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RESP: how much in grants could you get?

An is a savings account for your children’s education. For every dollar you put in, Ottawa adds 20%, and Québec adds another 10% for Québec residents. See how much in grants your contribution would get this year.

Your situation

Child 1
Have you ever contributed to an RESP for this child?

Leave it blank to see the most you could get this year.

Both parents’ net income (line 23600 of the tax return), added together. An estimate is fine. Lower-income families get more.

The result

Choose your province

Tax and rules differ from one province to the next. Choose yours to see the answer: nothing is guessed from your language.

Estimate based on 2026 rules and your answers. Not personalized advice.

How it works

The Canada Education Savings Grant () adds 20% to your contributions: $500 a year on the first $2,500 contributed for each child, until the end of the year they turn 17. The lifetime maximum is $7,200 per child.

CESG builds from birth, even without an RESP. A missed year can be caught up: you can receive up to $1,000 of CESG a year, by contributing $5,000, until the gap is closed.

For Québec residents, the Québec Education Savings Incentive () adds 10%: up to $250 a year, $500 with catch-up, and $3,600 lifetime. In British Columbia, the BC Training and Education Savings Grant () pays $1,200 per child, with no contribution, when applied for between ages 6 and 9.

Lower-income families receive more: a top-up on the first $500 contributed (additional CESG of 10% or 20%, additional QESI of 5% or 10% in Québec, depending on family income), and the , up to $2,000 per child born in 2004 or later, with no contribution at all.

At 16 and 17, the CESG is only paid if the RESP received at least $2,000 before the end of the year the child turned 15, or at least $100 a year in any 4 years. Starting early avoids this trap.

Common questions

Is it better to contribute $2,500 a year or all at once?

For grants, $2,500 a year per child. The CESG is calculated year by year: one large deposit only gets grants for one year, at most $1,000 with catch-up.

What if my child doesn’t go on to post-secondary studies?

Your contributions come back to you tax-free, and the grants are returned to the governments. Under certain conditions, the accumulated growth can be transferred to your RRSP, up to $50,000 if you have the room; otherwise it is taxed with an additional 20% tax (in Québec: 12% federal and 8% provincial).

Does a family RESP change the calculation?

A family plan lets siblings share the money, but each child keeps their own grant limits. That’s why the calculation is done child by child.

Who applies for the grants?

The RESP promoter, your financial institution, applies for you if it offers these programs. It needs the child’s social insurance number.