Nunavut Child Support Laws: Guidelines and Calculations

In Nunavut, child support is calculated using the Federal Child Support Tables, which set the basic monthly amount based on the paying parent's gross annual income and the number of children. Because Nunavut is not a designated territory, the federal Child Support Guidelines apply to divorce proceedings under the Divorce Act; Nunavut's territorial family law mirrors those guidelines for all other parents. Special or extraordinary expenses are shared between parents in proportion to their respective incomes.

Which Guidelines Apply in Nunavut

Nunavut is not a designated territory under the federal child support framework, meaning the Federal Child Support Guidelines (SOR/97-175) are the operative rules for the vast majority of cases. The guidelines that apply to your situation depend on your relationship status:

• Divorce Act (Federal): If you are legally married and proceeding with a divorce, the Federal Child Support Guidelines apply directly under subsection 26.1(1) of the Divorce Act.
• Territorial family law: If you were never married, or if you are married but separating without commencing a divorce, Nunavut's territorial rules govern. Those rules adopt guidelines that are functionally identical to the federal guidelines and use the same federal tables.

In either case, the Federal Child Support Tables for Nunavut determine the basic monthly amount. The results are the same whether you are divorcing or separating without divorce: the tables, income rules, and add-on expense framework are identical.

Quebec is the only jurisdiction in Canada that uses a substantially different child support model based on both parents' incomes. Nunavut does not follow that approach.

How Income Is Calculated

The starting point for child support income is Line 15000 (Total Income) of the paying parent's most recent Canada Revenue Agency T1 General tax return or Notice of Assessment. For tax years 2018 and earlier, the equivalent line was Line 150.

From that gross figure, Schedule III of the Federal Child Support Guidelines requires certain adjustments, including:

• Employment expenses (union dues, work-related costs).
• Deductions for taxable dividends, which are grossed down to their actual amount.
• Self-employment income, where some business expenses added back to produce a truer income figure.
• Rental or investment losses that were deducted but do not reflect a real cash outflow.

Child support table amounts already account for Canadian income taxes, so income is used on a gross (pre-tax) basis; the table does the tax calculation internally.

Imputed Income

A court can attribute more income to a parent than their tax return shows if the stated figure does not reflect their actual earning capacity. Common grounds for imputing income under section 19 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines include:

• Voluntarily leaving a well-paying job or working fewer hours without a legitimate reason.
• Earning income primarily from dividends or capital gains taxed at lower rates.
• Residing in a country with significantly lower tax rates.
• Failing to disclose income fully.
• Trust income or benefits received.

Parents must provide at least three years of tax returns, Notices of Assessment, and supporting documentation such as employment letters or business financial statements.

The Federal Child Support Tables

Once income is established, the 2025 Federal Child Support Tables for Nunavut set the basic monthly amount. The table depends on three variables:

1. The payor's province or territory of residence (Nunavut, in this case).
2. The payor's gross annual income.
3. The number of children requiring support.

The tables were updated on October 1, 2025 to reflect 2023 CRA tax rules, replacing the previous 2017 tables. Under the 2025 update, parents with annual gross income of $16,000 or less have a basic table amount of zero. Income is set out in $1,000 increments; the monthly amount is a base figure plus a percentage of income above the lower band.

The table amount is legally presumed to be correct. It is the starting point courts use, and neither parent can simply agree to pay less than the table amount without court approval. Any agreement below the table amount must be reviewed by a judge who must be satisfied the children's needs are being met.

Justice Canada provides a free Child Support Table Look-up tool where you can enter the payor's income and number of children to find the current monthly amount.

Effect on Existing Orders

The October 1, 2025 update does not automatically change orders made before that date. A parent wishing to update an existing order must either apply to court or use an administrative recalculation service. For retroactive support covering the period November 22, 2017 to September 30, 2025, the 2017 tables apply to that period.

Special or Extraordinary Expenses (Section 7)

The monthly table amount covers basic expenses such as food, clothing, and shelter. On top of that base, section 7 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines provides for special or extraordinary expenses that are shared between the parents in proportion to their respective incomes, not split 50/50 unless their incomes happen to be equal.

Six categories of expenses qualify under section 7:

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, counselling, physiotherapy, speech therapy, prescription medications, hearing aids, and eyeglasses.
4. Extraordinary expenses for primary or secondary schooling, or other educational programmes meeting the child's particular needs.
5. Post-secondary education expenses, including tuition, textbooks, and reasonable living costs.
6. Extraordinary extracurricular activity expenses, such as competitive sport or arts programmes at a level beyond what the requesting parent can reasonably cover.

