Learn Today, Earn for the Future
LearnSmart works to empower Canadian youth and young adults to open a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) and apply for the Canada Learning Bond (CLB). Open an RESP online in 10 minutes and access $500 up to $2000 of government funds to help pay for your post-secondary education.
Why RESPS?
A Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) helps to save for future education after high school.
With an RESP, you could receive various government grants and Canada Learning Bond benefits. That’s extra funding for school that you’re entitled to that you can only access when you have an RESP account. If you start early, even if you start small, that money has a chance to compound and grow over time!
What is CLB?
The Canada Learning Bond is a government benefit added to an RESP to help pay for your post-secondary education. A minimum of $500, up to $2000 per recipient. No contribution required! That means you don’t need to add any money into your RESP to receive your CLB payment!
Born in, or after 2004? You can open your own RESP and apply for CLB yourself by clicking below!
Want to know more? Check out our answers to common questions:
Why should I go to post-secondary?
Unlock Your Earning Potential!
Post-secondary graduates earn more than those who did not continue their studies past high school.
Post-secondary school graduates earn higher salaries. Adults with a bachelor’s degree earn an average of $1.2 million more during their careers than median for workers with a high school diploma.
Get hired
A college or university education makes it easier to get hired. Having a college certificate or diploma increases your chances of finding employment.
Education significantly increases a person’s likelihood of transitioning from unemployment to employment, relative to those who did not attend post-secondary school.
What happens to my RESP and CLB if I don’t go to post-secondary?
If you open an RESP but choose not to attend post-secondary education, you have options.
Wait
An RESP can be left open for up to 36 years. That means that you have time to decide if post-secondary education is right for you. Don’t forget that RESPs can support many post-secondary education programs including some trade and business schools, and apprenticeships. Leave your RESP open in case you decide to pursue post-secondary education a little bit later.
Close your RESP account
Closing your RESP account doesn’t have to be a headache! Just remember that while you can withdraw any contributions you’ve made over the years with no tax consequence, you must return CESG and CLB benefits to the Government of Canada. As for any investment growth, this portion will be taxed at your marginal tax rate, plus an additional 20%. How to close your Wealthsimple RESP.
Empower someone else to use the RESP
If attending post-secondary school is not right for you, you can name another beneficiary (like a sibling,) to use the If available money for their education costs.
Note that there are some rules associated with changing an RESP beneficiary. To learn more, click here.
Funded by the Government of Canada’s Canada Learning Bond Program
In partnership with:
