How to use this page: Read the simplified explanation first, then use the official links below before acting.
Plain-language summary
- The usual RESP timeline has two different clocks: contributions can normally be made for up to 31 years from the day the plan was opened, and the plan can usually stay open for up to 35 years.
- For a non-family RESP where the beneficiary qualifies for the Disability Tax Credit in the 31st year, the plan may be allowed to stay open for up to 40 years if the provider's plan terms allow it.
- Closing the plan is not just a maturity date. The remaining money has to be paid or moved out using one of the RESP rules for contributions, educational assistance payments, transfers, rollovers, or accumulated income payments.
Action steps
- Ask your provider for the RESP opening date and the exact last contribution year and last plan-closure year showing on its system.
- If you are moving an RESP to a new provider, ask whether the transfer will carry over an earlier effective date instead of assuming the clock restarts.
- If the beneficiary may not use the RESP soon, review the remaining balance now as three buckets: your contributions, grants, and growth.
- If a disability-based extension might matter, confirm before the 31st year whether the beneficiary qualifies for the Disability Tax Credit and whether the RESP is a non-family plan that allows the extension.
- Do not wait until the final year to ask about closing options, because accumulated income payment rules, grant repayments, and transfer paperwork can take time.
Caveats to watch
- The consumer-facing Canada.ca page says an RESP can in general stay open for 40 years, but the CRA technical FAQ says the normal legal termination deadline is the end of the 35th year unless the disability-extension rule applies.
- A transfer can preserve an older effective date, so a newly opened receiving RESP may inherit less remaining time than families expect.
- Stopping contributions is not the same as closing the plan. A plan can reach its contribution deadline first and still need a separate withdrawal, transfer, or closure decision later.
- The disability extension is not for every plan. CRA ties it to a non-family RESP and a beneficiary who can claim the Disability Tax Credit in the 31st year, and the provider still has to offer that plan feature.
- Provider contract terms and processing rules matter alongside the government rules, especially for group plans or older RESP contracts.
Examples
Example: contributions stop before the plan must close
A parent opened an RESP in 2000. The provider may stop accepting regular contributions after the 31-year contribution window, but the RESP could still remain open longer while the family uses eligible withdrawals or decides how to close the remaining balance before the plan's termination deadline.
Example: transfer does not reset the clock
A family transfers an RESP from one bank to another in 2026 and assumes the new account starts fresh. CRA says transfer history can carry an earlier effective date into the receiving RESP, so the family needs the new provider to confirm the real remaining timeline instead of relying on the 2026 transfer date.
What this means in real life
- Families often treat RESPs like they can sit forever once opened. The official rules say there is still a hard closing window even if the money was never fully used.
- This page matters most for late withdrawals, dormant RESPs, provider switches, and families with disability-related planning needs.
- The practical risk is timing: if you discover the deadline too late, your options may narrow to whatever the provider can still process before year-end.
Questions to ask your provider
- What opening date or effective date are you using for this RESP today?
- What is the last year you will accept contributions into this plan?
- What is the last year this RESP can legally remain open under your records?
- If the beneficiary does not use all the money, what closing options do you support for the remaining grants and growth?
- If this RESP might qualify for the disability-based extension, what proof and timing do you require?