British Columbia Child Support Laws 2025

British Columbia Child Support Laws 2025

Child support in British Columbia is calculated under the Federal Child Support Guidelines (SOR/97-175), the same rules used by every province except Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Quebec. A British Columbia court or child support officer uses the BC table inside those federal guidelines to set the monthly basic amount, then adds any special or extraordinary expenses on top. Once an order is in place, the BC Family Maintenance Agency (BCFMA) enforces it so that children receive the support they are owed.

This guide explains how amounts are set, what expenses can be added, how shared parenting affects the calculation, when support ends in BC, and how to get help updating or enforcing an order.

Which Guidelines Apply in British Columbia

British Columbia is not a designated province under the Divorce Act. That means the Federal Child Support Guidelines (SOR/97-175) govern every child support proceeding in the province:

• Divorce proceedings: the federal guidelines apply directly under subsection 26.1(1) of the Divorce Act (RSC 1985, c. 3 (2nd Supp.)).
• Non-divorce proceedings (couples who were never married, or who separate without filing for divorce): BC's own provincial guidelines under the Family Law Act (SBC 2011, c. 25) apply, but those provincial rules incorporate the federal guidelines and use the identical BC federal table. The practical result is the same calculation.

If the parents live in different provinces, the payor's province of residence determines which table to use. A British Columbia payor whose child lives in another province still uses the BC table.

The three designated provinces (Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Quebec) have their own guidelines that can produce different amounts. British Columbia is not in that group, so families in BC always use the federal framework.

How the BC Table Works

Reading the Table

The Federal Child Support Tables list a monthly basic amount for each province based on two variables: the payor's annual gross income and the number of children. A separate table exists for each of the 13 provinces and territories because provincial tax rules differ; BC residents use the British Columbia table within Schedule I of SOR/97-175.

The table was updated on 1 October 2025 to reflect 2023 CRA tax rules. Key features of the current table:

• Income is set out in $1,000 increments, with a base amount plus a percentage of income above each band.
• Payors with annual income at or below $16,000 have a basic table amount of zero.
• The amount increases progressively with income and with the number of children.

Justice Canada's free 2025 Child Support Table Look-up tool at justice.gc.ca lets you enter the payor's income, province, and number of children to get the correct monthly figure in seconds.

Determining Annual Income

Income for child support purposes starts with Total income at line 15000 of the payor's most recent CRA T1 General return or Notice of Assessment (line 150 for tax years 2018 and earlier). That gross figure is then adjusted according to Schedule III of SOR/97-175.

Schedule III adjustments include items such as employment expenses, union dues, business investment losses, and certain social-assistance amounts. The table amounts are designed to be applied against gross (pre-tax) income because the monthly figures already account for the tax the payor pays.

Both parents must provide three years of tax returns and Notices of Assessment, plus any additional documentation relevant to their situation (business financials, T4s, employment letters, or trust agreements).

Income Imputation

A BC court or arbitrator may attribute more income to a parent than they actually report if their stated income does not accurately reflect their capacity to earn. Common grounds for imputation under section 19 of SOR/97-175 include:

• Intentional under-employment or unemployment not explained by child care, health, or education needs.
• Receipt of income primarily from dividends or capital gains taxed at lower rates than employment income.
• Residence in a country with significantly lower tax rates.
• Trust income available to the parent.
• Failure to comply with financial disclosure requirements.

Where a parent's annual earnings fluctuate significantly (seasonal workers, commissioned salespeople, or self-employed individuals with variable revenues), the court may average income over up to three years or adjust the figure to reflect the parent's actual earning pattern.

Section 7 Special and Extraordinary Expenses

The basic table amount covers a child's ordinary day-to-day needs. Section 7 of SOR/97-175 allows for add-on expenses shared proportionally between the parents. The six categories are:

1. Child care expenses arising from the requesting parent's employment, illness, disability, or education and training programme.
2. Medical and dental insurance premiums attributable to the child.
3. Uninsured health-related expenses exceeding $100 per year, including orthodontics, physiotherapy, speech therapy, counselling, prescription medications, hearing aids, and eyeglasses.
4. Extraordinary primary or secondary school expenses, including private school tuition where the child's needs justify it.
5. Post-secondary education expenses, including tuition, books, and reasonable living costs.
6. Extraordinary extracurricular activity expenses that are reasonable given the child's abilities and the family's budget.

