Canada Learning Bond (RESP)

A: Yes. Many financial institutions and RESP providers are offering options for families to open RESPs virtually. For more information about this, you can contact the financial institution or RESP provider you want to work with directly.  There are also ways to access both a SIN and a Birth Certificate virtually so you can safely get the ID you need.  If you have questions or need more support, please reach out to us directly at LivingWithLowIncome@durham.ca. 

A: You need birth verification and a SIN for both parent and child(ren) to get a RESP. If you or your child do not have a SIN, a birth certificate is considered a primary source identification document and can be used to get the SIN when the application is made to Service Canada.

If you have a SIN and a document that verifies your and/or your child’s birthdate, that will likely be acceptable to the RESP provider, but you can always double check with the provider before your appointment (virtual or in person) to complete your RESP paperwork.

A: See below for information about ID clinics where you can find help to get or replace a Birth Certificate for yourself or for your child:

Whitby, Oshawa and Clarington: Identification (ID) clinics for birth certificate applications are held from 8:30 to 11 a.m. on the last Monday of each month at John Howard Society (JHS) offices in Durham Region. Please bring a completed Birth Certificate application and proof of income to the ID clinic for help with getting a birth certificate. 

Ajax and Pickering: Community Development Council Durham (CDCD) holds identification clinics every Thursday for Ajax/Pickering residents who have low income. To book an appointment for ID replacement, call 905-686-2661, ext. 147, or email outreachservices@cdcd.org. 

Uxbridge, Scugog and Brock: North House offers year-round ID replacement for birth certificates and Ontario Photo Cards. For assistance with ID replacement, please contact a service navigator at 289-640-1929 or 705-432-8654, ext. 103. 

A: You will need to contact the Vital Statistics Department of the province where your child was born and request a birth certificate.

If your child was born in Canada but not in Ontario, you must contact the Vital Statistics Office in the province or territory where your child was born.

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Newfoundland and Labrador

Northwest Territories

Nova Scotia

Nunavut

Prince Edward Island 

Quebec

Saskatchewan

Yukon

If you have any questions or need some additional support, please reach out to us at the contact information on this page.

A: There is no limit to the number of RESPs that a child can have opened in their name. Anyone can open a RESP for a child: parent, grandparent, other family, friends, etc.

However, only the primary caregiver (typically the person receiving the Canada Child Benefit) for the child can apply for the Canada Learning Bond (CLB). Income eligibility for the CLB is determined by the family income of the child’s primary caregiver, no matter who may have opened the RESP. The CLB will only be deposited into one RESP per child.

A: If your child already has a RESP opened in their name but you received the CLB letter from the federal government, this suggests that the CLB has not been added to that RESP for any children named in the letter. Contact your RESP provider and request the CLB be added to the RESP. This may require the primary caregiver signing an additional form but doesn’t require opening a new RESP.

On the off-chance that the RESP provider you are working with doesn’t offer the CLB (there are a few RESP providers who don’t), you can open another RESP for your child with a RESP provider who does offer the CLB – for example the bank or financial institution or another RESP provider of your choice – you can ask about the CLB before opening.

A: Questions about the status of RESPs can be directed to the Federal Government RESP/Canada Education Savings Program toll free number 1-888-276-3624.

A: RESPs can stay open for 36 years, which is lots of time for kids to decide on their educational future. If the RESP is closed, all grant funds deposited by the Government will be returned to the Government. Any personal contributions are returned to the plan owner with interest. These are good conversations to have with the RESP provider you choose when you open your RESP.

A: Personal deposits into an RESP qualify for the Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG). The CESG is another way the Government of Canada provides money for your child's education after high school. When any personal deposits are made into an RESP, the Government adds a percentage of that deposit to help your child's savings grow faster.

Everyone can get Canada Education Savings Grants, but how much the Government adds depends on your family's net income after taxes. The lifetime maximum CESG a child can receive is $7200. 

Any government grant funds deposited into an RESP must be returned to the government if the RESP is closed and the beneficiary does not attend education after high school.

A: If you apply now and your child qualifies for the CLB, they will have potential eligibility for up to the full $2,000 of the bond. That is because the CLB is automatically retroactive. This means that once eligibility has been determined, $500 is deposited into the RESP, and then your child will qualify for $100 more per year for every year between when they were born and when they turn 15 (if your family income qualified in those years). This includes any years before the RESP was opened. The maximum amount any child can receive from the CLB is $2,000, but even children who apply when they are 13 or 14 can potentially get the full $2,000 based on their family income over the years between their birth and age 15. Family income levels are determined by tax filing data.  

A: Only children born 2004 and later can get the CLB, so if one of your children was born prior to that year, that may be why no letter was received for them. But if you didn’t get a letter for a child who should qualify, just go ahead and open the RESP and apply for the CLB for all your children. The government will do the matching in the background and any eligible child will get the CLB deposited into the RESP.

In terms of the amount each child is eligible for, that may be different if one is older than the other. Once a child qualifies for the CLB, the first deposit is $500. The CLB is automatically retroactive; this means that once eligible, your child will qualify for $100 more per year for every year between when they were born and when they turn 15 (if your family income qualified in those years). This includes any years before the RESP was opened. The maximum amount any child can received from the CLB is $2,000. Family income is determined using tax filing data.

A: Once an application is made, it can take up to three months to get the bond deposited.

A: Questions about eligibility for previous applications can be directed to the Federal Government RESP/Canada Education Savings Program toll free number 1-888-276-3624.

A: Yes, as long as both parent and child(ren) have a social insurance number (SIN). This includes temporary SIN numbers that begin with "9". If a parent's temporary SIN is not renewed, the parent can withdraw their own contributions from the RESP, but any Government deposits will be returned to the Government. To be eligible to receive the Canada Learning Bond, a family’s income must qualify. 

A: You do not need to have custody of a child to open a RESP for them, anyone can open a RESP for a child.

For the CLB, if you have custody of a child, getting the CLB should not be a problem if the child was born in 2004 or later and, as the primary caregiver, your family income qualifies.

You and the child will need a Social Insurance Number (SIN). If the child doesn’t have one, or you don’t know what it is, you will to need to provide Service Canada with court documents indicating you have custody of the child and the child’s birth certificate to request either a new SIN or a reconfirmation of an existing SIN – both processes are the same. If a birth certificate or replacement is required to get the SIN, the application process is similar and will require court documents indicating you have custody. Please refer to the information on this page about accessing both SIN and Birth Certificates for families in your circumstances and, if you have any other questions, please reach out to us at the contact information this page.

A: Tax filing information is used by the Government to determine if your family income is eligible for the CLB. A child is eligible for the CLB if they were born in 2004 or later AND their family income qualifies. If you haven’t filed taxes, there is no way for the Government to determine your child’s financial eligibility. 

Get information about free tax filing for low income residents in Durham at durham.ca/fileyourtaxes.