Child support is money one parent pays to the other for the financial support of their children after separation. In Ontario the amount is set mainly by the Child Support Guidelines, not by bargaining between the parents. Law Wise advises parents who pay and parents who receive child support from its Mississauga office, serving the entire GTA and Ontario.
Who has to pay child support in Ontario
Every parent has an obligation to support their child, to the extent the parent is able to. The obligation does not depend on whether the parents were married or ever lived together. In Ontario, child support is treated as the right of the child, which is why parents cannot simply agree to give it up.
Two sets of rules apply. The Federal Child Support Guidelines apply when married parents divorce. Ontario’s Child Support Guidelines, which are very similar, apply in other cases. Usually the parent the child lives with less of the time pays support to the other parent.
The table amount
The starting point is the table amount: a monthly figure taken from the child support tables, based on the paying parent’s annual income and the number of children. Each province and territory has its own table. The federal tables were last updated on 1 October 2025, so an order or agreement made before that date may no longer match the current table.
Where the paying parent’s income is over $150,000 a year, the court can order the table amount or, if it finds that amount inappropriate, the table amount on the first $150,000 plus an amount it considers appropriate on the rest.
The Department of Justice Canada publishes the tables and a child support table look-up. A look-up gives a starting number only. The questions that change the result are usually about what a parent’s income really is and which extra expenses are shared.
Special or extraordinary expenses (section 7)
On top of the table amount, parents can be required to share certain expenses. The court looks at whether the expense is necessary for the child’s best interests and reasonable given the family’s means and its spending before separation. Section 7 covers:
- child care needed because of a parent’s work, illness, disability or education
- the child’s share of medical and dental insurance premiums
- health-related expenses that exceed insurance reimbursement by at least $100 a year, such as orthodontics, counselling, therapy, prescription drugs and glasses
- extraordinary expenses for primary or secondary school, or for other educational programs that meet the child’s particular needs
- post-secondary education
- extraordinary expenses for extracurricular activities
The guiding principle is that parents share these expenses in proportion to their incomes, after deducting any contribution from the child.
Shared and split parenting time
Shared parenting time. If each parent has the child at least 40 per cent of the time over the course of a year, support is not simply the table amount. The court takes into account the table amounts for both parents, the increased costs of a shared arrangement, and the means, needs and circumstances of each parent and child. Setting one table amount off against the other is a common starting point, not an automatic answer.
Split parenting time. If there are two or more children and each parent has the majority of parenting time with at least one of them, support is the difference between what each parent would otherwise pay the other.
How income is worked out
Income is normally taken from the sources listed under “Total income” on the tax return, with some adjustments. A court can also attribute income to a parent, which is called imputing income, in situations that include where the parent:
- is intentionally under-employed or unemployed, unless that is required by a child’s needs or by the parent’s reasonable educational or health needs
- appears to have diverted income
- is not reasonably using property to generate income
- has not provided income information when legally required to
- unreasonably deducts expenses from income
After an order is made, the paying parent must provide updated income documents on written request, up to once a year, for as long as the child is entitled to support.
Undue hardship
In limited cases a court can order a different amount where the guideline amount would cause undue hardship to a parent or child. Examples in the Guidelines include unusually high debts reasonably incurred to support the family before separation, unusually high costs of exercising parenting time, and a legal duty to support another person.
How long child support lasts
Under Ontario’s Family Law Act, a parent must support an unmarried child who is a minor, who is enrolled in a full-time program of education, or who cannot leave the parents’ care because of illness, disability or another cause. The duty does not extend to a child aged 16 or older who has withdrawn from parental control. Under the Divorce Act, support likewise continues for an adult child who cannot withdraw from the parents’ care because of illness, disability or another cause. In practice, support often continues past 18 while a child is in full-time school.
Agreements, court orders and the online service
Parents can set child support in a separation agreement. A court can disregard a child support term that is unreasonable having regard to the guidelines, and in a divorce the court must put the divorce on hold if reasonable arrangements for the children’s support have not been made. An agreement to pay no support, or much less than the guidelines provide, is therefore at risk.
In straightforward cases, Ontario’s online Child Support Service lets parents who qualify set up or update child support without going to court. Support payable under a court order, or under an agreement filed with the court, is collected by the Family Responsibility Office.
If your income changes, change the order
Child support can be changed when circumstances change. Where support was based on the table, any change that would produce a different amount, such as a change in income, is enough to ask for a new order. Until the order or agreement is changed, the amount written in it continues to be owed. Do not simply start paying less: ask for the change.
This comes from section 17(4) of the Divorce Act and section 14 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines, SOR/97-175, as they read on 10 October 2026.
Child support and income tax
Child support paid under a court order or written agreement made after April 1997 is not deducted from the payer’s income and is not included in the recipient’s income.
How Law Wise helps with child support
- working out the table amount and section 7 expenses for your situation
- reviewing income documents where a parent is self-employed or income is disputed
- negotiating support and recording it in an agreement
- asking the court for a child support order, or responding to a claim
- asking for a change when income or parenting time changes
- dealing with arrears and enforcement
Your file is handled by a Law Wise lawyer licensed by the Law Society of Ontario. Service is available in English, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi, and, if you retain the firm, fees are explained and confirmed in writing before work starts.
Common questions about child support
We agreed that no child support would be paid. Is that binding?
It may not be. A court is not bound by a child support term that is unreasonable having regard to the guidelines, and a divorce can be put on hold until reasonable arrangements for the children are in place. Agreements can still structure support in ways the guidelines allow, for example in a shared parenting arrangement.
Do I pay child support if we share parenting time equally?
Often, yes, unless your incomes are similar. Where each parent has the child at least 40 per cent of the time, the court looks at both table amounts, the increased costs of two homes and each household’s circumstances. The parent with the higher income usually pays something.
The other parent is self-employed and reports a low income. What can be done?
Both parents must provide income information, and a court can impute income where income has been diverted, expenses are unreasonably deducted or a parent is intentionally under-employed. The starting point is a request for complete financial documents.
Does child support end when my child turns 18?
Not always. Support can continue while a child is enrolled in a full-time program of education, or cannot become independent because of illness, disability or another cause.
Can I stop paying support if I am not seeing my child?
No. Child support and parenting time are separate. If parenting time is being refused, the answer is to ask the court to enforce or change the parenting arrangement, not to stop paying support.
Is there a child support calculator for Ontario?
The Department of Justice Canada has an online table look-up that gives the basic monthly amount for a given income and number of children. It does not deal with section 7 expenses, shared parenting time, or disputes about income.
Speak with a family lawyer about child support
Your first consultation is free for 15 minutes, by appointment. Call us or send a message, and bring recent tax returns, notices of assessment and any existing order or agreement.
This page is general legal information for Ontario, current as of 10 October 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. For advice about your situation, please speak with a lawyer.