The gift that grows for eighteen years — and gets matched.
Helping with a grandchild’s education is one of the most useful things money can do. But two plans for one child can quietly breach a limit that belongs to the child, not the plan — and that’s the mistake worth avoiding before you start.
Figures on this page are verified against canada.ca.
RESP rules for grandparents
Yes — a grandparent can open an RESP. Nothing restricts who may be the subscriber, so a grandparent, an aunt, a godparent or a family friend can all open one. What is restricted is the family plan: only someone related to every beneficiary by blood or adoption can open one. Grandparents qualify. Friends do not.
- Who can open one
- Anyone. A grandparent can be the subscriber on an individual plan for one grandchild, or on a family plan covering several.
- What you need from the parents first
- The child’s Social Insurance Number. Without it the plan cannot be registered and no grant can be paid. That is the conversation to have before you open anything.
- Family plan: blood or adoption
- Every beneficiary of a family plan must be connected to every living subscriber by blood relationship or adoption. Grandchildren qualify.
- Family plan: under 21 when named
- A beneficiary has to be under 21 when they are added to a family plan. An individual plan can name a beneficiary who is older.
- Family plan: siblings only, for two of the benefits
- The Additional CESG and the Canada Learning Bond can only be paid into a family plan if every beneficiary is a sibling. Put two sets of cousins in one family plan and both are off the table — for all of them. Cousins belong in separate plans.
- $50,000 is the child’s limit, not yours
- The lifetime limit is $50,000 per beneficiary, counting every plan anyone has ever opened for that child. There is no annual limit. Go over and each subscriber pays 1% a month on their share of the excess until it comes out — including the parents, who may not know you contributed.
- How long you can pay in
- Contributions can be made until the end of the year containing the 31st anniversary of the plan being opened. Into a family plan, only while a beneficiary is under 31.
- When the plan has to close
- By the end of the year containing the 35th anniversary of the plan being opened.
- Whose income the grants look at
- The basic grant follows the child: 20% on the first $2,500 you put in each year, up to $500 a year and $7,200 over a lifetime. The Additional CESG and the Canada Learning Bond are assessed on the primary caregiver’s adjusted family income — the parents’ — not on yours.
Rules and figures on this page are verified against canada.ca: the Canada Revenue Agency’s pages on RESP contributions and how an RESP works, and Canada Education Savings Program guidance on grant and bond amounts. Last checked 4 September 2026. Every RESP limit and deadline for the year is collected in RESP rules in 2026.
You can open a plan yourself — or add to theirs.
Anyone can open an individual education savings plan for any child, with no family relationship required. A family plan, which can hold several grandchildren, requires every beneficiary to be related to you by blood or adoption and to be under 21 when named.
The decision that actually matters isn’t which plan type — it’s whether the family needs a second plan at all. One plan is simpler to track, and tracking is precisely where families come unstuck.
Give to their plan
Simplest by far. One contribution total, no duplicate paperwork, no risk of breaching the child’s limit by accident.
Open an individual plan
You keep control of the money. Any child, any relationship — no restrictions on who you can open it for.
Open a family plan
Several grandchildren in one plan, sharing contributions unequally if needed. All must be blood or adoptive relations, named before 21.
The limit belongs to the child, not the plan
The $50,000 lifetime contribution limit and the $7,200 lifetime grant maximum apply per child, across every plan anyone has ever opened for them. Open a second plan without asking the parents what they’ve contributed, and the combined total can breach the limit — which attracts a monthly penalty tax until the excess is withdrawn.
The fix takes one conversation: ask what has been contributed to date, and coordinate from there. Use the checker below.
How much room is actually left?
Enter what has already gone in from every source — including the parents’ plan — and what you’re planning to add.
Runs entirely in your browser — we don’t store or see your numbers. It applies the $50,000 lifetime contribution limit and $7,200 lifetime basic grant maximum, both of which apply per beneficiary across all plans. It cannot see actual plan records — confirm contributed amounts with each subscriber and grant amounts through the plan promoter before acting. Educational illustration only.
Make the gift land cleanly
A grandparent’s RESP only works if it’s coordinated with the parents’ plan and the grant room. I’ll help you set it up so nothing’s clawed back or duplicated.
Sort out the coordination →What happens to the plan if you die?
An education savings plan is an asset of the subscriber — you — not of the child. Without provision, it can end up forming part of your estate rather than simply continuing for your grandchild. That is not what anyone intends, and it is entirely avoidable.
Most plans allow you to name a successor subscriber, and your will can deal with the plan explicitly. It is a paragraph, not a rewrite — raise it with your lawyer when the will is next reviewed. Grandparents are far more likely to be affected by this than parents, simply by virtue of timing, which is why it belongs on this page and not buried in a footnote.
One more thing worth knowing about family plans
Certain income-tested and provincial incentives are only payable where all beneficiaries in a family plan are siblings. Grandchildren from different families are not siblings. If you’re considering one family plan across several branches of the family, check this before the plan is set up rather than after.
Questions grandparents ask
Can a grandparent open an RESP?
What is the biggest mistake grandparents make?
Should I open my own plan or contribute to the parents’?
What happens to the plan if I die?
How long can I contribute for?
Can I split one plan across several grandchildren?
Is an RESP the best way to help with education?
Get it right the first time.
A free call: whether a second plan makes sense for your family or whether adding to the parents’ is simpler, how much room is genuinely left, and what to raise with your lawyer about the will. Fifteen minutes now avoids an awkward conversation later.
Harpreet Singh · LLQP-Licensed · Life Insurance & Segregated Funds · Ontario · Proudly Canadian. This page is general information only — not financial, investment, insurance, tax, or legal advice. Rules governing subscribers, beneficiaries, relationship and age requirements, contribution and grant limits, over-contribution penalties, contribution periods, and plan duration are set by the Government of Canada and may change; confirm current requirements at canada.ca. Individual plan terms vary and may be more restrictive. Estate and succession matters, including naming a successor subscriber and provisions in a will, require advice from a qualified lawyer in your province. The checker uses only figures you enter and cannot verify actual plan records. Speak with a qualified advisor about your own situation.
Harpreet is an LLQP-licensed insurance advisor based in Ontario, Canada. He helps families understand RESPs in plain language, claim every government grant they qualify for, and protect the plan with the right coverage — with straight answers and no pressure. More about Harpreet →