An expense is "extraordinary" if it exceeds what the requesting parent can reasonably cover given their income and the support they already receive, or if a court considers it extraordinary having regard to the amount, the nature and number of programmes, the child's special needs or talents, overall costs, and other relevant factors.

When calculating each parent's share, courts must account for any subsidies, tax credits, or government benefits available to either parent in respect of the expense. The Canada Child Benefit and provincial or territorial equivalents are excluded from this calculation.

Shared and Split Parenting Arrangements

Shared Parenting (40% or More)

Where each parent exercises not less than 40% of parenting time with a child over the course of a year, child support is not simply the table amount. Under section 9 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines, the court must consider:

• The table amount that each parent would owe the other.
• The increased costs of maintaining two separate households for the child.
• The conditions, means, needs, and other circumstances of each parent and child.

The standard starting point is a set-off: the higher-earning parent pays the difference between the two table amounts. Courts may award more than the set-off to account for the genuine extra costs of running two homes. The set-off is a floor, not a ceiling.

Split Custody

Where one or more children live primarily with each parent (for example, one child with the mother and another with the father), section 8 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines applies the set-off method. The court calculates what each parent would owe as if the other were seeking support, then orders the net difference. This ensures neither household carries a disproportionate financial burden.

How Long Child Support Lasts

Child support does not automatically end at a fixed age. The entitlement framework under the Divorce Act defines a "child of the marriage" as a child who:

• Is under the age of majority and has not withdrawn from the parents' charge, or
• Is at or over the age of majority but is unable, by reason of illness, disability, or other cause, to withdraw from the parents' charge or to obtain the necessaries of life.

In Nunavut, the age of majority is 19. This means the basic entitlement to support runs to age 19 for a child who has not become financially independent.

However, support frequently continues past 19 under the "other cause" branch. Courts across Canada have consistently held that a child enrolled in reasonable full-time post-secondary education qualifies under "other cause," extending support for the duration of their studies. The child's contribution to their own education costs (part-time work, student loans, scholarships) may affect the calculation but does not extinguish entitlement.

Support may also continue for an adult child who cannot support themselves due to a physical or mental disability, or due to a prolonged illness.

Modifying an Existing Order

Child support is not permanent and unchanging. Both parents have an ongoing obligation to disclose their income annually, and the amount should be updated whenever a material change in circumstances occurs: most commonly, a significant change in the payor's income.

Without Going to Court

All thirteen provinces and territories, including Nunavut, offer administrative recalculation services that update existing orders based on current income information without requiring a court application. Parties interested in recalculating an order in Nunavut should contact the Family Support Program (see below) for information on available services.

Through the Court

Where parents cannot agree, either parent may file an application to vary a child support order. The applicant must demonstrate a material change in circumstances since the order was made. A significant difference between the current order amount and the amount that would be payable under current tables may itself constitute a material change.

The 2025 update to the federal tables may provide grounds to vary orders made under the 2017 tables if the new amount differs meaningfully from the existing order.

Family Support Program (Enforcement)

Nunavut's maintenance enforcement body is the Family Support Program (FSP). The FSP is operated through the Nunavut Court of Justice and handles the collection and disbursement of child support payments once an order or registered agreement is enrolled.

Contact information:

• Phone: 1-867-975-6112
• Fax: 867-975-6168
• Mailing address: P.O. Box 297, Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 0H0
• Website: fspnunavut.com

Either the creditor (recipient) or the debtor (payor) may register with the FSP. To enrol, parties need a court order or support agreement and a completed registration package detailing the support owed.

Once a support order is registered with the FSP, enforcement tools available include wage garnishment, bank account seizure, and driver's licence suspension at the territorial level. At the federal level, the Family Orders and Agreements Enforcement Assistance Act (FOAEA) provides additional tools when a payor falls more than three months or $3,000 behind:

• Tracing: Federal databases provide the defaulting payor's current residential address and employer.
• Federal payment interception: Income tax refunds, Employment Insurance benefits, Old Age Security payments, and other federal payments can be intercepted under the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act.
• Federal licence denial: Passports and federally issued licences can be denied or suspended.

These federal tools supplement the territorial FSP and are available in all Canadian provinces and territories, including Nunavut, through the Department of Justice Canada's enforcement assistance programme.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Nunavut Laws

• Canada Child Support Laws Hub