Original plan
Your entered annual pace
Ontario · Basic CESG
Find the grant dollars hiding in your RESP.
An RESP is a tax-sheltered education savings plan; Basic CESG is the federal grant that adds 20% to eligible contributions.
1
Find missed federal grant moneyAn RESP is an education savings account; Basic CESG adds 20% to eligible contributions.
2
Get the exact catch-up pathCompare your current pace with the fastest grant-focused schedule available.
Unofficial estimate. Built from Government of Canada Basic CESG rules; confirm your balance with your RESP provider.
Your numbers
Use total contributions across every RESP for this child.
- Birth year
- History
- Future pace
Enter 4 digits, from 2009 to 2026.
Contributions by year
Birth year → 2026Enter a birth year to add contribution history.
CA$
CA$
Find this on your RESP statement or ask your provider. A contribution total alone cannot reveal unused grant room.
Needed because a total alone cannot confirm that contributions were made early enough. The test is met with at least CA$2,000 contributed—and not withdrawn—before the end of the calendar year the child turned 15, or at least CA$100 contributed—and not withdrawn—in any four earlier calendar years.
The total-only catch-up plan starts in 2027. It does not guess how much of 2026’s annual grant limit has already been used.
CA$
Enter a comfortable estimate—even CA$0. We’ll separately calculate the fastest catch-up amount through age 17.
Three inputs. Two clear paths.
Start with the child’s birth year. We’ll compare your realistic pace with the fastest grant-focused catch-up plan.
- Birth year
- Contribution history
- Future budget
Your grant picture
Projected lifetime Basic CESGCA$0 of CA$7,200
Full CA$7,200 unlocked
Catch-up room now
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Unused Basic CESG, including 2026
At your cap-aware plan
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Projected Basic CESG before contributions stop
Lifetime grant gap
—
Difference from the CA$7,200 ceiling
See the trade-off, year by year
Each bar separates your contribution from the Basic CESG it earns.
Suggested catch-up plan
Fastest grant-focused path
What your next dollars do
Grant-only comparison. Investment growth is not projected.
Use your planned pace until CA$50,000
Total contributions—
Basic CESG—
No-grant contributions—
See your year-by-year schedule
Fastest catch-up path
Total contributions—
Basic CESG—
Extra grant recovered—
See the year-by-year catch-up plan
Your planned contribution schedule
Your annual amount from 2027, automatically stopped at the CA$50,000 lifetime limit.
Year-by-year contributions
New contributions in plan—
ShowHide year-by-year rows
| Year | Child’s age | Contribution | Basic CESG | Grant room left |
|---|
Uses your entered amount until the lifetime limit or age 17.
Exact catch-up plan
Front-loads available grant room without exceeding the CA$1,000 annual Basic CESG limit.
Year-by-year contributions
New contributions in plan—
ShowHide year-by-year rows
| Year | Child’s age | Contribution | Basic CESG | Grant room left |
|---|
Confirm grant history with your RESP provider before moving money.
Email me these plans
Get your original schedule and the suggested catch-up plan in your inbox — handy when you talk to your RESP provider. Optional: deadline reminders later.
20% basic match
CA$500 on the first CA$2,500 contributed each year.
Catch up one year at a time
With unused room, up to CA$5,000 can attract CA$1,000 of Basic CESG in one calendar year.
CA$50,000 is a ceiling
It is the lifetime contribution limit per child—not the amount needed to earn the full grant.
Take the right money out at the right time.
An RESP is not one pool at withdrawal. Your contributions come back tax-free. Grants and investment growth come out as taxable education payments to the student. The order matters because unused grants can be returned to the government.
Grants + investment growth
Educational Assistance Payments are paid to or for the student while they qualify. The student reports the amount as income.
- Taxed to
- The student
- Contains
- CESG, CLB, provincial incentives and growth
- Timing
- During eligible studies, or up to 6 months after enrolment ends
Your original deposits
These were made with after-tax money. Your provider can return them without a T4A or income tax, subject to the plan terms.
- Taxed to
- No one
- Can go to
- The subscriber or the beneficiary
- Best use
- Fill tuition and living-cost needs after planning EAPs
A practical withdrawal sequence during school
Ask the RESP provider for the plan’s contribution, grant and growth balances before choosing amounts. Then work through the withdrawal in this order.
1
Prove enrolment and request an EAP
Use the grants and growth while the student is eligible. That reduces the risk of leaving government grant money stranded after school.
Initial payment limitsUp to CA$8,000 during the first 13 consecutive weeks of a qualifying full-time program. For a specified part-time program, the beneficiary must be at least 16 and the limit is the lesser of CA$4,000 and allowable education expenses in each 13-week period. A provider can request approval for a higher EAP.
2
Reassess after 13 consecutive weeks
For a continuing qualifying full-time program, the statutory CA$8,000 EAP limit falls away. The provider may still ask whether the amount is reasonable for education expenses.
Tax planning pointEAPs are student income. Spread them across calendar years when that fits the student’s needs and tax situation.
3
Return contributions for the rest
Use tax-free contribution withdrawals to cover the remaining tuition, housing or other cash needs. They are not part of the CA$8,000 EAP limit.
Keep recordsSave the enrolment proof, provider statement and T4A issued to the student for each EAP year.
