dashboard | The screen within the online portal where an organization administrator can update the organization’s profile, add or manage agents, change agents’ permissions, add new ABLE accounts, and add/change bank account information. |
| Entity Registration | Organization Registration | The process by which an organization creates a profile and login for the ABLE online platform. Registration includes providing information about the organization, identifying a senior leader (and any owners of for-profit organizations), and submitting any required documentation. Registration must be completed before adding agents and opening ABLE accounts. It can be done by a senior leader or another person acting with authority from a senior leader at the organization. |
| Entity Email Address | Group Email Address | The shared group inbox that will receive all email alerts for all ABLE accounts managed by the organization. This inbox should be accessible to all administrators and agents and not tied to any specific administrator, agent, or other employee. |
Organization Permissions beginning November 10, 2026
| Permission Type | Definition |
|---|---|
| Can Add Account | A stand-alone permission that can be granted independently of other permissions. An agent with this permission can open new ABLE accounts and will be automatically assigned manager permissions on any accounts they open. |
| Contributor Permission | Agents with contributor permission on an account can view the account and make contributions. |
| Manager Permission | Agents with manager permission on an account can view the account and conduct any financial transactions, including making contributions and withdrawals, changing investments, and updating attached bank accounts. |
| Organization Administrator | Individual(s) at the organization who have the authority to manage the organization's profile and ABLE accounts on the online platform. The senior leader (or another person authorized by the senior leader who completes the registration) will automatically be assigned the role of organization administrator. You can designate other Administrators after registration. Organization administrators can add/remove agents, manage agents' permissions on individual ABLE accounts, and add/manage ABLE accounts. Organization administrators have full access to all ABLE accounts under the organization. They can take any action that is available to ALRs and can conduct financial transactions on all accounts, including making contributions and withdrawals, changing investments, and updating attached bank accounts. Organization administrators can also take other account actions, such as changing demographic information (such as an account owner's name or address), updating an account owner's eligibility status, or closing an ABLE account. |
| Viewer Permission | Agents with viewer permission can only view account information and run reports. |