An expense qualifies as "extraordinary" under section 7(1.1) if it exceeds what the requesting parent can reasonably cover given their income and the child support they already receive, or if the court considers it extraordinary after examining the amount of the expense, the nature and number of programmes, the child's special needs or talents, total programme costs, and any other relevant factor.

How Section 7 Expenses Are Shared

Section 7(2) and (3) of SOR/97-175 establish the proportional-sharing rule. Each parent pays a share equal to their proportion of combined parental income after deducting any contribution made by the child from the expense. For example, if the payor earns $80,000 and the recipient earns $40,000, their combined income is $120,000. The payor contributes 67 per cent and the recipient 33 per cent of each qualifying expense.

Courts must account for subsidies, tax credits, and other benefits available to either parent in respect of the expense. However, the Canada Child Benefit and its provincial equivalents are expressly excluded from the income calculation under section 7(3).

Shared and Split Parenting Arrangements

Shared Parenting Time (Section 9)

When each parent exercises not less than 40 per cent of parenting time with a child over the course of a year, the standard table-only approach gives way to a three-part analysis under section 9 of SOR/97-175. The court must consider:

(a) the table amounts for each parent as though each were paying the other; (b) the increased costs of maintaining two separate households for the child; and (c) the conditions, means, needs, and other circumstances of each parent and each child.

The set-off of the two table amounts (the higher earner's table figure minus the lower earner's table figure) is the standard starting point. However, the set-off is not an automatic ceiling. BC courts routinely award an amount higher than the set-off to reflect the genuine additional costs of shared parenting, such as duplicated bedrooms, clothing, and equipment.

Parenting time is calculated across the entire year, not week-by-week or term-by-term. A parent who has the children every other weekend does not meet the 40 per cent threshold; a parent with roughly equal week-on / week-off time does.

Split Custody (Section 8)

Split custody applies when different children reside primarily with each parent: for example, one child lives mainly with the mother and a second child lives mainly with the father. Section 8 uses the statutory set-off method: each parent calculates the table amount they would owe if seeking support for all the children in the other parent's primary care, and the net order runs in favour of the parent who would owe the larger amount.

Split custody is distinct from shared custody. Under split custody, each child has one primary residence; under shared custody, the same child spends substantial time with both parents.

Undue Hardship

Either parent may apply for a different amount under section 10 of SOR/97-175 on grounds of undue hardship. Circumstances that may constitute undue hardship include:

• Unusually high debts reasonably incurred to support the family before or during the separation.
• Unusually high costs of exercising parenting time (travel costs for parents living far apart).
• A legal obligation to support another person (such as a child or parent).
• A legal obligation to pay child support for a child from another relationship.
• A child in shared custody who has special needs requiring exceptional costs.

Even if a parent establishes undue hardship, no variation is granted if that parent's household standard of living would be higher than the other household's. The court compares household standards of living using the Comparison of Household Standards of Living Test in Schedule II of SOR/97-175.

Age of Majority and Support Past Age 19

British Columbia's age of majority is 19. Under section 1 of BC's Age of Majority Act (RSBC 1996, c. 7), a person reaches the age of majority on their 19th birthday.

Under the Divorce Act, a child of the marriage is entitled to support if they are:

(a) under the age of majority and have not withdrawn from their parents' charge; or (b) at or over the age of majority but unable, by reason of illness, disability, or other cause, to withdraw from their parents' charge or to obtain the necessaries of life.

BC courts, like courts across Canada, have consistently held that full-time, reasonable post-secondary education constitutes an "other cause" under paragraph (b). This means a 20-year-old studying full-time at a university or college in British Columbia may remain entitled to child support, even though they have passed the province's age of majority.

