Ontario Child Support Laws: How Much & How It Works (2026)

In Ontario, child support is calculated using the Federal Child Support Guidelines table amount (based on the payor's gross income and number of children) plus a proportionate share of section 7 special or extraordinary expenses. The Family Responsibility Office (FRO) automatically enforces every court order and registered support agreement.

How child support is determined in Ontario

Ontario is not a designated province under the Federal Child Support Guidelines. That means the Federal Child Support Guidelines (SOR/97-175), made under subsection 26.1(1) of the Divorce Act (RSC 1985, c. 3 (2nd Supp.)), apply directly to all divorce and corollary-relief proceedings in Ontario.

For parents who were never married, or for married parents who separate without commencing a divorce, Ontario's provincial guidelines under Ontario Regulation 391/97 of the Children's Law Reform Act apply. The practical effect is the same: O. Reg. 391/97 mirrors the Federal Child Support Guidelines without substantive changes and uses the identical federal tables. Whether a case proceeds under the Divorce Act or the Children's Law Reform Act, the calculation method and the resulting dollar amounts are the same.

Because Ontario is not a designated province, the federal tables are the correct tables regardless of whether the proceeding is framed as a divorce or a separation. This distinguishes Ontario from Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Quebec, which are designated provinces with their own models.

Child support in Ontario is most often determined by agreement between the parents (in a separation agreement or consent order) or by a court order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice or the Ontario Court of Justice. Either way, the guidelines apply unless both parents consent to a different amount and the court is satisfied that reasonable arrangements have been made for the child.

The Ontario table and how the basic amount is set

The Federal Child Support Tables for Ontario (Schedule I to SOR/97-175, updated October 1, 2025) set out a monthly dollar amount for each combination of payor income and number of children. The October 2025 update replaced the 2017 tables and reflects the 2023 Canada Revenue Agency tax rules; parents with annual income at or below $16,000 now have a table amount of zero.

Three inputs determine the basic amount:

1. The payor's province of residence. Because provincial income tax rules differ, each province has its own table. The Ontario table is used when the payor lives in Ontario at the time of the order.
2. The payor's annual gross income. Income is taken from line 15000 of the payor's most recent CRA T1 General return or Notice of Assessment, then adjusted in accordance with Schedule III of SOR/97-175. The table amounts already account for Canadian taxes, so income is used on a pre-tax (gross) basis.
3. The number of children for whom support is being sought.

The table lists amounts in $1,000 income increments. Each entry equals a base amount plus a percentage of income above the lower band. For example, at a $60,000 gross income for one child in Ontario, the 2025 table produces a monthly amount in the low-to-mid $500 range; at $80,000 for two children the monthly amount is roughly double that. The precise figures are available through the Justice Canada 2025 Child Support Table Look-up tool at justice.gc.ca.

The recipient parent's income is not used to set the basic table amount. It only becomes relevant when calculating section 7 add-on expenses, undue hardship claims, or shared-parenting adjustments.

What counts as income

Income for child support purposes is not simply the number on a pay stub. It starts with line 15000 of the payor's most recent T1 General or Notice of Assessment, then undergoes the adjustments listed in Schedule III of SOR/97-175. Those adjustments include adding back employment-insurance benefits, social-assistance payments, workers' compensation, dividends (grossed up to actual cash received), and certain deductions the CRA allows that do not reflect true living costs.

Both parents must provide three years of T1 returns, notices of assessment, and supporting documents. Self-employed parents and business owners must also produce financial statements. Where one parent has a corporate structure that gives them discretion over their salary or dividends, courts look at the overall economic benefit flowing to that parent.

A court may also impute income (that is, attribute a higher income than the parent actually reports) under section 19 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines. Grounds for imputation include intentional under-employment or unemployment without a valid reason such as child care, illness, or retraining; receipt of income primarily as dividends or capital gains taxed at lower rates; income from a trust; and residence in a jurisdiction with lower tax rates. The test is whether the parent's stated income accurately reflects their capacity to earn.

Where a parent's income fluctuates significantly from year to year (for example, because of commission income, bonuses, or seasonal employment), a court may average income over up to three years to arrive at a representative annual figure.

Section 7 special or extraordinary expenses

The basic table amount covers ordinary, day-to-day costs of raising a child. Section 7 of SOR/97-175 provides for additional amounts on top of the table to cover six categories of special or extraordinary expenses:

1. Child care expenses incurred because the recipient parent is employed, ill, disabled, or attending an education or training programme.
2. Medical and dental insurance premiums attributable to the child.
3. Uninsured health-related expenses exceeding $100 in a year, including orthodontics, physiotherapy, speech therapy, counselling, prescription medication, hearing aids, and eyeglasses.
4. Extraordinary primary or secondary schooling expenses or expenses for other educational programmes that meet the child's particular needs.
5. Post-secondary education expenses, including tuition, residence, textbooks, and other reasonable costs.
6. Extraordinary extracurricular activity expenses: those that exceed what the requesting parent can reasonably cover given their income and the support they receive, or that the court considers extraordinary having regard to the amount involved, the nature of the activity, the child's special needs or talents, and other relevant factors.

The guiding principle is proportionality: section 7 expenses are shared between the parents in proportion to their respective incomes, after any contribution from the child is deducted and after accounting for available tax deductions, credits, subsidies, or insurance reimbursements. The Canada Child Benefit and provincial equivalents are excluded from this calculation.

In Ontario, child care expenses are among the most common section 7 claims. A working parent paying $1,500 per month for licensed daycare would share that cost with the other parent according to each parent's share of their combined income. If the payor earns $70,000 and the recipient earns $30,000, the payor covers 70% and the recipient 30% of the net child care cost after any available tax credit.

