RDSP 2026: Up to $90,000 in Grants and Bonds

How we check the numbers: every figure on this page is calculated from official CRA, Statistics Canada or Bank of Canada data and cross-checked with the free calculators on this site — run them yourself to verify.

The short version

An RDSP is a long-term, tax-sheltered savings plan for a person approved for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC). Growth inside the plan is tax-sheltered. Contributions are not tax-deductible — unlike an RRSP — but the government top-ups are the real reason to open one early.

Who qualifies for an RDSP

The beneficiary — the person the plan is for — must meet three tests:

• Approved for the Disability Tax Credit. Apply with CRA form T2201 first; no DTC approval, no RDSP.
• A Canadian resident with a Social Insurance Number (SIN). The beneficiary must be resident in Canada when the plan is opened and when each contribution is made.
• Within the age window. A plan can be opened until December 31 of the year the beneficiary turns 59.

The holder — the person who opens and runs the plan — is often the beneficiary, but can also be a parent, guardian or other qualifying person. Anyone can contribute, but only with the holder's written permission. Having an RDSP does not affect eligibility for federal benefits such as the Canada Child Benefit, the GST/HST credit, Old Age Security or Employment Insurance.

The grant: how the matching works in 2026

The Canada Disability Savings Grant (CDSG) matches your contributions. The rate depends on family income — and for 2026, that means the income reported on the 2024 tax return, two years earlier. For beneficiaries 19 and over, family income is their own income plus a spouse's, if applicable; under 19, it is the parents' or guardians' combined income.

If 2026 family income is $117,045 or less:

• $3 for every $1 on the first $500 contributed — up to $1,500 in grant.
• $2 for every $1 on the next $1,000 contributed — up to $2,000 more.
• A $1,500 contribution therefore attracts the full $3,500 annual grant, turning $1,500 into $5,000 in the plan.

If family income is over $117,045: $1 for every $1 on the first $1,000 contributed, for a maximum grant of $1,000 that year.

Worked examples, recomputed from the official rates:

• $1,500 contributed, income $40,000: $1,500 grant on the first $500 + $2,000 on the next $1,000 = $3,500 grant; $5,000 total in the plan.
• $1,200 contributed, income $60,000: $1,500 + $1,400 = $2,900 grant; $4,100 total in the plan.
• $1,000 contributed, income $150,000: $1,000 grant at $1 for $1; $2,000 total in the plan.

The grant lifetime limit is $70,000. Grants are paid within 6 to 8 weeks of an eligible contribution, and only on contributions made up to December 31 of the year the beneficiary turns 49. Money rolled over from an RRSP or RESP does not attract a matching grant, though it counts toward the $200,000 lifetime contribution limit.

The bond: $1,000 a year with no contribution

The Canada Disability Savings Bond (CDSB) is the part most people miss: it needs no contribution at all. If the beneficiary qualifies, the government deposits it automatically once the grant and bond application is on file — but tax returns must be filed every year so the income can be checked.

For 2026, based on the 2024 tax return:

• Family income $38,237 or less: the full $1,000 a year.
• Between $38,237 and $58,523: a partial bond, shrinking as income rises.
• $58,523 or more: no bond.

The bond lifetime limit is $20,000. A beneficiary who qualifies for the full bond every year from age 18 to 37, for example, would collect the full $20,000 without contributing a dollar. Together with the $70,000 grant limit, that is the $90,000 headline figure — but reaching it takes decades of qualifying years, which is why opening early matters.

Catching up: the 10-year carry-forward

Missed years are not lost immediately. Unused grant and bond entitlements from DTC-approved years can be carried forward for up to 10 years.

• Grants: catching up requires contributions, and the total grant paid in a single year — including carry-forward — is capped at $10,500. Clearing a full backlog therefore takes more than one year.
• Bonds: carry-forward is automatic once the application is filed. When a plan opens, up to $11,000 can arrive at once: $1,000 for each eligible year in the past 10 years, plus $1,000 for the current year.

Your financial institution sends a Statement of Entitlement each February, up to the year the beneficiary turns 49, showing how much grant is available that year and how much to contribute to get it. There is a trap in the 10-year window: as years pass, the oldest years fall out of the window, so a backlog left too long can shrink.

The ages that change everything: 49, 59, 60

Those three birthdays are the whole plan in miniature. Open at 50 and you can still contribute tax-sheltered money until 59, but no grant or bond will ever be paid. Open at 20 and you have 30 years of grant and bond eligibility ahead — the difference is tens of thousands of dollars.

Withdrawals and the 10-year holdback rule

This is the rule that makes an RDSP a long-term plan, not a savings account. Grants and bonds paid in the previous 10 years form the assistance holdback amount (AHA). If you withdraw money — a disability assistance payment (DAP) on request, or a lifetime disability assistance payment (LDAP) paid at least annually once started — the issuer must repay the lesser of:

• $3 of grant and bond for every $1 withdrawn, or
• the full assistance holdback amount.

Example: with a $21,000 holdback, a $600 withdrawal triggers a $1,800 repayment. A withdrawal also cannot leave the plan worth less than the holdback amount. Once 10 years have passed since the last grant or bond payment, the holdback reaches zero — which, since grants stop at 49, lines up with lifetime payments starting by 60. There is an exception for a Specified Disability Savings Plan (SDSP) where life expectancy is five years or less. On withdrawal, the contribution portion is not taxable; grants, bonds and investment earnings are taxable to the beneficiary. There are no rules on what withdrawn money must be spent on.

Your RDSP checklist

1. Get DTC approval first (CRA form T2201) — everything else depends on it.
2. Pick a financial institution that offers RDSPs and open the plan before the year the beneficiary turns 59 — ideally years before 49.
3. Apply for both the grant and the bond when opening; the bond will not arrive without the application.
4. File tax returns every year — a missing return stops the bond and can distort the grant rate, because 2026 amounts are read from the 2024 return.
5. Contribute $1,500 a year if income is $117,045 or less, to collect the full $3,500 grant — and check the February Statement of Entitlement before contributing extra for catch-up.
6. Do not treat it as emergency money. A withdrawal inside the 10-year window repays $3 of government money per $1 taken out.

Sources

• Employment and Social Development Canada — How much you could get in grants and bonds (2026 thresholds, matching rates, carry-forward)
• Employment and Social Development Canada — About the Canada Disability Savings Program (ages 49 and 59, federal benefits not affected)
• Employment and Social Development Canada — How to open an RDSP (DTC, financial institution, filing taxes)
• Canada Revenue Agency — RDSP deposits (grant up to 300%, $10,500 carry-forward cap, $200,000 limit)
• Canada Revenue Agency — RC4460 Registered Disability Savings Plan (10-year repayment rule)
• Employment and Social Development Canada — Assistance holdback amount (10-year rule, $3 per $1 repayment)

Educational content only — not financial advice. Figures are estimates; confirm your own situation with the CRA or a licensed financial advisor. See our Disclaimer.