How Much Child Support Can I Get?

The answer to this question is complex. The amount of child support you may be granted depends on several factors, including income and the number of children requiring support. Here’s a general breakdown of what will be considered when determining how much child support you may receive.

How Much Money is Available

Your ex’s income is an important factor in determining child support. As the Child Support Guidelines explain, “There is a threshold level of income below which no amount of child support is payable.” The Guidelines present a child support calculation of $0.00 when the potentially supporting parent’s income is between $0.00 and $10,819.00. Conversely, child support payments from a supporting parent earning over $150,000.00 per year for those earnings exceeding $150,000.00 may be calculated based on what the court considers appropriate “having regard to the condition, means, needs and other circumstances of the children who are entitled to support and the financial ability of each parent or spouse to contribute to the support of the children” as well as “special or extraordinary expenses” (section 7).

How Many Children You Have

The number of children you have will also affect your child support. For example, the basic amount listed on the Child Support Table For Ontario for one child for earnings between $30,000.00 and $30,999.00 is $245.00 per month plus 1.18% of income over $30,000.00, while the basic amount for two children is $438.00 plus 1.44% of income over $30,000.00. That’s a significant difference—at least $193.00 a month.

Additional Factors to Keep in Mind

In addition to the basic factors of income and the number of children involved, there are several other factors to consider. According to the Child Support Guidelines, if medical or dental insurance is available to either parent through an employer (or otherwise) at a reasonable rate, the court may order that it be “acquired or continued.” Furthermore, certain “special or extraordinary expenses” may fall outside the standard calculations for child support and require additional payments. These include (but are not limited to) “health-related expenses that exceed insurance reimbursement by at least $100 annually [ . . .] expenses for post-secondary education; and [ . . . ] extraordinary expenses for extracurricular activities.”

These are far from the only potentially relevant factors. As you can see, determining the amount of child support you could receive is a complex process.

Get What You Need

If you need assistance securing child support from your former spouse, we are here to help.

Galbraith Family Law is a certified Collaborative Practice, and has been named the top firm in Barrie multiple times. Our legal insights have also been featured in the Globe and Mail, as well as Lawyers Weekly.

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