# How to get the Canada Learning Bond as an adult (ages 18 to 20) A step-by-step guide to claiming the Canada Learning Bond yourself before your 21st birthday: who qualifies, what you need, how to open an RESP, and how to withdraw the money. Up to $2,000 in free government money. --- **This has to be done before you turn 21.** Wait past that and you miss your chance to claim the Canada Learning Bond, worth up to $2,000. The Canada Learning Bond (CLB) is free money from the Government of Canada for students from modest-income families. Most people only hear about it as a program for little kids. But if you're between 18 and 20 and have never claimed it, you can still get it yourself. This guide walks through who qualifies, what you need, and how to apply before the deadline. Once you turn 18, you can apply for the CLB on your own, but only until the day before your 21st birthday. After that, the money is gone. ## What the CLB is The CLB is a grant, not a loan, and you never pay it back. It's deposited directly into a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP). You don't need to put any of your own money in to get it, and the government doesn't expect a contribution in return. It's not a match. The CLB is one of several [grants and loans you can get for school](/learn/canada-student-grant-vs-loan/), but it works differently from most. Student aid grants come through your province's application. The CLB lives in an RESP and has its own age and income rules. Here's what you get: - **$500** for the first year you qualify - **$100** for each additional year you qualify, up to age 15 - **Up to $2,000** total per person The money covers education after high school, including tuition, books, and other school costs. You need to be enrolled in a qualifying post-secondary program before you can take it out. ## Do you qualify? Two things have to be true. **Your birth year.** You qualify if you were born on or after January 1, 2004. **Your family's income.** The CLB is income-based. For the 2026-27 benefit year, the adjusted family income threshold is about $58,523 for a family of up to three children. The cutoff is higher for larger families, and it changes each year. Eligibility is set by the Government of Canada. If you already turned 18, you can apply for yourself until the day before your 21st birthday. The CLB is retroactive, so if you qualified in any earlier year, you can claim all the back years now. That's the part most people miss: you get every year you were eligible, going back to when you were young. Not sure if your situation counts? It takes a couple of minutes to [check with the hi finance survey](https://fihi.ca/s/survey?v=clb-guide). ## What you'll need Before you start, gather three things: 1. **Your Social Insurance Number (SIN).** You need it to open an RESP and to apply. 2. **Proof of identity.** A piece of photo ID for the RESP account. 3. **Your family's income details.** The application uses adjusted family income, which comes from the primary caregiver's tax return. You may need their consent or information to confirm eligibility. The good news: you don't need to have saved any money. An empty RESP works fine for the CLB. ## How to claim it, step by step ### 1. Open an RESP in your own name The CLB can only land in an RESP, so that's the first move. As an adult, you can open one yourself, and you can make yourself the beneficiary. Most big banks and RESP providers let you do this. If this feels like the hard part, you're not alone. RESP paperwork is built for parents opening accounts for kids, not for a young adult opening one in their own name. You might run into forms and questions that assume you're a parent. Push through, or use a provider that's built for students. ### 2. Apply for the CLB Once the RESP is open, you or your provider applies for the CLB on your behalf. The government checks your eligibility and deposits the money into the RESP if you qualify. Some providers handle the application for you. If they don't, you'd complete the CLB request yourself and submit it with your SIN. ### 3. Wait for the money Approval takes time, often up to three months. The grant shows up directly in your RESP when it's approved. ### 4. Withdraw it when you're in school The CLB stays in your RESP until you enrol in a qualifying post-secondary program. Then you can take money out as an Educational Assistance Payment to cover tuition and school costs. That payout is taxed in your hands, but most students have little other income and end up owing nothing. A tax preparer can confirm what a withdrawal means for your own return. ## The deadline matters Write this down: you have until the day before your 21st birthday to get an RESP open and request the CLB. After that, you lose your chance to claim it, including all the retroactive years. If you're 18, 19, or 20, this is a now problem, not a later problem. ## How hi finance can help We built a process for students claiming the CLB, because the standard one was designed for parents. The hi finance app helps you find out if you're eligible, and if you are, connects you with Embark to open your RESP in your own name. Embark handles the account and applies for the CLB for you. No paperwork that assumes you're a parent, no government forms to figure out on your own. To use it: take the [hi finance survey](https://fihi.ca/s/survey?v=clb-guide) to check your eligibility, download the app and sign up, then book a short video call with Embark to open your RESP. From there they handle the CLB application and the money lands in your account. After your money is set up, the app helps you budget, save, and manage the rest of your money through school. But that part is a bonus. The main thing is getting you the free money you qualify for. For the short version of how this partnership came together, see our [hi finance and Embark announcement](/learn/clb-embark-partnership/). This is general information, not financial advice. The Canada Learning Bond rules are set by the Government of Canada and change from year to year, so confirm the current details on [Canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/education/education-savings.html) before you apply.