The Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG) is money the Government of Canada adds to your child’s Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) when you contribute: 20% of what you put in, up to $500 a year and $7,200 in total per child. Lower- and middle-income families get an extra 10% or 20% on the first $500 they put in each year. Your RESP provider applies for the grant for you.
How much is the CESG?
| Part of the grant | How it’s worked out | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Basic CESG | 20% of the first $2,500 you contribute for the child in the calendar year | $500 a year |
| Basic CESG, catching up unused room | 20% of up to $5,000 of contributions in a year | $1,000 a year |
| Additional CESG (lower and middle incomes) | An extra 20% or 10% of the first $500 you contribute in the year, depending on family income | $100 or $50 a year |
| Lifetime maximum | Basic and Additional CESG together | $7,200 per child |
For example, if you put $2,500 into your child’s RESP this year, the basic CESG adds $500. A family that qualifies for the 20% Additional CESG gets another $100 (20% of the first $500), so $600 in all.
Who gets the Additional CESG?
The basic 20% grant is the same for every family. Only the Additional CESG depends on income. For contributions made in 2026, the income brackets are:
| Adjusted family net income | Additional CESG on the first $500 contributed in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $58,523 or less | An extra 20% (up to $100) |
| Over $58,523 up to $117,045 | An extra 10% (up to $50) |
| Over $117,045 | None (the basic 20% still applies) |
The brackets are adjusted for inflation every calendar year; the 2025 brackets were $57,375 and $114,750. Additional CESG room doesn’t carry forward: if less than $500 is contributed in a year, the extra grant on the missing amount is lost for that year. The Government of Canada’s How much money can be added to RESPs page has the current brackets.
Lower-income families can also get the Canada Learning Bond, which doesn’t need any contribution: $500 for the first eligible year and $100 for each later eligible year up to and including age 15, to a maximum of $2,000. For July 2026 to June 2027, a family with one to three children qualifies with an adjusted family net income of $58,523 or less.
Who can get the CESG?
The CESG is paid only on money that’s contributed, once your RESP provider applies for it. To get it:
- your child must be a resident of Canada when the contribution is made, and have a Social Insurance Number (SIN);
- your child must be named as the beneficiary of an RESP; and
- you have to contribute: opening an RESP with no money in it earns no grant.
The grant is paid on contributions made up to the end of the calendar year your child turns 17. For children aged 16 and 17, there are extra conditions. The grant is paid in those years only if, before the end of the calendar year your child turned 15, at least one of these happened (and the money wasn’t withdrawn):
- at least $2,000 in total was contributed for the child; or
- at least $100 a year was contributed in any four years.
So for a child who is already a pre-teen or teenager, the grant at 16 and 17 depends on reaching one of these by December 31 of the year they turn 15. If neither condition is met by then, no grant is paid at 16 and 17.
How do I get the CESG?
- Get your child a SIN from Service Canada, if they don’t have one yet.
- Open an RESP with a bank, credit union, investment firm or group plan dealer, and name your child as the beneficiary.
- Ask the provider to apply for the CESG (and for the Canada Learning Bond, if your income qualifies). You complete the provider’s application form and give the SINs it asks for; for the Additional CESG, that includes the SIN of the child’s primary caregiver. The provider then requests the grant from the government when you contribute.
- Contribute by December 31. The grant is based on what’s contributed for the child in each calendar year.
The grant goes into the RESP, not to you, and it’s invested along with your contributions.
When should I contribute to get the full grant?
To get the full basic grant ($500), contribute $2,500 for your child in the calendar year, by December 31. How you spread the deposits through the year doesn’t matter: monthly deposits that add up to $2,500 and a single $2,500 deposit in December earn the same $500. Monthly deposits that add up to less than $2,500 earn less.
Starting early still helps, because the grant has more years to grow inside the RESP.
Can I catch up on years I missed?
Yes, partly. Every child builds up $500 of basic grant room each year until the end of the year they turn 17, even if no RESP has been opened for them, and room you don’t use carries forward. But the government pays at most $1,000 of basic CESG in a year, on $5,000 of contributions.
That means catching up takes several years. If you put $10,000 into the RESP in one year to catch up, only $5,000 of it earns the grant ($1,000). Spreading the same $10,000 over two years earns the grant on all of it, as long as you have the room. The catch-up has to be done by the end of the year your child turns 17, and the conditions for ages 16 and 17 still apply.
What happens to the grant when my child goes to school?
When your child enrols in a qualifying program after high school (university, college, trade school or another eligible program), the grant and the investment earnings are paid to them as educational assistance payments. Those payments are taxed as the student’s income, and many students pay little or no tax on them because they have little other income. Your own contributions come back without tax. See our RESP explainer for how withdrawals work.
What if my child doesn’t go on to post-secondary studies?
If your child doesn’t go on to post-secondary studies, the grant is returned to the government. In a family plan, the grant can instead be used by another beneficiary of the plan, such as a brother or sister, as long as no child receives more than $7,200 of CESG in total. Your own contributions are still yours and come back tax-free. What happens to the investment earnings depends on the plan’s rules; see the RESP explainer, and check with your provider or the CRA for your situation.
Does automatic enrolment in 2028 change the grant?
No. The Government of Canada plans to start opening RESPs automatically in 2028 for eligible children born in 2024 or later, so that they receive the Canada Learning Bond (see our Canada Learning Bond explainer). Automatic enrolment brings the bond, not the grant: the CESG is still paid only on money that’s contributed.
Sources
- Government of Canada, How much money can be added to Registered Education Savings Plans: the basic CESG (20% of the first $2,500 a year, up to $500), the $1,000 yearly maximum when catching up, grant room building up even without an RESP until the end of the year the child turns 17, the $7,200 lifetime maximum for basic and Additional CESG together, the Additional CESG ($100 or $50 on the first $500, no carry-forward), CESG in a family plan usable by any beneficiary up to $7,200 each, and the Canada Learning Bond amounts.
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Notice #1114: Revised income brackets for the additional amount of Canada Education Savings Grant for the calendar year 2026: the 2026 brackets ($58,523 and $117,045) and the 2025 brackets ($57,375 and $114,750).
- Canada Revenue Agency, Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG): the conditions for beneficiaries aged 16 and 17 ($2,000, or $100 a year in any four years, before the end of the year they turn 15) and the age-17 limit.
- Government of Canada, Open a Registered Education Savings Plan and apply for benefits and Canada Education Savings Grant: apply: residency and SIN requirements, a contribution is needed, and the provider requests the grant.
- Canada Revenue Agency, Registered Education Savings Plans (RC4092) and Registered education savings plans (RESPs): educational assistance payments taxed as the student’s income, contributions returned tax-free, and the grant returned to the government if it isn’t used for post-secondary education.
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Notice #1138: Canada Learning Bond income brackets for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027: the $58,523 limit for one to three children.
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Government of Canada making it easier for Canadian parents to plan for their children’s education (February 2025): automatic RESP opening from 2028 for eligible children born in 2024 or later.
Last checked: November 11, 2026.