How to Proceed
Items of Interest
Before
Your Studies
During
Your Studies
After
Your Studies
Parents, Sponsor,
Spouse
Parental or Sponsor's Contribution
Parental contribution
Under the Civil Code of Québec, parents are required to contribute toward the cost of their child’s education. It is their duty to feed, maintain and educate their child, even if the child is over 18 years old.
Usually, to determine the parental contribution, the incomes of both parents or the income of the sponsor is taken into account. However, if your parents no longer live together, only the income of the parent with whom you reside or with whom you resided before beginning your studies is considered to determine the parental contribution.
Your parents’ or sponsor’s income includes the gross income, family allowances and child tax benefits received during the calendar year preceding the current award year.
To determine the parental contribution for the purposes of the loan assessment, the parents' gross income is considered minus the exemptions for family support, dependent children and, if applicable, a second parent with an income.
| Exemptions | ||
| Dates | Type of exemption | Amount |
| From September 1, 2010, to August 31, 2011 | Family support | |
| Parents living together | $15 274 | |
| Parents not living together | $12 931 | |
| Dependent children | ||
| Per child | $2 805 | |
| Additional exemption if the student applying for financial assistance has a major functional disability | $2 380 | |
| Second parent with an income | 14% of income, up to $2 310 | |
| From September 1, 2011, to August 31, 2012 | Family support | |
| Parents living together | $15 274 | |
| Parents not living together | $12 931 | |
| Dependent children | ||
| Per child | $2 881 | |
| Additional exemption if the student applying for financial assistance has a major functional disability | $2 444 | |
| Second parent with an income | 14% of income, up to $2 310 | |
A progressive contribution rate is then applied.
Progressive contribution rate |
||
Disposable income |
Expected contribution (based on disposable income) |
|
More than |
Up to |
|
| $0 | $8 000 | 0% |
| $8 000 | $44 000 | 0% of the first $8 000 and 19% of the remainder |
| $44 000 | $54 000 | $6 840 of the first $44 000 and 29% of the remainder |
| $54 000 | $64 000 | $9 740 of the first $54 000 and 39% of the remainder |
| $64 000 | $13 640 of the first $64 000 and 49% of the remainder | |
The subsequent result is divided by the number of children who are students with a parental contribution.
Sponsor's contribution
The sponsor is the person who agreed to provide for the basic needs of the student when he or she obtained permanent resident or refugee or protected person. The sponsor is not a guardian, but the person held accountable for the student under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
If you are a student’s sponsor, the same method is used to determine your contribution; however, only your financial resources are considered, even if you have a spouse.
Students participate
The student’s own contribution is considered first in the assessment of the financial assistance to be awarded. Note that the student’s contribution is also determined on the basis of his or her financial resources.
Who is responsible for the student debt?
Under the Act respecting financial assistance for education expenses, the person to whom a loan is contracted within the framework of the Loans and Bursaries Program is deemed to be of full age, whether or not he or she has attained age 18. Consequently, the student’s parents cannot be held responsible for his or her student debt. However, in the event of the student’s death, the legal heirs are responsible for the student debt, up to the value of the estate, provided that they have accepted the estate and that the student’s full-time studies are completed.
If some retirement income was transferred to a parent by his or her spouse
The parent must specify in the declaration of father or declaration of mother section, as the case may be, the amount corresponding to line 199 minus line 123 (Retirement income transferred by your spouse) of his or her Revenu Québec income tax return.
