A simple, straightforward-sounding question, right?
...and yet, so many people misunderstand the concept, who is entitled to receive child support and why. Here is some basic information:
1. Child support is the right of the child (or children, depending on your case). This means that parents have limited rights to make "deals" about child support;
2. Generally speaking, child support is paid to the parent who has care of a child on a day-to-day basis, either primarily or by sharing that responsibility with the other parent; *
3. Child support is meant to fund a child's expenses - both day-to-day expenses but also special expenses like sports and other extra-curricular activities;
4. When the child in question is a minor, child support is paid to the parent who incurs expenses for the child (and not to the child directly - we get a lot of questions about this point);
5. In Canada, there are two elements to child support:
a. the table amount - the recurring monthly amount which is calculated based on the non-primary-residential parent's income; and
b. an additional payment (paid either monthly or at some other frequency) which is the non-primary-residential parent's contribution to special or extraordinary expenses like extracurricular activities and schooling/daycare;
6. Child Support does not necessarily end when a child turns 18. It continues for a reasonable period of time while the child (young person) remains financially dependant on his or her parents, either for medical reasons or because of ongoing school attendance.
These are the bare basics - there is a lot more to child support and you should get advice on the specific circumstances of your case.
*special considerations apply when two parents have one child each living with them and also when a child spends at least 40% of the time with the non-residential parent.
UPDATE - January, 2018
We are pleased to let you know that our Etsy shop is now OPEN!
Visit it here: SELFREP SUPPORT
In the shop, we make available to you Manuals (E-books) on various topics, to assist you in representing yourself before Ontario's family law Courts.
So far, we have Manuals on preparing an effective:
...and yet, so many people misunderstand the concept, who is entitled to receive child support and why. Here is some basic information:
1. Child support is the right of the child (or children, depending on your case). This means that parents have limited rights to make "deals" about child support;
2. Generally speaking, child support is paid to the parent who has care of a child on a day-to-day basis, either primarily or by sharing that responsibility with the other parent; *
3. Child support is meant to fund a child's expenses - both day-to-day expenses but also special expenses like sports and other extra-curricular activities;
4. When the child in question is a minor, child support is paid to the parent who incurs expenses for the child (and not to the child directly - we get a lot of questions about this point);
5. In Canada, there are two elements to child support:
a. the table amount - the recurring monthly amount which is calculated based on the non-primary-residential parent's income; and
b. an additional payment (paid either monthly or at some other frequency) which is the non-primary-residential parent's contribution to special or extraordinary expenses like extracurricular activities and schooling/daycare;
6. Child Support does not necessarily end when a child turns 18. It continues for a reasonable period of time while the child (young person) remains financially dependant on his or her parents, either for medical reasons or because of ongoing school attendance.
These are the bare basics - there is a lot more to child support and you should get advice on the specific circumstances of your case.
*special considerations apply when two parents have one child each living with them and also when a child spends at least 40% of the time with the non-residential parent.
UPDATE - January, 2018
We are pleased to let you know that our Etsy shop is now OPEN!
Visit it here: SELFREP SUPPORT
In the shop, we make available to you Manuals (E-books) on various topics, to assist you in representing yourself before Ontario's family law Courts.
So far, we have Manuals on preparing an effective:
- Financial Statement (both long-form and short-form); and
- Affidavit.
MORE MANUALS TO COME!