Shared and split parenting

Shared parenting (the 40% rule). Under section 9 of SOR/97-175, when each parent has the child for not less than 40% of parenting time over the course of a year (roughly 146 days), the basic table formula no longer applies mechanically. Instead, the court must consider three factors: the table amount for each parent based on their respective incomes; the increased costs associated with maintaining two separate households for the child; and the overall conditions, means, needs, and circumstances of each parent and the child.

In practice, courts start with the set-off (the difference between what each parent would owe as if they were the sole payor) and then adjust upward because shared parenting genuinely costs more than sole-custody arrangements. The set-off is not a ceiling; the court may award significantly more than the set-off to reflect the real costs of two households.

Split custody. Section 8 applies where different children live primarily with different parents, for example one child lives mainly with the mother and another mainly with the father. In that situation, each parent's table amount (for the children who live primarily with the other parent) is calculated, and the court orders the difference: the parent with the higher notional obligation pays the net amount to the other parent.

Varying arrangements. Where parenting time is less than 40% but more than zero, the standard table amount applies to the payor. Some Ontario courts grant small variations for unusually high access costs, but the statutory mechanism for this is the undue hardship application under section 10 of SOR/97-175, not a percentage reduction.

How long child support lasts

Ontario's age of majority is 18. A child support obligation under the Divorce Act or the Children's Law Reform Act presumptively ends when the child turns 18, provided the child is financially independent.

Support continues, or may be ordered after age 18, in two circumstances defined in the Divorce Act and the Children's Law Reform Act:

Post-secondary education. Courts across Ontario have consistently held that a child pursuing full-time, reasonable post-secondary education (college, university, or equivalent) constitutes an "other cause" under section 2(1)(b) of the Divorce Act that prevents the child from withdrawing from their parents' charge. Support in these cases typically continues for the duration of the programme, though courts consider the child's contribution through part-time work, scholarships, and student loans. The amount may be recalculated to reflect reduced day-to-day childcare expenses offset by tuition, residence, and other education costs.

Illness or disability. Where a child is unable to become self-supporting due to illness or disability, support may continue indefinitely past age 18. Courts look at the child's actual circumstances: the nature of the condition, treatment prospects, and realistic capacity for employment or independent living.

A support obligation does not end automatically when a child turns 18. If either parent believes the circumstances justify ending or changing support, they must apply to court or reach a new agreement. Until then, the existing order remains in force.

Applying for and enforcing support through the FRO

Starting a claim. Parents in Ontario can apply for child support through the Ontario Court of Justice or the Superior Court of Justice. Where parents agree on the amount, they can file a consent order or a separation agreement. Where they disagree, either parent can bring a motion or application and the court will determine the appropriate amount under the guidelines.

Online Child Support Service. Ontario operates an administrative child support recalculation service, listed by Justice Canada as the Online Child Support Service. This service recalculates existing support amounts based on updated income information without requiring the parties to return to court. Both parents must consent to use the service. If income changes and a party does not consent to administrative recalculation, a court application is required.

Family Responsibility Office. Every Ontario child support order, and every support provision in a separation agreement filed with a court, is automatically registered with the Family Responsibility Office (FRO). Registration is not optional for court orders. The FRO collects payments from the payor, distributes them to the recipient, and monitors compliance.

When a payor falls behind, the FRO has extensive enforcement powers under the Family Responsibility and Support Arrears Enforcement Act, 1996 (FRSAEA):

• Wage garnishment: the FRO can issue a notice to the payor's employer requiring them to remit support directly from wages.
• Bank account garnishment: the FRO can garnish funds held at financial institutions.
• Driver's licence suspension: the Ministry of Transportation can suspend a defaulting payor's Ontario driver's licence.
• Passport and travel document restrictions: through the federal Family Orders and Agreements Enforcement Assistance Act (FOAEA), a payor more than three months or $3,000 in arrears can be denied a Canadian passport.
• Federal payment interception: the federal Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act (GAPDA), activated through FOAEA, allows interception of federal payments including income tax refunds, Employment Insurance benefits, and Old Age Security.
• Credit bureau reporting: the FRO can report arrears to credit agencies.
• Contempt proceedings: wilful non-compliance can result in contempt of court, carrying fines or imprisonment.

Payors and recipients can reach the FRO by telephone at 1-800-267-7263 (automated) or 1-800-267-4330 (live agent), or write to P.O. Box 200, Station A, Oshawa, ON L1H 0C5. Payments are directed to a separate address: P.O. Box 2204, Station P, Toronto, ON M5S 3E9.

Cross-border enforcement. Ontario's FRO has reciprocal enforcement arrangements with every other Canadian province and territory, and with numerous international jurisdictions. A support order made in Ontario can be registered and enforced in another province, and vice versa.

Recent changes

October 2025: new federal tables. The federal child support tables were updated effective October 1, 2025, replacing the 2017 tables. The 2025 tables reflect the 2023 CRA tax rules and set the income threshold at $16,000 (previously lower), below which no table amount is payable. Existing Ontario orders made before October 1, 2025 are NOT automatically changed. A party must apply to court or use the administrative recalculation service to update an existing order.

Retroactive support. For any period between November 22, 2017 and September 30, 2025, the 2017 tables apply. For any period from October 1, 2025 onward, the 2025 tables apply.

FOAEA amendments (in force November 15, 2023). Key amendments to the federal Family Orders and Agreements Enforcement Assistance Act came into force on November 15, 2023, expanding the categories of federal payments subject to interception and updating the licence-denial provisions. These changes benefit Ontario recipients by giving the FRO broader federal tools against payors with federal income sources such as Employment Insurance or income tax refunds.

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For comparison with US child support approaches, see the United States child support laws hub. For an overview of all Canadian provincial and territorial child support frameworks, return to the Canada child support laws hub.

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