The Individual Development Account, or IDA, is a special savings account to help individuals with modest income save money to invest in post-secondary education, business, specialized employment training or equipment, or vehicle.
The IDA program is a 5:1 matched savings program. This means that for every $1 you save, the program will match it with $5. If you save $1,200 and fulfill the program requirements, you will earn a match of $6,000—for a total of $7,200. You may save and earn this match amount within a 6-12 month period. If you save $2,400 and fulfill the program requirements, you will earn a match of $12,000 – for a total of $14,400. You may save and earn this match within a 13-36 month period.
Read this flyer (en Espanol) to ensure you are eligible—there is an income limit as well as a limit of personal assets of $20,000 (not including one house, one vehicle and up to $120,000 of retirement savings). If this is unclear, contact the NEOEDD office.
Please contact us at 541-426-3598 to learn more about the application process and whether or not we are currently accepting applications.
In order to apply, you must:
- Fill out the Application and Savings Plan Agreement forms (en Espanol).
- Read the Savings Plan Agreement Program Rules.
- Provide proof of county residency (usually a driver’s license or utility bill). Note: NEOEDD can only work with residents of Baker, Union, or Wallowa counties. If you live elsewhere in Oregon, check CASA of Oregon/VIDA’s website to find a service provider near you.
- Provide past two months’ income documentation (either pay stubs or a P&L statement for self-employment) and the most recent tax return for the household.
- Pay a $25 application fee to CASA of Oregon (the sponsoring organization for this program). You will receive instructions on how to do this once NEOEDD staff have reviewed your application.
Please make an appointment with NEOEDD to remit these items and ask questions about the process. The program has a variety of supplemental requirements; see the IDA FAQs for more information.
The IDA program is supported in part by an Oregon tax credit. If you’d like to learn more about donated to this program, read this flyer.
IDA Program Overview Video