Canada Learning Bond - up to $2,000 per child

Employment and Social Development Canada

$500 for the first eligible year and $100 for each following year to age 15, up to $2,000, paid into an RESP. No contribution of your own is required at any point. You can still claim the whole accumulated amount up to the day before the beneficiary turns 21.

The catch: The money goes into an RESP and can only be spent on post-secondary education - it is not cash you can use this month. The child must have been born after 2003.

Do these first

Open an RESP for your child required The bond is paid into a registered education savings plan.
The account the Canada Learning Bond is paid into. No contribution of your own is required to receive the bond.
File a tax return, even with no income required The primary caregiver must have filed returns for the income test to run.
Filing is what turns on the GST/HST credit, the Canada Child Benefit, the Alberta Child and Family Benefit and the income-tested provincial rebates. None of them pay out to someone who has not filed.

Who can get it

  • The beneficiary must have been born after 2003. must meet
  • Application may be made while the beneficiary is less than 21 years of age. must meet
  • Eligibility follows the Canada Child Benefit income test, which is indexed. The primary caregiver must have filed returns. must meet

What to bring

  • Social Insurance Number for the child
    The child needs their own SIN before an RESP can be opened.
  • Birth certificate

At a glance

Worth
$2,000
Effort
About 25 minutes
Time to money
Not recorded
How it arrives
Restricted account
How often
Standing
Proof needed
Identification
Where
Canada
Last checked
4 August 2026