Who Can Open an RESP for a Child in Canada? Subscriber and Plan Rules

Any Canadian adult with a Social Insurance Number can open an RESP for a child in Canada, and they do not need to be the child’s parent. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, family friends, and even the future student can serve as the subscriber who opens and manages the account. The Income Tax Act sets very few restrictions on who qualifies, though the financial institution you approach will add a few practical ones of its own.

Who Qualifies as a Subscriber

The person who opens and controls an RESP is called the subscriber. The Income Tax Act does not require the subscriber to be a Canadian resident or to have reached any specific age.¹ In practice, though, most promoters will require you to be the age of majority in your province (18 or 19, depending on where you live) because the RESP is a legal contract and minors face restrictions on entering contracts. That rule comes from the promoter, not from the federal government.

The one non-negotiable requirement is a valid Social Insurance Number. You need one to open the account, and the government uses it to track contributions against the $50,000 lifetime limit per beneficiary. An application submitted with an invalid SIN gets rejected outright.

A common misconception is that subscribers must live in Canada. There is no residency requirement for subscribers under the Act. You could move abroad and still maintain the RESP. Leaving Canada does create one practical problem down the line: one of the conditions for receiving an Accumulated Income Payment later is that the subscriber be a Canadian resident at that time.¹ The plan stays open, but your options for recovering investment earnings narrow if you are no longer living in Canada.

Can Two People Open an RESP Together

Two people can share the subscriber role on a single RESP, but only if they are spouses or common-law partners. This joint arrangement is worth considering because it keeps the plan running smoothly if one subscriber dies: the surviving partner automatically continues as the sole subscriber without needing to set up a new account or transfer assets. No other combination of people qualifies for joint subscriber status. Two grandparents who are not married to each other, or a parent and an aunt, cannot open a plan jointly. Each would need to open a separate RESP.

Rules the Child Has to Meet

The child whose education the RESP will eventually fund is the beneficiary. Unlike the subscriber, the beneficiary must be a resident of Canada at the time they are designated, and they must have a valid Social Insurance Number on file with the promoter.¹ Without a SIN, the account cannot receive government grants or accumulate tax-deferred growth. The beneficiary must also remain a resident of Canada for the plan to accept new contributions on their behalf.

If you are opening a plan for a newborn, you will need to wait until the child has a SIN, which means applying for one shortly after birth.

There is no restriction on who can be named as the beneficiary in an individual plan. It could be your child, a niece, a neighbour’s kid, or yourself. The relationship rules tighten only when you choose a family plan.

Individual Plan or Family Plan

RESPs come in two main structures, and the choice affects who you can name.

An individual plan covers one beneficiary, and that beneficiary can be anyone, related to the subscriber or not. All contributions, grants, and investment earnings are tied to that single person.

A family plan covers one or more beneficiaries, but each one must be connected to every living subscriber by blood or adoption. Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and siblings qualify. You cannot add an unrelated child to a family plan.¹

The family plan’s advantage is flexibility. If one child skips post-secondary education, unused grant amounts can sometimes be shifted to a sibling within the same plan, provided that sibling has not hit the lifetime grant maximum. With an individual plan, the money stays locked to the named beneficiary unless you formally change the designation. For families with multiple children related by blood or adoption, a family plan is usually the better structure. For a friend opening a plan for a friend’s child, or a godparent for a godchild, an individual plan is the only option.

What You Need to Open the Account

Before you contact a financial institution, have the following ready for both the subscriber and the beneficiary: full legal names, current addresses, dates of birth, and Social Insurance Numbers. Some promoters will also ask for proof of residency or government-issued photo ID to verify your identity.

For a family plan, you will need to specify each beneficiary’s relationship to the subscriber. Accuracy matters here. Errors can delay grant processing or create tax reporting problems later.

The promoter provides the RESP application form and, at the same time, the application for the Canada Education Savings Grant and the Canada Learning Bond.² Those grant applications are built into the process, and the promoter submits them to Employment and Social Development Canada on your behalf.³ Not every promoter offers every incentive. Some smaller providers do not participate in the Additional CESG or the CLB, so confirm this before you sign.

Where to Open the Plan

You open an RESP through a qualified promoter, typically a bank, credit union, trust company, or investment firm. Many promoters offer a fully online application where you upload identification and sign electronically. Others prefer an in-person appointment with an advisor who walks through the paperwork with you.

The promoter registers the plan with the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada. Once registration is confirmed, your contributions begin growing tax-deferred: investment income earned inside the plan is not taxed as long as the money stays in the RESP.⁴ The promoter also requests the government grants automatically after each contribution, so you do not need to file separate paperwork each year. Check your account statements periodically to confirm grants are being deposited. Processing delays do happen, and catching them early saves trouble later.

The Grant Money You Are Opening the Account to Receive

Part of why the question of who can open an RESP matters is that the federal government pays money directly into the plan once it exists. The basic Canada Education Savings Grant matches 20% of your annual contributions, up to $500 per year, with a lifetime maximum of $7,200 per beneficiary. The CESG is available until the end of the calendar year the beneficiary turns 17.⁴ Lower-income families can receive an Additional CESG on the first $500 of annual contributions.⁵

The Canada Learning Bond is aimed at lower-income families and requires no personal contributions. The government deposits $500 in the first eligible year, plus $100 for each additional year of eligibility up to age 15, for a lifetime maximum of $2,000, along with an extra $25 with the first payment.⁶ The beneficiary must be under 21 when the CLB application is submitted.⁴ Eligibility for the CLB is income-tested and adjusts each benefit year.⁷ Confirming your promoter offers both programs at the point you open the account keeps you from missing money that is otherwise automatic.

1
Canada Revenue Agency. Frequently Asked Questions for the Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs)
2
Government of Canada. Open a Registered Education Savings Plan and Apply for Benefits
3
Employment and Social Development Canada. APPLICATION: Canada Education Savings Grant and Canada Learning Bond
4
Canada Revenue Agency. RC4092 Registered Education Savings Plans (RESP)
5
Government of Canada. Revised Income Brackets for the Additional Amount of CESG
6
Canada.ca. Canada Learning Bond
7
Government of Canada. Revised Income Brackets for the Canada Learning Bond (CLB) for the July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 Benefit Year