When support continues past 19 for a post-secondary student, courts look at the student's own income and contribution, the costs of their programme, and whether the arrangement is reasonable given both parents' financial circumstances. A child who has withdrawn from their parents' charge by taking full-time employment or establishing an independent household will generally not qualify under paragraph (b).

For BC provincial proceedings (Family Law Act rather than Divorce Act), the analysis is substantively the same: section 147 of the Family Law Act applies the same "child of the marriage" framework for support obligations.

Modifying an Existing Order

Court Application

Either parent may apply to a BC court for a variation of an existing child support order if there has been a material change in circumstances since the order was made. Common triggering events include a significant change in the payor's income, a change in the parenting arrangement, the child starting post-secondary education, or the 2025 update to the federal tables (which can constitute a change in circumstances for orders made under the 2017 tables).

BC Child Support Recalculation Service

British Columbia offers an administrative recalculation service at childsupportrecalc.gov.bc.ca that allows existing support orders to be updated annually based on new income information, without either party returning to court. Eligibility requirements apply; both parents must submit current income documentation. The service issues a recalculation certificate that has the same effect as a court order without the cost or delay of litigation.

The 2025 update to the federal tables does not automatically change existing orders made under the previous 2017 tables. A party must either apply to court or use the recalculation service to have a new amount set. For support ordered retroactively for periods between 22 November 2017 and 30 September 2025, the 2017 tables continue to apply.

Enforcement: BC Family Maintenance Agency

The BC Family Maintenance Agency (BCFMA), which took over from the former Family Maintenance Enforcement Program (FMEP), is British Columbia's provincial maintenance enforcement body. Any person holding a valid child support order or registered support agreement in BC can enrol with BCFMA to have the agency collect and disburse payments on their behalf.

BCFMA's enforcement toolkit includes:

• Wage garnishment: the agency can attach a portion of the payor's employment income directly from their employer.
• Bank account attachments: funds held at a financial institution can be attached and redirected to the recipient.
• Asset liens: the agency can register a lien against real property and personal property.
• Driver's licence restrictions: BC can cancel or restrict a payor's driver's licence for persistent default.
• Notice of Attachment (NOA): third-party payments owed to the payor (including pension, rental income, or contract payments) can be redirected to satisfy arrears.
• Court action: BCFMA can commence contempt proceedings and other court proceedings on behalf of the recipient.

BCFMA works with the federal Family Orders and Agreements Enforcement Assistance Act (FOAEA, RSC 1985, c. 4 (2nd Supp.)) enforcement mechanisms for payors who have fallen significantly behind:

• Federal payment interception under the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act (GAPDA): income tax refunds, Employment Insurance benefits, Old Age Security, and other federal payments can be redirected.
• Passport and federal licence denial: where a payor is more than three months or $3,000 in arrears, Justice Canada can direct the Canada Revenue Agency and Passport Canada to deny or cancel federal licences and passports.
• Federal tracing service: FOAEA gives provincial agencies access to federal databases to locate a payor's current address and employer.

BCFMA also maintains reciprocal enforcement arrangements with other Canadian provinces and territories, as well as with numerous international partners, so that orders can be enforced when the payor lives outside BC.

Key Steps for BC Families

If you need a first order: Contact a Family Justice Centre or Justice Access Centre in BC (locations in Kelowna, Nanaimo, Surrey, Vancouver, and Victoria) where a family justice counsellor can help you calculate the table amount, complete the necessary forms, and file without a lawyer. Child support officers can also set amounts by written agreement filed with the court.

If you have an existing order and incomes have changed: Use the BC Child Support Recalculation Service (childsupportrecalc.gov.bc.ca) to update the order without going back to court. Both parents must provide updated income documentation.

If payments are not being made: Enrol the order with BCFMA at bcfma.ca. The agency takes over collection so you do not have to pursue the payor personally.

For more information on the national framework: See our Canada child support laws overview for a comparison of how all provinces handle child support, including Quebec's distinct model.

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