RDSP Grant & Bond Calculator
How much the government puts into a Registered Disability Savings Plan this year — the matching grant on what you contribute, plus the bond, which needs no contribution at all. At the best rate, $1,500 in attracts $3,500.
Government money into the plan this year
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This is the standard-year answer. It excludes carry-forward, and that is deliberate. If the beneficiary was approved for the disability tax credit in earlier years but the plan was not open — or was open but under-contributed — unused grant and bond room from up to 10 past years is still claimable. In a catch-up year the ceiling rises to $10,500 of grant and $11,000 of bond, far above the usual $3,500 and $1,000.
No calculator can work that figure out. It depends on the disability tax credit status, family income, contributions made and grant already paid in each of ten separate years. The government's own estimator excludes carry-forward for exactly this reason — and ESDC instead mails a Statement of Entitlement every February stating what you can actually receive. That letter, not this page, is your real number if you have catching up to do.
So read the figure below as a floor: exactly right if you have no unused room, and understated — never overstated — if you do.
How much does the government add? For 2026, family income at or under $117,045 earns $3 for every $1 on the first $500 and $2 for every $1 on the next $1,000 — a $1,500 contribution attracts the full $3,500 grant. Above that income the match is $1 for $1 on the first $1,000. Separately, family income at or under $38,237 receives the full $1,000 bond with no contribution required.
The disability tax credit is the gate
An RDSP cannot be opened without disability tax credit approval, and no grant or bond is paid without it. That single approval is what unlocks the plan, the matching grant and the bond — which is why it is worth pursuing even for someone who owes no tax and gets nothing from the credit itself.
For a child under 18, the same approval also triggers the Child Disability Benefit, a monthly payment on top of the Canada child benefit. A family with a DTC-approved child is usually eligible for all three at once: the credit, the monthly child benefit, and this plan.
The grant: why $1,500 is the number that matters
The match is tiered, and the first dollars are worth the most. Below the income threshold the first $500 is matched three to one and the next $1,000 two to one. Past $1,500 of contributions in a year, the matching stops entirely.
| You contribute | Grant (income at or under threshold) | Per dollar |
|---|
Contributing more than $1,500 in a year does not earn another cent of grant. Worse, those unmatched dollars are still locked into the plan under the same withdrawal rules — take money out too early and grant and bond can have to be repaid. If you have more to put in, spreading it across years attracts far more government money than one large deposit.
The bond: money for opening the plan
The bond is the part people miss. It requires no contribution whatsoever — if family income is low enough, opening the plan and applying is the entire action. Full amount at or under $38,237, nothing at or above $58,523, and a reduced amount in between, up to a lifetime $20,000.
How the in-between amount is worked out here. canada.ca states only that the bond "decreases" as income rises between the two thresholds — it does not publish the formula in prose. Its own estimator computes a straight line between the two, and this calculator reproduces that same straight line, so results match the government tool exactly at every income. It is exact at both endpoints by construction. For a figure you can act on, use your Statement of Entitlement.
Two years back, and whose income counts
The RDSP always assesses family income from two years earlier: your 2024 return sets your 2026 grant and bond. A change in circumstances takes two years to show up, in both directions.
Whose income counts changes with age. Until December 31 of the year the beneficiary turns 18, it is the parents' or guardians' combined income. From the year they turn 19 it is the beneficiary's own income plus a spouse's — which is why a beneficiary whose family income was too high as a child often qualifies for the maximum grant and full bond as an adult. The beneficiary must have filed returns for the two previous years for the right amount to be paid.
Limits and the age cut-off
| Limit | Amount |
|---|---|
| Lifetime grant | $70,000 |
| Lifetime bond | $20,000 |
| Lifetime contributions | $200,000 |
| Maximum grant in a normal year | $3,500 |
| Maximum bond in a normal year | $1,000 |
Grants are paid until December 31 of the year the beneficiary turns 49. Contributions themselves are allowed until the year they turn 59, but the matching stops at 49 — so the years before that birthday are the ones that carry all the value.
One gap we won't paper over. canada.ca states the December-31-of-age-49 cut-off explicitly for the grant, but never states it separately for the bond, and a check of the Canada Disability Savings Act did not find the bond's cut-off plainly set out either. This calculator applies the same boundary to both, which we believe is right but have not been able to source. If the beneficiary is near or past that age, confirm the bond position with ESDC rather than relying on the figure here.
Common questions
How much is the grant?
Up to $3,500 a year — $3 per $1 on the first $500 and $2 per $1 on the next $1,000, if family income is at or under $117,045 for 2026. Above that, $1 per $1 to a $1,000 maximum. Lifetime cap $70,000.
Can I get money without contributing?
Yes — the bond, up to $1,000 a year and $20,000 over a lifetime, with no contribution required. You still have to open the plan and apply.
Why is my old income being used?
The RDSP assesses family income from two years back. Your 2026 amounts come from the 2024 return.
What happens at 19?
The income test switches from the parents' combined income to the beneficiary's own (plus a spouse's). Many beneficiaries qualify for far more from that year onward.
What is carry-forward worth?
Up to $10,500 of grant and $11,000 of bond in a single catch-up year, drawing on up to 10 prior DTC-approved years. Your Statement of Entitlement each February gives your actual figure — this page excludes it.
Does this calculator project my plan's growth?
No, deliberately. It answers how much government money goes in this year. It makes no assumption about investment returns and does not model a balance over time.