4
Use the 6-month window deliberately
If enrolment has just ended, a qualifying EAP can still be paid for up to six months, provided it would have qualified immediately before the student stopped attending.
Do not miss thisAfter the window closes, a later eligible program can create a new EAP opportunity, but the provider cannot backdate an old withdrawal.
Four common family examples
The numbers are simplified so the order of withdrawals is easy to follow. EAPs are taxable to the student; contribution withdrawals are tax-free.
One child, CA$100,000, four-year degree
Assume the RESP has CA$50,000 of contributions and CA$50,000 of EAP money (grants plus growth). The student needs CA$25,000 in each of four school years.
Simple plan for each school year
EAP to studentCA$12,500
Contribution withdrawal+ CA$12,500
Total for the yearCA$25,000
This uses all CA$50,000 of EAP money while the child is eligible and returns all CA$50,000 of contributions tax-free.
First year: in the first 13 consecutive weeks, the EAP should be the lesser of CA$8,000 and the allowable education expenses; then request the other CA$4,500 after week 13 if enrolment continues and the expenses support it. The student may owe little or no tax, but check their other income and tax credits.
Source: EAP timing and limitsTwo siblings share a CA$150,000 family RESP
Assume CA$80,000 is contributions and CA$70,000 is EAP money. Each child needs CA$75,000 over four school years, and their studies overlap.
One way to divide the money
Child A, each school yearCA$10,000 EAP + CA$8,750 contributions
Child B, each school yearCA$7,500 EAP + CA$11,250 contributions
Four-year total per childCA$75,000
During overlap years, pay EAPs to both eligible students instead of loading all taxable EAP income onto one child.
Ask the provider to track each child: CESG paid for one beneficiary cannot exceed that child’s CA$7,200 lifetime limit. If one child does not attend school, a sibling transfer may preserve more of the RESP, but transfer rules matter.
Source: family-plan EAP rulesCA$40,000 remains after university
Assume CA$25,000 is contributions and CA$15,000 is EAP money: CA$2,000 of CESG plus CA$13,000 of growth.
Work through these choices in order
- If school ended less than six months ago, ask whether the CA$15,000 can still be paid as an EAP.
- If more school is possible, keep the RESP open. A later eligible program can create a new EAP opportunity.
- Ask whether a transfer to a sibling meets the plan and grant rules.
- The CA$25,000 of contributions can come back tax-free; it does not have to wait for an EAP.
Do not close the plan just because the first degree is finished. The six-month EAP window, future study and a sibling transfer may preserve the CA$15,000 education pool.
If the plan is later collapsed: the CA$2,000 CESG goes back to the government. The CA$13,000 growth may become an AIP, taxed at the subscriber’s marginal rate plus 20% additional tax outside Quebec.
Source: six-month rule and AIPsThe child never attends an eligible program
Assume the RESP has CA$40,000 of contributions, CA$6,000 of government incentives and CA$14,000 of growth.
Before closing the plan
- Wait if the child may study later. The RESP can generally stay open through the year of its 35th anniversary.
- Check a sibling transfer. The provider must confirm the transfer, contribution and grant conditions.
- Check the RRSP rollover. If the plan qualifies for an AIP, the original subscriber may roll over up to CA$50,000 of AIP with enough deduction room.
Contributions returnedCA$40,000 tax-free
Government incentivesCA$6,000 returned
Growth paid as AIPCA$14,000
Additional AIP tax outside Quebec20% = CA$2,800
Closing is usually the last choice: the CA$14,000 AIP is also regular taxable income unless an eligible rollover reduces the taxable amount.
Source: AIPs and the RRSP rollover
Gap year
If the child has not enrolled yet, the six-month after-school window has not started. Keeping the RESP open is often better than closing it early.
Part-time study
The beneficiary must be at least 16 for a specified part-time program. EAPs are generally limited to the lesser of CA$4,000 and allowable education expenses in each 13-week period unless a higher amount is approved.
If the student does not use the RESP
Closing the plan immediately is usually the least flexible choice. First check whether time, another eligible program or a permitted transfer preserves more value.
Keep the plan open
An RESP can generally remain open through the year of its 35th anniversary. A later qualifying college, university, trade or other eligible program may reopen EAP access.
Preserves the chance to use grants and growth for education.
Transfer to a sibling
A sibling transfer can generally be tax-neutral when the receiving sibling was under 21 when their plan was opened or the receiving plan is a family plan. Confirm the provider’s transfer conditions and each child’s grant and contribution history first.
May preserve plan assets for another child’s education.
Close the RESP
Your contributions return tax-free and unused incentives go back to the government. Remaining growth may be paid to the subscriber as an Accumulated Income Payment if the rules are met.
An AIP is regular taxable income plus a 20% additional tax outside Quebec.
RRSP escape hatch for plan growth
The original subscriber may reduce tax exposure on up to CA$50,000 of an eligible AIP by contributing it to an RRSP, PRPP or SPP and deducting it under the CRA rules. The original subscriber needs enough deduction room, and the RESP must qualify to make an AIP—for example, after the year containing its ninth anniversary when every beneficiary is at least 21 and not currently eligible for an EAP. Ask the provider and a tax professional before collapsing the plan.