InfoCapsule 2: Administrative responsibilities – Who does what

From: Employment and Social Development Canada

On this page

• List of acronyms
• Preface
• Canada Revenue Agency
• Employment and Social Development Canada
• Social Insurance Registration Office
• Provincial education savings incentive administered by ESDC
• Provincial education savings incentive administered by Revenu Québec

Alternate format

A PDF version of the InfoCapsules for RESP providers is available on the index page.

Preface

This list is organized in alphabetical order to reflect each organization’s responsibilities, based on governing legislation.

Canada Revenue Agency

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) administers the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) rules under the Income Tax Act (ITA). They’re responsible for:

• accumulated income payments (AIP)
• Canada child benefit (CCB) eligibility
• contributions/overcontributions
• designated educational institutions
• educational assistance payments (EAP)
• income eligibility for the Canada Learning Bond (CLB) and the Additional Canada Education Savings Grant (Additional CESG)
• plan termination
• primary caregiver (PCG), cohabiting spouse or common-law partner
• qualifying investments for RESP
• registering Education Savings Plans (ESP)
• relationship definition: blood or adoption
• replacements of beneficiaries and subscribers
• residency
• RESP requirements for beneficiaries and subscribers
• rollover to other registered products
• specimen plan information
• transfers
• types of RESP

For more information, contact the CRA at 1 800 959 8281 or visit the Registered Education Savings Plans website.

Employment and Social Development Canada

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) administers the CESG and the CLB rules under the Canada Education Savings Act (CESA). They’re responsible for:

• administration of the British Columbia Training and Education Savings Grant (BCTESG)
• application forms for the CESG and the CLB
• beneficiary eligibility for the CESG 16 17 year rule
• beneficiary eligibility for the CLB
• calculation of the CESG
• carry forward rule
• CESG and CLB limits
• education savings incentives portions of EAP
• education savings incentives repayments
• CESG grant room
• CESP system
  • maintenance
  • reporting RESP transactions
• compliance reviews
• operational policies
• order of RESP withdrawals
• payment of the education savings incentives
• transaction processing
• RESP transfer form

For more information, contact ESDC at 1 888 276 3624 or visit the Resources for Registered Education Savings Plan promoters website.

Social Insurance Registration Office

The Social Insurance Registration Office (SIR) is responsible for the validation of the Social Insurance Number (SIN).

For SIN information, contact the SIR office at 1 866 274 6627 or visit the Social Insurance Registration Office website.

Provincial education savings incentive administered by ESDC

Provincial education savings incentive administered by Revenu Québec