Canada Education Savings Grant - up to $7,200 per child

Employment and Social Development Canada

20% on the first $2,500 contributed to an RESP each year, or $500; up to $600 a year for lower- and middle-income families. Lifetime maximum $7,200 per child, and unused entitlement can be caught up in later years.

The catch: Matched money. Unlike the Canada Learning Bond it pays nothing without your own contribution, which is why the two get confused and why a family with no spare cash should claim the bond first.

Do these first

Open an RESP for your child required The grant 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 helps Required only for the additional income-tested grant rate.
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

  • Contributions attract the grant while the beneficiary is under 18, subject to the age 16-17 contribution rules. must meet
  • The additional grant rate for lower- and middle-income families is set against indexed income bands.

Sources

At a glance

Worth
$7,200
Effort
About 30 minutes
Time to money
Not recorded
How it arrives
Restricted account
How often
Annual
Proof needed
Identification
Where
Canada
Last checked
15 August 2026