If your child was born in 2028, they're the final cohort eligible for the $1,000 federal Trump Account seed[1]. December 31, 2028 is a hard statutory cutoff — the program does not phase out, it ends.
The 2028 cohort and the cutoff
The Trump Accounts statute defines a four-year eligibility window: 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028. The 2028 cohort is the last. After December 31, 2028, no new children qualify for the federal $1,000 seed unless Congress passes an extension[1].
The cutoff is not a phase-out. There is no graduated reduction, no partial seed, and no transition period. A baby born at 11:59 pm on December 31, 2028 qualifies for the full $1,000. A baby born at 12:00 am on January 1, 2029 gets nothing. One day apart, $1,000 versus zero[2].
The recorded birth date on the birth certificate is what counts, using local time at the place of delivery. Hospitals fill out birth certificates in local time. A baby delivered at 11:59 pm Hawaii time is a December 31 baby; the same medical event timed in Eastern Time would be January 1.
For families expecting a baby near the cutoff, the practical detail is the recorded birth time. Induction timing, scheduled C-sections, and natural-delivery variability all factor in — but those are medical decisions between the parents and their OB, not Trump Account decisions. The article cannot give medical advice. It can flag what the federal program rewards and let you decide.
What's unchanged for 2028 babies
The 2028 cohort plays by the same rules as the 2025 cohort:
- U.S. citizenship. Required.
- Social Security number on the parents' return. Required before the seed deposits.
- Filing parent SSN. ITIN-only filers don't qualify, even if the child is a U.S. citizen by birth.
- $1,000 federal seed. Same amount as cohorts 1–3. The statute does not depreciate the seed in later cohorts[1].
- $5,000 annual family contribution cap. Per child, per year. Seeds and employer matches do not reduce the cap.
- Employer match stacking. Five active committed employers (JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Charles Schwab, Intel, Dell) plus the broader 23-company committed list per Treasury SB0372[3].
- Connecticut Dalio Family Gift. $250 for Connecticut residents with kids under 10, same as the earlier cohorts.
For a 2028 baby in a typical Connecticut household with one committed-employer parent, year one stacks: $1,000 federal + $1,000 employer + $250 Dalio + up to $5,000 family = $7,250 on $5,000 of out-of-pocket contributions.
What ends after 2028
Only one thing: federal seed eligibility for new births. Specifically:
A baby born January 1, 2029 does not get the $1,000 seed. No exceptions, no phase-out. The statute's authorization expires after the 2028 cohort.
Unless Congress extends. No extension has been introduced as of this writing. Treat the 2028 cutoff as final unless and until legislation changes that[1].
What does not end:
- The $5,000 annual family contribution cap continues for the life of every existing Trump Account, including 2028 babies. A 2028 baby can receive $5,000 from family in 2029, $5,000 in 2030, and so on.
- Employer matches continue on the terms of each employer's plan. Most plans run independently of the federal seed window.
- Investment growth continues until the child reaches age 18 and the account converts under the program's rollover rules.
The 2028-specific edge cases
A few situations only matter for the final cohort:
Late-December births and cohort assignment. The recorded birth date on the birth certificate is the cohort marker. December 31, 2028 at any local time qualifies. January 1, 2029 at any local time does not. International births to U.S. citizen parents follow the same rule using the local birth date — a baby born in Tokyo on January 1, 2029 (which is December 31, 2028 in Hawaii) is a 2029 birth and does not qualify, because the recorded birth date on the local certificate is January 1.
Foreign adoptions finalized in 2028. The adoption-finalized date matters more than the birth date. A 2028 finalization with a child born earlier still qualifies for the 2028 cohort, as long as the SSN is in place before the parents' return is filed[4]. A 2029 finalization of a 2028 adoption does not qualify, even if the child was born inside the eligibility window.
Late SSN issuance into 2029 or 2030. A 2028 baby with an SSN issued in 2029 still qualifies. The cohort is fixed by birth year. The deposit just waits for the SSN-bearing return to process. The seed does not expire if the filing is delayed.
