RESP 101: The 20 Percent the Government Adds
How the education grant works, the $7,200 lifetime maximum, and how catch-up contributions work.
Read articleStep 1: Which accounts do you want to compare?
Step 2: Your numbers
RDSP details
Grants and bonds stop after December 31 of the year the beneficiary turns 49.
This is a learning tool, not a plan. It does not know your contribution room, your tax bracket, or your fees, and it recommends nothing. If you want the human version of this conversation, book a free conversation with Sean. Couples: RDSP vs TFSA vs RRSP, the honest calculator. Takes 2 minutes.
Your results
Parents: see what your TFSA could become. This 60-second calculator takes 2 minutes. Toggle accounts on and off to compare them side by side. Move a slider and every card updates instantly.
Seniors: RDSP vs TFSA vs RRSP, the honest calculator. Takes 2 minutes. Run your numbers, then pass the idea along to someone who needs it.
Your numbers stay on this device: the calculator remembers your settings locally so you can pick up where you left off. Nothing is sent anywhere.
How the numbers are worked out
RDSP: grants and bonds
Each year, your contribution earns the Canada Disability Savings Grant using the verified 2026 rates. When family income is at or below $117,045, the match is 300% on the first $500 and 200% on the next $1,000, for a maximum of $3,500 a year. Above $117,045, the match is 100% on the first $1,000, for a maximum of $1,000 a year. Lifetime grant cap: $70,000. The Canada Disability Savings Bond adds up to $1,000 a year with no contribution required, lifetime cap $20,000, income tested. Lifetime contribution limit: $200,000. Grants and bonds stop after December 31 of the year the beneficiary turns 49. Grants and bonds are only paid while the beneficiary is eligible for the Disability Tax Credit. This tool does not model catch-up grants or the assistance holdback amount.
TFSA: tax-free growth
Seniors: see what your TFSA could become. This 60-second calculator takes 2 minutes. No government money. Your contributions grow tax-free and withdrawals are tax-free. This tool does not track your TFSA contribution room, which depends on your age and past contributions.
RRSP: deduction now, taxed later
No government money is added in this model. Growth compounds annually. The tax deduction is shown as a note on your result card, not subtracted from your contribution. This tool does not track your RRSP contribution room or model your tax bracket.
RESP: the 20% education grant
The Canada Education Savings Grant adds 20% on the first $2,500 contributed each year, up to a lifetime maximum of $7,200. Contributions above $2,500 in a year earn no additional grant. This tool does not track lifetime RESP contribution limits.
FHSA: saving for a first home
No government money is added in this model. Contributions are generally tax-deductible and growth is tax-sheltered on the way to a qualifying first home purchase. This tool does not track your FHSA room or lifetime limit.
The assumptions behind every card
Contributions are made at the start of each year. The expected return is applied evenly every year, which never happens in real life. The tool ignores fees, inflation, contribution room rules, and any taxes paid along the way. It ignores catch-up grants, the assistance holdback amount, and every specific product on the market. The projected value is contributions plus government money plus growth, compounded annually.
Numbers are the easy part.
Parents: see what your TFSA could become. This 60-second calculator takes 2 minutes, and the 2026 figures are already loaded. The real conversation is about what fits your life: your timeline, your family, your goals. That conversation is free, unrushed, and human.
You don't have to figure this out alone. I'm here to help you through every step.
Book a Free ConversationKeep reading
How Does a Spousal RRSP Work? One Plan, Two Futures
Income splitting for couples, the 3-year attribution rule, and why it is a long-game tool.
Read articleWhat Are a RRIF, a LIF and a LIRA? Locked-In Money Explained
What happens to your RRSP at 71, and what locked-in pension money can and cannot do.
Read articleUnderstanding the five accounts
What this calculator teaches
The RDSP is for Canadians with DTC approval, where government grants and bonds can add up to $90,000. The TFSA grows money tax free for any goal. The RRSP defers tax to retirement. The RESP saves for a child's education with its own grant. The FHSA helps first-time buyers save for a home. Each account has its own rules, which is why comparing them honestly matters.
Who it helps
Savers at any stage who want to see the math before deciding, including parents comparing an RDSP with a TFSA or RRSP for a child with a disability.
Common mistakes
Comparing accounts on the return slider alone, while ignoring the grants an RDSP can attract. And treating an illustration as a forecast: markets move, rules change, and a plan should be reviewed as life does.
Keep learning
Start at the Disability Finance hub for the RDSP picture, read TFSA versus RRSP, or browse all the free tools.