RESP grant calculator
Enter your child's birth year, family income and any grant already received. You get this year's grant and a projection to age 17.
Free · no signup Runs in your browser
Working with a different rate? Edit the rates this calculator uses
These are the figures we verified on 2026-10-23. Change them to work with a historic period, or with a new rate that has been announced but which we have not published yet.
How much does the government add to an RESP?
The Canada Education Savings Grant is 20% of the first $2,500 you contribute each year, up to $500, and up to $1,000 a year if you have unused grant room from earlier years. Lower- and middle-income families get an additional 20% or 10% on the first $500. The lifetime maximum is $7,200 per child, available until the end of the year the child turns 17.
Why we built this calculator
Most RESP calculators grow your balance. The question parents actually ask is narrower: how much free money am I leaving behind? The grant has a use-it-or-carry-it rule that is easy to misjudge, and a catch-up contribution of $5,000 collects twice what a normal $2,500 does.
This calculator separates the basic grant, which depends on room, from the additional grant, which depends on family income and does not. It shows what this year's contribution earns and what contributing the same amount every year would collect by age 17.
It runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere, and there is no sign-up.
When to use it
- Before deciding how much to put in this year
- If you skipped years and want to know whether a catch-up is worth it
- To see when a child will reach the $7,200 lifetime grant maximum
- When family income changes and you want to see whether the additional grant tier does too
Mistakes it helps you avoid
- Assuming $2,500 is always the target. With unused room, $5,000 collects $1,000.
- Forgetting the grant stops at the end of the year the child turns 17.
- Missing the extra condition for 16 and 17-year-olds: contributions must have met a test by the year they turned 15.
- Counting the additional grant as carry-forward room. It is paid on the first $500 each year.
How the grant is worked out
The basic grant is limited by three things at once: the 20% rate, the $1,000 annual cap, and the unused grant room you actually have.
grant room to date = $500 × years from birth year to now (to age 17)unused room = grant room to date − basic grant already receivedbasic grant = lesser of: 20% × contribution$1,000unused room$7,200 − all grant receivedadditional = 20% × first $500 (income under the lower threshold)= 10% × first $500 (income up to the upper threshold)= nothing (income above it)to collect the full basic grant this year:contribute = lesser of $1,000 and unused room, ÷ 20%
The additional grant does not use up or build grant room, so it is calculated separately from the basic grant. The lifetime maximum of $7,200 is the most that can be received from the grant. The family-income thresholds are indexed each year; the figures here are the 2026 ones and can be edited in the rate panel.
Worked example: child born in 2022, contributing $5,000
Your child was born in 2022. Family income is $70,000, no grant has been received yet, and you contribute $5,000 in 2026.
- Grant room 2022–2026: 5 years × $500$2,500
- 20% × 5,000$1,000
- Annual cap with carry-forward$1,000
- Basic grant: lesser of 1,000, 1,000 and 2,500$1,000
- Additional: income is in the 10% band, 10% × first $500$50
- Grant this year$1,050
A $5,000 contribution collects $1,050 in grants this year, and $1,500 of grant room is still unused.
Contributing only $2,500 instead would collect $500 plus $50, and leave $2,000 of room unused. Room carries forward, so it is not lost, but it can only be collected at $1,000 a year.
The income thresholds
The additional grant depends on adjusted family net income. For 2026 the thresholds are $58,523 and $117,045: below the lower one the additional grant is 20% of the first $500 contributed, between the two it is 10%, and above the upper one there is none. The maximum yearly basic-plus-additional grant without carry-forward is therefore $600, $550 or $500.
What this does not cover
- The Canada Learning Bond, which has its own eligibility rules and is not a matching grant
- Provincial grants, such as Quebec's, which are separate from the federal CESG
- Investment growth inside the plan, which you can explore with the compound interest calculator
Terms on this page
- CESG
- The Canada Education Savings Grant, a federal matching grant on RESP contributions.
- Grant room
- $500 added each year for an eligible child. Unused room carries forward until the end of the year the child turns 17.
- Additional CESG
- An extra 20% or 10% on the first $500 contributed each year for lower- and middle-income families.
What has changed, and when
Rates on this page have not always been what they are today. If you are working on an earlier period, use the figure that applied at the time rather than the current one.
- 2026 Additional-grant thresholds of $58,523 and $117,045 on adjusted family net income, per ESDC's page dated August 2026.
Common questions
How much does the CESG pay each year?
20% of the first $2,500 contributed, which is $500. If the child has unused grant room from earlier years, up to $5,000 of contributions can be matched, for a maximum basic grant of $1,000 in a year. Lower- and middle-income families can receive an additional 20% or 10% on the first $500.
What is the lifetime CESG maximum?
$7,200 per child. The grant is available until the end of the calendar year the child turns 17.
Does unused CESG room carry forward?
Yes. Unused room accumulates until the end of the year the child turns 17 and can be used when you contribute in later years, subject to the $1,000 annual cap on the basic grant. The additional grant is separate and does not build room.
What are the 2026 income thresholds for the additional grant?
Adjusted family net income under $58,523 earns an additional 20% on the first $500 contributed, and income from $58,523 to $117,045 earns 10%. Above $117,045 there is no additional grant. The thresholds are reset each year.
Can a 16 or 17-year-old still receive the grant?
Yes, if one of two tests was met by the end of the calendar year they turned 15: at least $2,000 contributed and not withdrawn, or at least $100 contributed in each of any four earlier years.
What to work out next
- Canada Child BenefitThe benefit most families with children check next: your Canada Child Benefit.
- TFSA roomSaving for yourself as well? See your TFSA room.
- RRSP limitSee your RRSP room and the refund a contribution is worth.
- Compound interestSee how contributions could grow by the time your child is 18.
Where these numbers come from
- Employment and Social Development Canada — How much money can be added to an RESP The 20% rate, the $1,000 cap, the $7,200 lifetime maximum, the 2026 income thresholds and the age rules.
- Canada Revenue Agency — Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG) Annual grant room of $500 for each eligible child and carry-forward of unused room.
Last verified 2026-10-23 Rates on this page are checked against the sources above at least once a year, and whenever the governing authority announces a change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
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