Child Support and Special or Extraordinary Expenses

The court views child support the right of the child and generally will want to ensure that children receive support when they are owed it.

Generally speaking, the quantum of child support is based on the number of children and the payor’s income. If a child resides primarily in one parent’s home for at least 60 per cent of the time, the other parent must pay Table Child Support. The “Table” amount will reflect average costs for children’s expenses in Ontario. In certain circumstances, the court has the discretion to award an amount that is different from the Table amount if it finds that a parent or a child would otherwise suffer undue hardship.

In a child support order, the court may provide for an amount to cover all or any portion of expenses, taking into account the necessity of the expense in relation to the child’s best interests and the reasonableness of the expense in relation to the means of the spouses and those of the child and to the family’s spending pattern prior to the separation. The court may apportion the expenses between the parents on a pro rata basis based on the parties' respective income after taking into account other financial contributions.