Q. Can this be considered student self-support if college is paid through the student account?
A. No. College is always paid thru a "student account".
There is no 100% clear answer.
The treatment of expenses paid with distributions from Sec. 529 plans and Coverdell ESAs in the support test is uncertain because of the dual nature of these college savings vehicles and a lack of IRS guidance. The consensus among tax experts is that it is parental support, because the parent is the owner of the plan.
It might be helpful , for those claiming it's self support, to make distributions to the beneficiary or school, rather than to the owner.
Past posts (you may have already seen them):
https://www.savingforcollege.com/articles/the-impact-of-529-plans-on-claiming-a-dependent
https://proconnect.intuit.com/community/tax-talk/discussion/529-plan-distribution-and-support-test/0...
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/college-education/discussion/re-does-529-distribution-count-as-par...
