Many new parents take their newborns home from the hospital with the best of intentions to start an RESP account for their screaming bundle of joy. The problem is that sometimes life interferes and maybe that educational savings account never gets set up.
Now the little screamer has grown up into a sullen teenager and you would really like to make sure you can afford to send her to a school in another city – far, far away. Can you still make RESP contributions and get some free government grant money to make your dreams come true? Read on to find out.
There are no special restrictions on RESP grants for kids in the years from when they are born to the year when they turn 15 years of age. There are however, grant eligibility restrictions for kids during the years when they are turning 16 and 17.
RESP contributions made for beneficiaries in the year they turn 16 or 17 are eligible for a grant only if at least one of the following conditions is met:
- At least $2,000 must have been contributed to, and not withdrawn from, an RESP for the beneficiary before the end of the calendar year the beneficiary turned 15 OR
- At least $100 must have been contributed to, and not withdrawn from, an RESP for the beneficiary in each of any four years before the end of the calendar year in which the beneficiary turned 15.
Please note that only one of these conditions has to be met.
The difference between these two conditions is that the first one can be met by contributing the $2,000 over one or more years. The second one involves making contributions of at least $100, in at least four different calendar years.
It should be noted that the year a child turns 17 is the last year they can be eligible to receive RESP grants.
What this means
If you open a child’s first RESP in the year he turns 16 or 17 years of age, no grants will be paid on contributions. It is too late.
For a child to be eligible for RESP grants in the year she turns 16 or 17, either of the previously mentioned conditions must be met.
How to ensure your child is eligible for grants
The last year you can open a first RESP for a child and expect to receive any grants is during the year when the child turns 15. You need to contribute at least $2,000 that year in order for the child to be eligible for grants in the years he turns 16 and 17.
Just to clarify – The ages mentioned previously refer to the calendar year in which the child turns the appropriate age. If you have to make a contribution in the year the child turns 15, this means the contribution has to be made at some point between January 1 and December 31 of that year. In fact, the child might be 14 at the time of contribution if it takes place before the child’s birthday.
The last year you can start an RESP, make four annual $100 contributions and still be eligible for grants when the child is 16 and 17 is the year the child turns 12.
These age rules are important to know because if your child turns 15 this year and you are still thinking of opening an RESP for them, you need to act soon. It is still worthwhile to open an RESP in the year they turn 15. If you contribute $5,000 per year in the years they turn 15, 16 and 17, you will receive at least $3,000 in RESP grants.
Let’s look at an example of each rule
1) A total of $2,000 must be contributed towards the child’s RESP by the end of the year in which the child turns 15 years old.
Steven turns 15 years old in 2011. His parents decide to open an RESP account and contribute $5,000 per year for three years until Steven is not eligible for RESP grants anymore.
His parents contribute $5,000 in 2011, which is the year Steven turns 15. This means that the eligibility criteria for grants in the years he turns 16 and 17 is met. He will receive the full grants in the years where he turns 16 and 17.
Note – the minimum of $2,000 contributions don’t have to be made in the year the child turns 15. They can be made anytime up to the end of the year where the child turns 15.
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2) At least $100 must have been contributed to the child’s RESP account in at least four different years prior to the year he turns 16 years old.
Susie is turning 16 in 2011. Her parents have an RESP account for her and want to know if she is still eligible to receive grants this year and next year when she turns 17.
Her parents check their statements and determine how much they have contributed in the past:
- 2002 – $50
- 2004 – $500
- 2005 – $100
- 2006 – $200
- 2008 – $500 – This amount was withdrawn.
- 2009 – $100
- 2011 – The year Suzie turns 16
As you can see, there are four different years where at least $100 was contributed to the RESP account and not withdrawn. This condition is met and Susie will be eligible for RESP grants in the years she turns 16 and 17 years of age.
Conclusion
Starting a last minute RESP is not something that most people plan on. However, it’s a lot better late than never. If you contribute the max for the last three eligible years, you can still receive 42% of the total available grants. At that point, you are likely savings for the child’s schooling anyway, so it’s basically free money.