The "final cohort" perception. The 2028 cohort is the last to qualify but is not disadvantaged in any way. The seed amount, the contribution cap, and the employer match terms are identical to the 2025 cohort. By 2028, the program has three filing seasons of operational maturity behind it.
For comparison with the third-from-last cohort, see the 2027 cohort timeline. The mechanics are the same; only the cutoff math is different.
What to do this week
For 2028 parents:
- Track the SSN. Same rule as every cohort. No SSN on the 2028 return, no seed. International births and adoptions need the SSN application started early.
- Confirm employer match enrollment. By 2028, more of the 23-company committed list has finalized rollouts. The active five (JPMC, BofA, Schwab, Intel, Dell) plus the broader list are inside the eligibility checker.
- Plan contributions across the program window. Year-one $5,000 versus spread-over-time $5,000 a year produces different 18-year outcomes. The Slyce calculator models both arcs.
- If you're expecting near the December cutoff. Talk to your OB about the medical implications of any timing decisions. From a Trump Account perspective, the recorded birth date on the birth certificate is the only thing that matters.
The complete Trump Accounts guide covers the program end-to-end. The full eligibility rules walks every disqualifier we know about. For 2028-cohort parents, the program is fully mature — the only thing that's different is the cutoff date sitting at the back of the calendar.
More on Trump Accounts
Pillar
Trump Accounts: the complete guide
A plain-English guide to Trump Accounts: who qualifies for the $1,000 federal seed, how employer matches stack, contribution caps, and withdrawal rules.
Explainer
Born in 2025: does my child qualify for the $1,000 Trump Account?
If your child was born in 2025, they're in the first cohort eligible for the $1,000 federal Trump Account seed. Here's exactly what to file and when.
Explainer
Born in 2026: does my child qualify for the $1,000 Trump Account?
Children born in 2026 are in the second eligible cohort for the $1,000 federal Trump Account seed. Here's the filing timeline and the stacking math.
Explainer
Born in 2027: does my child qualify for the $1,000 Trump Account?
Children born in 2027 are in the third cohort eligible for the $1,000 federal Trump Account seed. Here's the timeline, stacking math, and what to plan now.
Frequently asked
- What happens if my baby is born December 31, 2028 vs January 1, 2029?
- December 31, 2028 qualifies for the $1,000 federal seed. January 1, 2029 does not. The statute is a hard cutoff with no transition period, no partial seed, and no grandfathering. The recorded birth time on the birth certificate determines the cohort — using local time at the place of birth, not Eastern Time.
- Can I plan an induction or scheduled C-section to land before the cutoff?
- The medical decision belongs between you and your OB. From a Trump Account perspective, the birth certificate's recorded date and time is what matters. Hospitals record local time at the place of delivery. A baby born at 11:59 pm Hawaii time on December 31, 2028 is a 2028-cohort baby; the same delivery in Eastern Time would be 4:59 am on January 1, 2029 and not qualify.
- Will Congress extend the program past 2028?
- The statute as enacted ends with the 2028 cohort. Congress has not signaled intent to extend. Plan as if 2028 is the final year. If an extension passes, you can update assumptions then — assuming an extension that has not been introduced is a planning mistake.
- Does the $5,000 annual family contribution cap end after 2028?
- No. The $5,000 cap is a per-child, per-year ongoing cap that continues for the life of the child's account. Only the federal $1,000 seed eligibility window closes after 2028. A child born in 2028 can still receive $5,000 in 2029, 2030, and onward in family contributions.
- If my 2028 baby's SSN doesn't arrive until 2029, do they still qualify?
- Yes. The cohort is set by birth year, not SSN issuance year. A 2028 baby with an SSN issued in 2029 qualifies for the federal seed once the SSN-bearing return is filed. The deposit just waits for the SSN-on-return event.
- Are employer matches available for 2028 babies?
- Yes. Each committed employer's plan defines its match eligibility. The federal seed and the employer match are independent — an employer that matches for the 2025 cohort generally matches for the 2028 cohort under the same plan. Confirm with HR for your specific employer.
Keep reading
Slyce Editorial
Published May 3, 2026 · Updated May 3, 2026