The Federal Child Support Guidelines dictate how much support is payable. The amount is based on the payor’s gross annual income and the number of children. Based on the parenting arrangement, the payor’s annual gross income, number of children, and province of residence, the Child Support Tables will determine the monthly table amount of child support payable.

In addition to the monthly table amount, spouses will have to share the cost of certain additional expenses, like childcare or post-secondary school tuition. These expenses are referred to as “section 7 expenses” or special expenses. Other expenses which are often added to the table amount of child support are called extraordinary expenses. Parents can agree upon which expenses will be considered extraordinary. When there is a dispute as to whether an expense is “extraordinary”, the courts will make that determination based on factors such as whether these expenses were paid for the child before separation and whether it is reasonable in all of the circumstances that the parents continue to contribute to those expenses in proportion to their respective incomes.