Can I open an RDSP for my child?
Yes. If your child is approved for the Disability Tax Credit, a parent or legal guardian can open an RDSP and act as the plan holder while your child is a minor. The government can add up to $90,000 in grants and bonds over your child's lifetime, and starting young gives that money the longest runway to grow.
Most parents find the RDSP years after their child's diagnosis, usually from another parent rather than a professional. If that is you, welcome. You are not behind in any way that matters, and you are exactly who this guide is for. Here is what opening an RDSP for your child involves, and why an early start is such a powerful move.
Step one comes before the RDSP: the DTC
Your child must be approved for the Disability Tax Credit before an RDSP can open. The DTC is the key to this whole plan. It is also worth knowing that DTC approval can connect your family to the child disability benefit, a monthly amount paid alongside the Canada child benefit for eligible families. If the DTC application is not done yet, start there. I explain the DTC in detail here.
Your child will also need a Social Insurance Number, and must be a Canadian resident. There is no minimum age to open the plan. The earlier it opens, the more years of grants and bonds there are to claim.
Who opens the plan, and who runs it
Every RDSP has a beneficiary, the person the plan is built for, and a holder, the person who manages it. For a child, a parent or legal guardian is typically the holder. The holder opens the plan, makes decisions about contributions, directs how the money is invested, and requests payments when the time comes.
Think of it this way: your child is the reason the plan exists, and you are the trusted hand on the wheel while they are young. Getting the holder set up properly at the start saves stress later, because contributions, grants, and bonds all flow through a valid holder. My guide to who can hold an RDSP walks through the options, including what happens if capacity is ever in question.
What the government adds while your child grows
This is the part that floors parents. The Canada Disability Savings Grant matches your contributions based on family income. For 2026, at family income of $117,045 or less, the match is 300 percent on the first $500 contributed and 200 percent on the next $1,000, up to $3,500 in grants in a year and $70,000 over a lifetime. Above that income, the match is 100 percent on the first $1,000.
The Canada Disability Savings Bond needs no contribution at all. For lower income families, the government can deposit up to $1,000 a year directly into the plan, up to $20,000 over a lifetime. Add the two together and the RDSP can attract up to $90,000 in government money. Grants and bonds are paid until the end of the year your child turns 49, so a plan opened in childhood has decades of runway. Inside the plan, the money grows tax-deferred, and that long horizon is where compounding quietly does serious work for your child's future.
Family can help, with permission
You do not have to fund this alone. Anyone can contribute to your child's RDSP with the holder's permission, and contributions can still attract grant money within the limits. Grandparents are often the first to ask, and a birthday contribution that gets matched by the government is a gift that keeps giving. Here is how grandparents and the RDSP fit together.
RDSP, RESP, or both?
Parents often ask whether the education plan or the disability plan should come first. For most families of a child with a disability, the RDSP comes first, because the government money is larger and the plan is built for lifelong security. The two can also run together, and if education plans change, there is a safety valve: under certain conditions, RESP savings can be rolled into the same child's RDSP. I compare the two plans for a child with a disability here.
What happens at 18
Nothing changes automatically on your child's 18th birthday. As that child grows into an adult, the picture can change: an adult beneficiary who has capacity can become the holder of their own plan. That transition is worth planning for well before the birthday arrives, especially in families where parents have carried every financial decision for years. The plan itself, its grants, bonds, and investments, simply continues.
How to start, in three steps
Step one: confirm your child's Disability Tax Credit approval, and get their Social Insurance Number if you do not have it yet.
Step two: open the RDSP at a bank, credit union, or financial institution that offers them, and ask specifically that the plan be set up to receive grants and bonds.
Step three: contribute what you can, even a little, and let the matching do the heavy lifting. Small and steady beats big and occasional, because the grant matches annual contributions.
You are building something your child will thank you for in decades, not months. Starting while they are young is the single kindest financial head start most families can give, and it is available right now.
Common questions
Who can open an RDSP for a child?
A parent or legal guardian can open the plan and act as the holder while the child is a minor. The holder makes the contribution and investment decisions. Your child must be approved for the Disability Tax Credit first, and must have a Social Insurance Number.
How much can the government add to my child's RDSP?
Up to $90,000 over a lifetime: up to $70,000 in Canada Disability Savings Grants matching contributions, and up to $20,000 in Canada Disability Savings Bonds, which need no contribution at all. The grant match depends on family income, with the highest match at lower incomes.
Can grandparents and other family contribute?
Yes. Anyone can contribute to a child's RDSP with the holder's permission, and contributions can still attract grant money within the limits. Many families make it a shared project, with the holder coordinating so contributions stay organized.
What happens when my child turns 18?
Nothing changes automatically. As an adult with capacity, your child can become the holder of their own plan, and many families plan that handover in advance. The plan, its grants, and its bonds simply continue under the new holder.
See how this fits the bigger plan in the Disability Finance guide.
Sources: Disability Tax Credit, Canada Revenue Agency ยท Registered Disability Savings Plan, Government of Canada.
See where you stand: the free RDSP readiness checker takes about a minute and shows whether an RDSP belongs in your plan and what the government could add. No signup, and no pressure.
A quick note: this post is educational, not financial advice. For guidance on your own situation, book a free conversation. You don't have to figure this out alone. I'm here to help you through every step.