Notice #720 – Updated Canada Education Savings Program (CESP) application form

Information bulletin

Number:

CESP/PCEE-2017/18-001-720

Date:

June 01, 2017

Subject:

Updated Canada Education Savings Program (CESP) application form

Previous Bulletin

This information bulletin updates the December 23, 2016, information bulletin CESP/PCEE-2016/17-007-702.

Purpose

The purpose of this information bulletin is to announce the launch of the revised CESP application form and to provide an overview of the changes.

Changes

All five components of the CESP application form have been updated:

• APPLICATION: Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG) and Canada Learning Bond (CLB)
• ANNEX A – Additional beneficiaries
• ANNEX B – Primary caregiver and/or custodial parent/legal guardian
• ANNEX C – APPLICATION: Saskatchewan Advantage Grant for Education Savings (SAGES)
• ANNEX D – APPLICATION: British Columbia Training and Education Savings Grant (BCTESG)

Amendments to the CLB eligibility criteria in the Canada Education Savings Act (CESA) were required following the introduction of the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), which replaces, among other benefits, the National Child Benefit Supplement (NCBS). These CESA amendments, which received Royal Assent on December 15, 2016, are reflected in the updated version of the CESP application form.

Information in the sections entitled “Your privacy rights” has also been updated to align with the renewal of promoter and trustee agreements that came into effect in April 2016.

Mandatory use

Use of the updated form will be mandatory as of December 1, 2017.

Form version control

The updated CESP application form has the same form number “ESDC SDE 0093” and version date “(2017-05)” in the lower left corner of each page. RESP promoters are encouraged to verify version dates to ensure that the updated application form is used.

For example, the main part of the form uses the following code:

• ESDC SDE 0093 (2017-05)

Annexes have the annex letter (A, B, C or D) before the version date:

• ESDC SDE 0093-A (2017-05)
• ESDC SDE 0093-B (2017-05)
• ESDC SDE 0093-C (2017-05)
• ESDC SDE 0093-D (2017-05)

Electronic signatures are accepted

With the implementation of the new promoter and trustee agreements on April 1, 2016, RESP promoters may accept electronic signatures on the CESP application form. Promoters are responsible for ensuring the information collected is in accordance with all applicable laws governing the protection of personal information, and that it can be demonstrated that the client’s signature has been obtained, which may be verified during a CESP compliance review.

Accessing the form

The previous version has been replaced by the updated CESP application form on the Forms tab of the Canada.ca/RESPresources webpage.

Contact us

If you have any questions regarding this information bulletin, please contact us by e-mail at cesp-pcee@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca or call at 1-888-276-3624. Our hours of operation are from 8 am to 5 pm Eastern Time.