16 replies on “RESP contribution rules for 15- 16- and 17-year-olds”
Will the government automatically not issue grants if you don’t meet the criteria? I ask because we adopted two children in 2007 and our daughter will turn 16 this year. Our adoption wasn’t finalized until 2008 and we were finally able to open RESPs for them in November of 2008. We’ve met the $2,000 contribution requirement, however, I’m thinking that we haven’t met the number of years requirement for her. We make monthly contributions for her and have done so in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. It would seem the government is still putting the matching grants into her RESP account as well. I’m wondering if these grants will stop or if we’ll have to give the money back. We were also going to considerably increase her contributions in the fall, but I’m not sure I’d use the RESP without the matching grants as our bank’s investment options are limited.
Hi Holly. You only need to fulfill one of the two rules in order to be eligible.
You have met the $2,000 criteria and that is good enough.
If your daughter wasn’t eligible for the grant, the government wouldn’t be paying the them.
I’ve edited the post to make this point more clear.
Thanks so much, Mike. I’m really loving this series on RESPs and look forward to the updated book. I’ve got a 13 and 15 year old + a newborn.
Thanks Holly.
I don’t know how you will find the time to read the book. Maybe you can get your 15 year old to do a book report on it? 😉
Just a question, since RESP family plans can be used by any sibling, could you not contribute to the 15yo’s plan, receive the maximum amount of grant money and then let either the 16yo or the 17yo use it for school??
@Brenda – Yes, you can:
https://moneysmartsblog.com/sharing-a-younger-siblings-resp-with-an-older-sibling/
Just make sure you don’t do this:
https://moneysmartsblog.com/resp-withdrawals-family-plan-account-overpay-grants-beneficiary/
My child was 17 as at Dec. 2012. Should we make a contribution for 2013. She will be in University this fall.
My son turns 16 this year. We have a family RESP started when he was born with him as the beneficiary.
Grandparents plan to give money to him and his sister (11 year old) for RESP’s this year.
1. can we set up 2 self-directed RESP’s (1/each) ?
2. related to my previous question – does the existing RESP (with approximately $4000 contributed) meet the requirement #1 for my son ?
My daughter turned 17 this year.
According to the rules stated, she will still receive grants if I contribute to her RESP by end of this year, with all the criteria met.
May I know which government website I can find all these information that you mentioned?
I have searched but no avail.
My bank told me that no grants will be given when she turns 17.
Thank you.
Hello,
I don’t quite get your example #1 (above). I thought that you can only recoupe a missing grant from last year (the immediate year previous to any current year). So if subscriber contributes $5000 when beneficiary is 15 years old grant is $1000. But next year (when beneficiary is 16 years old)even if subscriber contributes $5000 … grant can only be $500 (NOT $1000 because grant was already paid last year). And same again the following year when child is 17 years old (grant is only $500). Please advise.
Are there other savings and contribution plans/grants may be available for those who did not start saving for post secondary education until child was 15 years old?
Hi There,
My daughter is 13 years old. She currently has an RESP where we contribute $50 per month. I would like to open an RESP with another company (as we are not thrilled with the first one) in which we will contribute $100 per month. So now we have two. Will she still qualify for grant money with the second one when she is 16 and 17 although we will not have $2000 for the year she turns 15 in that account?
Thanks
I daughter turning 17
Is any way we can apply??
Or we can pay two years payment andtjencam continue
Hi,
We started an RESP for our children and then our grandchildren and I would like to know if we can stop paying into it for four years and then start paying into it again. What happens to the money just sitting in the RESP if we do not touch it but do not add to it for several years?
Hi – I have 3 kids: one is 15, one is 18, one is 20. None of them is considering university right now, but I’d like to create an incentive. Can you recommend an approach for investing in one or three RESPs for them – what would be the best approach? Of note: I would not have tons of cash to invest, perhaps a maximum of $5K per year.
Many thx,
Tonio
As long as it isn’t a group RESP, then you can contribute when you like. If it’s a group RESP, then you will probably have to keep up with the payments.