Should I set up a Family RESP plan or an Individual RESP? This question has been posed to me several times over the past years. If you only have one child then the answer is easy . . . set up an individual plan. However, if you plan to have more than one child then the question becomes an important one to follow up on.
Related article: Different types of RESPs
Family RESP
A Family RESP plan can have more than one beneficiary. The beneficiaries of this type of plan have to be connected to the subscriber of the plan by either blood or adoption. It can be children or grandchildren. If more than one beneficiary is appointed then you can allocate the contributions to each beneficiary. For example, if there is a significance difference in age then you may want to appoint a majority of the contributions to the older beneficiary since the younger has time to grow the funds.
Individual RESP
These plans can only have one beneficiary. The beneficiary on this account can be replaced but if the new beneficiary is not blood or adopted then the grant money has to be repaid. As mentioned earlier, if you only have one child this is the only plan you need.
Government Grants
As the subscriber makes contributions Government grants will be paid to the RESP (if applicable). The grants that may be paid into the RESP are the Canada Learning Bond, the Canada Education Savings Grant and if any provincial grant programs that may be available. The Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG) is the grant that most people will be familiar with. The maximum CESG grant one can accumulate is 7200 per beneficiary.
Related article: RESP Contribution rules
So which is better? Family RESP or Individual RESP?
If you have more than one child the Family plan may, at first glance, look like the best option. Family plans look more flexible for the contributor but in reality there really isn’t a big difference. The Family plan and the Individual plan can do pretty much the same thing. Again, if you are only having one child as mentioned earlier the Individual plan is the only option. If you have 3 children and you have set up a Family plan or 3 individual plans and one of your children decide not to go to school it doesn’t matter what plan you are in because you can transfer money to the kids that are going to school. You can do that in either plan. By choosing a Family plan over two or more individual plans you may save on fees.
Conclusion
The bottom line is ask your Advisor the pros and cons regarding both the Family plan and the Individual plan. If you plan on having more than one child, you can set up a Family plan when your first child is born. Ask the questions and set up the plan that best suits you and enjoy the grant money coming into your plan.