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RESP Calculator

Estimate how RESP contributions, the Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG) and the Canada Learning Bond (CLB) could add up by the time your child starts post-secondary school.

Grant rules as of: (2026 income levels)

This calculator gives general estimates for information only. It is not financial advice and does not tell you what to do with your own money. Grants depend on your family's situation and returns are never guaranteed, so confirm the details on canada.ca or with your RESP provider. Read the full disclaimer.

Your child

Your contributions

Contributing $2,500 a year collects the full $500 basic grant. If you missed earlier years, up to $5,000 a year can collect up to $1,000 until the missed room is used.

Family income and the Canada Learning Bond

Already have an RESP? Add what is in it

Investment return

Try a few rates. Returns go up and down from year to year, and past returns do not predict future ones.

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How the calculator works

The calculator follows the federal rules published on canada.ca for 2026. Provincial programs such as the BC Training and Education Savings Grant and the Quebec Education Savings Incentive are not included.

  • Basic CESG: 20% of each year's contributions, up to $500 a year. Every child builds $500 of grant room each year from birth to the year they turn 17, whether or not an RESP is open. Unused room carries forward, so the grant can reach $1,000 in a year (on $5,000 of contributions) until the missed room is used.
  • Additional CESG: an extra 20% on the first $500 contributed each year if adjusted family net income is under $58,523, or an extra 10% if it is between $58,523 and $117,045 (2026 levels). It applies to the current year only, with no catch-up.
  • Lifetime CESG: $7,200 per child, basic and additional combined. The grant is paid on contributions made up to the end of the calendar year the child turns 17.
  • Ages 16 and 17: contributions in these years only get the grant if at least $2,000 was contributed (and not withdrawn) by the end of the year the child turned 15, or at least $100 a year was contributed in any four years by then. When you start the calculator at age 16 or 17, it checks this from the total already contributed.
  • Canada Learning Bond: for children born in 2004 or later in low-income families that receive the Canada Child Benefit. It pays $500 for the first eligible year plus $25 toward the cost of opening the plan, then $100 for each later eligible year up to age 15, to a maximum of $2,000. No contributions are needed, and missed years can be claimed later, up to the day before the child turns 21 (the federal government plans to raise this to 30 in 2028). In 2026 the income level for one to three children is $58,523 or less. The calculator assumes the family qualified every year since birth.
  • Contribution limit: $50,000 per child over the life of all their RESPs. The calculator stops contributions at that amount.
  • Timing: each year's contribution and grants are added at the start of the year and earn a full year of return, the same as the original House Of Assets spreadsheet. In practice grants arrive a few weeks after a contribution, so the estimate is slightly high.
  • Returns: one average rate for every year, with no fees or taxes taken off. Real returns vary, and an RESP holding savings or GICs earns a different amount from one holding stocks.

Official sources: How much money benefits could add to an RESP, Canada Education Savings Grant and Managing the RESP on canada.ca.

For how RESPs work, from opening one to withdrawals and moving leftover money to an RRSP, read our RESP guide.