RESP grants 2026: how much Ottawa adds per child

Updated Nov. 5, 2026

The Canada Education Savings Grant adds 20 per cent to the first $2,500 contributed each year to a registered education savings plan, to a maximum of $500 a year and $7,200 per child, the federal government said on its RESP amounts page, last updated Aug. 10.

Families with lower incomes can receive more, and the separate Canada Learning Bond can add up to $2,000 without any contribution at all.

The grant also carries a calendar-year rule that matters as 2026 closes. Employment and Social Development Canada said the calendar year is used to determine grant eligibility, the contributions made and the grant room earned and used. A contribution has to be made in 2026 to count toward 2026 room.

The extra grant depends on adjusted family net income for 2026. The department said families under $58,523 receive an additional 20 per cent on the first $500 contributed, or up to $100 more, for a possible $600 a year. Families between $58,523 and $117,045 receive an additional 10 per cent on the first $500, up to $50 more, for $550. Families above $117,045 receive the basic $500 only.

Unused grant room carries forward. The department said a subscriber can contribute more than $2,500 in a year and receive 20 per cent of contributions up to $5,000, which means a child with unused room could receive up to $1,000 of grant in one calendar year. The lifetime cap of $7,200 per child still applies, and the grant is available until the end of the calendar year in which a child turns 17.

Teenagers face a test. Children who are 16 or 17 qualify only if, before the end of the year they turned 15, at least $2,000 had been contributed and not withdrawn, or at least $100 a year had been contributed in any four earlier years.

The Canada Learning Bond works differently. It pays $500 in the first year and $100 for each later eligible year up to age 15, to a lifetime maximum of $2,000, for children born on or after Jan. 1, 2004 who are named beneficiaries of an RESP.

The primary caregiver must have filed income tax returns and be eligible for the Canada Child Benefit. For July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, adjusted family net income must be $58,523 or less for one to three children, under $66,036 for four children and under $73,577 for five. Families with more than five children are told to call 1-800-622-6232.

A caregiver can request the bond until the day before the child turns 18. After that, the beneficiary has until the day before turning 21 to apply. The department said the bond is retroactive. Our guide to the Canada Child Benefit payment date in November covers the benefit that determines eligibility.

Ottawa has also set a date for the bond to become automatic. Starting in April 2028, the government plans to open an RESP for children born in 2024 or later who have a valid social insurance number, are not already named as an RESP beneficiary by age 4 and come from families at or below the income threshold. The department said it will not accept opt-out requests until 2027, and that more details on children born before 2024 will follow.

Two provinces add their own money. The federal page lists a B.C. Training and Education Savings Grant of $1,200 for B.C. residents aged six to eight who are RESP beneficiaries, and a Quebec Education Savings Incentive with a lifetime maximum of $3,600. Rules for each are set by the province.

The federal page does not state a lifetime limit on RESP contributions. Readers should confirm contribution room and grant status with their RESP provider, which the department says to contact first with questions. Other changes arriving with the new year are in our look at new rules on Jan. 1, 2027.

Sources: Employment and Social Development Canada, How much money can be added to Registered Education Savings Plans, and Canada Learning Bond, Canada.ca.

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