The payments or Education Assitance Payments (EAPs) from your CST RESP will come in two parts:  

• Principal Refund: These are your contributions (minus sales charges and fees). Whether you have a CST™ Advantage Plan, Individual Savings Plan or a Family Savings Plan, you can withdraw all or part of your principal when your beneficiary is ready to go to post-secondary school. 
• Education Assistance Payments (EAPs): These payments consist of your beneficiary’s share of the net income earned on the contributions by all beneficiaries in the same eligible year; government grants and income earned on grants; any income earned in the EAP account (may include CST Loyalty Bonus and group plan bonus). 

Your beneficiary can receive EAPs when they officially enrol in their post-secondary program. Group Plans EAPs are paid out in four installments (once for each school year) Founders' Plan EAPs are paid out in three installments (in the second, third and fourth year) Timing and amounts of EAP payouts in Individual Savings Plan and Family Savings Plans are determined by you.

An EAP cannot exceed $5,000 for a beneficiary who hasn't completed at least 13 consecutive weeks of education in the previous 12 months. Part-time beneficiaries may access up to $2,500 of their income and government grants for each 13-week period of study.