Federal Child
Support Guidelines
From
http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/fcy-fea/sup-pen/index.html:
The Federal
Child Support Guidelines (Federal Guidelines) are
regulations made under the Divorce Act. They set
out some rules and tables to show how much child support
parents should pay when they divorce. The child support
amounts in the tables reflect what parents living in the
same province, with the same incomes and the same number of
children would spend on their children.
The goal of
the Federal Guidelines is to set a fair standard of support
for children. The Federal Guidelines have been shown to
reduce conflict and tension between parents because they
make child support calculations fair, objective and
predictable. They also help parents come to an agreement
about support by themselves so they do not have to go to
court. Going to court can be an expensive, time consuming
and stressful experience but it may be necessary in some
cases.
If you
negotiate a child support agreement out-of-court, you are not
bound by the Guidelines. However, a court may (will likely not)
enforce an agreement where you agreed to accept/pay child
support that less than the applicable Federal Guidelines Table
amount.
Also note: the
Guidelines Table amount is the 'base' monthly child support
amount. The Guidelines call for proportionate sharing of
'special and extraordinary expenses' based on the parties'
respective incomes. See Section 7 of the Federal Child Support
Guidelines.
