About child support
What is child support?
The law says that parents are responsible for financially supporting their dependent children. Dependent usually means until the child turns 18 and sometimes longer.
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A parent can be a birth parent, a non-birth parent, an adoptive parent, and sometimes a step-parent.
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Who pays?
The law says that parents are responsible for financially supporting their dependent children. A parent can be a birth parent, a non-birth parent, an adoptive parent, and sometimes a step-parent.
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How much must be paid?
Basic monthly amounts of child support are set out in the Child Support Guidelines and the Government of Canada's child support tables. It is based on the gross annual income of the payor parent and the number of children they have to support.
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What are special expenses?
Special or extraordinary expenses are childcare expenses that are not included in the basic monthly amounts of child support. These expenses are sometimes called section 7 expenses.
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Child support is money paid by the parent that spends the least amount of time with the child to the parent who takes care of the child most of the time. It is used to help cover the costs of caring for the child.