The Federal Child Support Guidelines (CSG) regulate child support across Canada. While judges are not bound to follow the CSGs, the majority of the time they are followed by judges, subject to some exceptions.
There are a number of steps that need to be taken to determine the amount of child support:
- First, you must determine how many “eligible” children there are as a result of the marriage. Eligible children typically mean anyone under the age of 19 that was a “child of the relationship.”
- Second, you determine your gross income prior to taxes
- Third, look up your support amount using the above information and the CSG
Calculating child support can get complicated as there are many exceptions to the general rules. One exception is if the child divides their time between both parents, and spends at least 40% of their time with the parent with the least amount of time. Another exception to the CSG may come up if the income of the person paying child support is over $150,000. There are other exceptions which may also impact the calculation of child support.
If you have questions about child support obligations or if you have specific questions on any family law issues, please contact us to see how we can help.
If you require any help, please contact us – first consultations are free.
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