1. Accessing the Canada Learning Bond: Meeting Identification and Income Eligibility Requirements
Adriene Harding, Christine Laporte
and Eric Olson – Income Statistics Division

2. Motivation
This work was carried out by Statistics Canada in 2018 with funding from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)
This project provides aggregate statistics forming an analysis of families not currently eligible to receive the learning bond.
ESDC may use this information for program improvements to increase the uptake of the CLB and CESG.

3. The basic Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG)
The programs
The basic Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG)
available for all children regardless of family income
grant is proportional to contributions
Additional CESG (A-CESG)
beneficiaries from low- and middle-income families
The Canada Learning Bond (CLB)
beneficiaries from low-income families
requires no contributions.

4. Canada Learning Bond requirements❶
Beneficiary must have a SIN for registration of the RESP ❷
Must open an RESP with a financial provider ❸
Primary caregiver must consent to income verification to confirm that the child’s family income is within the A-CESG and CLB income eligibility threshold. ❹
Primary caregiver (and any spouse or partner) must then file a T1 return annually to confirm family income is within eligibility threshold for continued participation ❶
Beneficiary must have a SIN for registration of the RESP ❷
Must open an RESP with a financial provider ❸
Primary caregiver must consent to income verification to confirm that the child’s family income is within the A-CESG and CLB income eligibility threshold. ❹
Primary caregiver (and any spouse or partner) must then file a T1 return annually to confirm family income is within eligibility threshold for continued participation

5. Methods – Census data and linkage
Children in the Census were linked to administrative records to identify the presence of a SIN. Three outcomes ensued. For …
82.7% a SIN was found
15.8% a CRA record existed but no SIN found
1.6% no administrative records
Parents of the same children were linked to CRA files to determine whether or not they had filed a T1 Tax and Benefit Return for 2015
In couple families, both, one or no parents could have filed
In lone-parent families, the parent may or may not have filed }
17.4% did not find a
SIN record

6. Methods – Privacy and confidentiality
For this research project, a separate database was constructed containing:
A limited number of socio-demographic and income variables
A simple yes/no flag based on whether or not a SIN was found in the Social Insurance Register.
A second yes/no flag obtained from the T1 – Income Tax and Benefit Return showing whether or not the person had filed.
The analytical files contain no personal identifiers and only the designated Statistics Canada employees working on this project had access to the analytical files.
Only non-confidential, aggregate tabulations were shared with ESDC.

7. ❶ ❷ ❸ ❹ ❶+❹ Children Families Overall results Number %
Children born after 2003 and families
4,766,890
2,887,520 ❶
Child without a SIN
830,945
17.4
593,210
20.5 ❷
Child named as beneficiary on account ❸
Primary caregiver consents to income confirmation ❹
Non-tax filing parent(s)
370,245
7.8
233,940
8.1
❶+❹
Either or both requirements unmet
1,097,105
23.0
752,025
26.0

8. Income level
Total income of the parent(s) as per census definition
This is not the eligibility criteria for CLB

9. Education and geography
*With or without post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree. Based on the highest certificate, diploma or degree of the parent with most education.

10. Aboriginal Identity

11. Family rates

12. Percentage of children with no SIN link by year of birth of child
Children without a SIN link represent 17.4% of the potential CLB population
Rates vary substantially by age
Youngest cohorts are much more likely to have linked to a SIN
*2016 data is based only on children born between January 1, and May 10, 2016.

13. Percentage of children with no SIN link across jurisdictions by year of birth of child
*2016 data is based only on children born between January 1, and May 10, 2016.

15. Examining other steps of the process Modelling possibilities
Potential future work
Examining other steps of the process
Modelling possibilities
Multivariate analysis
Determining accurate CLB and A- CESG eligibility criteria
Grants and contribution amounts
Analysing educational outcomes
Other suggestions? ❶
Beneficiary must have a SIN for registration of the RESP ❷
Must open an RESP with a financial provider ❸
Primary caregiver must consent to income verification to confirm that the child’s family income is within the A-CESG and CLB income eligibility threshold. ❹
Primary caregiver (and any spouse or partner) must then file a T1 return annually to confirm family income is within eligibility threshold for continued participation ❷
Must open an RESP with a financial provider ❸
Primary caregiver must consent to income verification to confirm that the child’s family income is within the A-CESG and CLB income eligibility threshold. ❷
Must open an RESP with a financial provider ❸
Primary caregiver must consent to income verification to confirm that the child’s family income is within the A-CESG and CLB income eligibility threshold. ❺
Subscriber contributes to the RESP

16. Further information and continuing the dialogue…
Accessing the Canada Learning Bond: Meeting Identification and Income Eligibility Requirements
by Adriene Harding, Christine Laporte, and Eric Olson
Released June 21, 2019
Eric Olson
ESDC CESP Outreach Team
Statistics
Canada
Statistique
Canada
Employment and Social Development Canada
Emploi et développement social Canada