The Canada Education Savings Grant is a federal program that matches a portion of contributions you make to a RESP for an eligible child. The basic match rate is 20% of your contribution, up to $500 per year per child, with a lifetime maximum of $7,200 per child.
Eligible age: under 18.
Catch-up provision: unused CESG room carries forward, but the catch-up is limited to one year of room per year of contribution. If you contribute $5,000 in a year you'll get the 20% on $2,500 (current year max) plus 20% on $2,500 of prior carry-forward room — so $1,000 grant total. This matters most when starting a RESP late.
Additional CESG: families with lower household income can receive an additional 10–20% match on the first $500 of contributions per year. Eligibility is tied to the Canada Child Benefit family-net-income tiers.
How to claim: the CESG is paid directly into the RESP account by the bank or brokerage holding the plan, usually within 4–6 weeks of your contribution. You don't claim it separately on your tax return.
Bonus provincial programs: Quebec has the QESI (10% match) and some provinces add their own top-ups.
Strategy: most Canadian couples should contribute at least $2,500/year per child to maximize the basic CESG. Going above that doesn't earn more grant — the cap is $500/year — so additional contributions only make sense if you want the tax-deferred growth and have already maxed out TFSA and FHSA.