How is child support calculated in Ontario?

If you and your child’s other parent are both living in Ontario, calculating child support is quite straightforward. In routine cases, the amount of child support you will be required to pay is set out in the Child Support Table, which is a regulation furnished by the provincial government.  The Table is based on the policy and legal principles set out in the Ontario Child Support Guidelines.

The Table has various support amounts based on your gross annual income (typically line 150 on your federal Income Tax Return), and the number of children you and the other parent have together. The total amount of child support you pay is composed of a basic monthly amount (which is often referred to as the “Table amount”) together with an additional amount that covers other expenses (which are referred to as “special or extraordinary expenses”, and which are subject to certainly rules around what is eligible).

The Table amount is the appropriate child support figure in most cases. However, if you and the other parent have an atypical situation, where the law considers that other factors may be relevant, then these will be taken into account by a court that makes the order requiring you to pay.

For access to the Child Support Table for Ontario, visit the federal Department of Justice website and look for “Child Support”.  There is a child support “Look-up Tool” that will help you do the calculations.