In this lesson
The basic CESG, the Additional CESG and the Canada Learning Bond
The basic Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG) adds 20% to what you contribute, up to $500 a year on $2,500 of contributions, until the end of the year the child turns 17. Every eligible child gets it, whatever the family's income.
The Additional CESG adds more on the first $500 you contribute each year: an extra 20% if your 2026 adjusted family income is $58,523 or less, or an extra 10% if it's above that and up to $117,045.
The Canada Learning Bond (CLB) is for children born in 2004 or later in low-income families. It pays $500 for the first eligible year and $100 for each later eligible year up to age 15, to a maximum of $2,000, and you don't have to contribute anything. From April 2028, eligible children born in 2024 or later who don't have an RESP by age 4 will be enrolled automatically.
Two provinces add their own grants: B.C.'s BCTESG is a one-time $1,200 for children aged 6 to 8, and Quebec's QESI adds 10% of contributions, up to $250 a year.
Grant room and the contribution limit are different
Grant room is how much CESG a child can still get. Each child under 18 who lives in Canada builds up $500 of room a year, whether or not an RESP is open, and room that isn't used carries forward. In a catch-up year you can get up to $1,000 of basic CESG, on $5,000 of contributions. The lifetime maximum is $7,200.
The contribution limit is how much you can put in: $50,000 per child for life, across all of their RESPs, with no yearly limit. Contributions beyond what earns the grant still grow tax-deferred, but they get no CESG.
So the two are planned separately. Contributing $2,500 a year from birth earns the full $7,200 of CESG in the year the child turns 14, and uses $36,000 of the $50,000 limit.
Why ages 16 and 17 need attention
The CESG is paid until the end of the year the child turns 17. But for the years they turn 16 and 17, it's only paid if, by the end of the year they turned 15, at least $2,000 had been contributed and not withdrawn, or at least $100 had been contributed in any four years and not withdrawn.
For late starters, that means acting before 15. A family opening an RESP for a 13- or 14-year-old should contribute at least $2,000 by the end of the year the child turns 15, or the last two grant years are lost.
Quebec's QESI has its own special requirements for children who are 16 or 17, so Quebec families starting late should check those too.
Worked example
A family opens an RESP in the year their daughter turns 10, with $5,500 of unused CESG room. They contribute $5,000 a year, which earns $1,000 of basic CESG a year, so they pass the $2,000 test in the first year and can reach the $7,200 maximum in the year she turns 17.
Check what you learned
Pick an answer to see if you're right.
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Show answer
Answer: $500. The basic CESG is 20% of contributions, up to $500 a year. $1,000 is only possible with unused room, on $5,000 of contributions.
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Show answer
Answer: No. The bond is paid for eligible children even if nothing is contributed. The provider still has to apply for it.
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Show answer
Answer: $2,000 contributed and not withdrawn by the end of the year they turn 15. Without four earlier years of contributions, $2,000 by the end of the year they turn 15 is the only way to keep the last two grant years.
Your turn
Estimate the grant impact of one planned contribution, then list which benefits your provider must support for your child or province.
- Write down your child's age and the year their CESG room started building.
- Use the grant estimator to see the CESG on your planned yearly contribution.
- Check your family income against the Additional CESG and Canada Learning Bond rules.
- If your child is 13 or older, plan the $2,000 needed by the end of the year they turn 15.