Home›Canada›Child Support Calculator

Canada Child Support Calculator

Estimate child support using the Federal Child Support Guidelines — all provinces and territories, Section 7 special expenses, and shared custody set-off calculations.

All calculations are private — nothing leaves your browser
C$
Federal Table Child Support
C$1,582/month
Annual SupportC$18,980/yr
ProvinceOntario
Number of Children2
Payer Gross IncomeC$85,000/yr
Result copied to clipboard
Advanced Calculator

Income-based table chart across all provinces and territories, plus full Section 7 special expenses breakdown by category.

+ Open Advanced Calculator
Income & Children
C$
C$
Monthly Table Amount by Province/Territory

Income: C$85,000/yr, 2 children

ONC$1,582BCC$1,613ABC$1,550QCC$1,503MBC$1,582SKC$1,534NSC$1,582NBC$1,582NLC$1,566PEC$1,566C$0C$807C$1,613
Federal Table Amount — Ontario
C$1,582/month
Annual TotalC$18,980/yr
Children2
Payer IncomeC$85,000/yr
Federal guidelines apply in most provinces. Quebec has its own child support model. These are approximate guideline amounts — the actual table lookup may vary slightly from the online Federal Child Support Table Tool.
Professional Simulator

Full FCSG analysis with all income sources, undue hardship assessment, section 7 proportional sharing, imputed income, and high-income discretionary awards.

+ Open Professional Simulator
Paying Parent — All Income Sources
C$
C$
C$
C$
C$
Receiving Parent & Children
C$
C$
Full FCSG Child Support
C$1,950/month total
Total Payer IncomeC$95,000/yr
Guideline Table AmountC$1,603/mo
Section 7 Share (69%)C$347/mo
Annual TotalC$23,401/yr
Imputed income: Courts can impute income where a parent is intentionally underemployed, voluntarily unemployed, or has unreported income. Self-employed parents must add back non-business personal expenses.

How Canada's Child Support Guidelines Work

The Federal Child Support Guidelines (SOR/97-175) govern child support for divorces under the Divorce Act. Provinces and territories have their own guidelines for non-divorce separations that mirror the federal tables. The guidelines use a table-based approach: the paying parent's gross annual income and the number of children determine a monthly "table amount".

Quebec has its own child support model (Regulation respecting the determination of child support) that uses both parents' incomes and time-sharing percentages. For Quebec, use this calculator as a federal reference only.

Child Support Formula

Table Amount: Based on paying parent's gross income × province/territory table multiplier × number of children Section 7 Expenses: Shared proportional to each parent's income Payer's share = Payer Income ÷ Combined Income × Annual Expense ÷ 12 Shared Custody (40%+ with each parent): Set-off method: Higher table amount minus lower table amount Courts have discretion to adjust further

Section 7 Special Expenses

In addition to the table amount, courts may order contribution to Section 7 special or extraordinary expenses, which are shared in proportion to each parent's income. Common Section 7 expenses include:

Example Calculation

Example: Ontario, 2 children, C$85,000 income

Paying parent gross annual incomeC$85,000
Number of children2
ProvinceOntario
Federal table monthly amount~C$1,315/mo
Annual childcare expenses (s.7)C$4,800
Combined incomeC$127,000
Payer's income share67%
Payer's s.7 monthly contributionC$268/mo
Total monthly supportC$1,583/mo

The table amount is a floor — courts can add Section 7 expenses on top. Always verify amounts using the official federal table at justice.gc.ca.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, for divorces under the Divorce Act the guidelines are mandatory — courts must order the table amount unless one of the limited exceptions applies. These exceptions include: undue hardship (one parent has unusually high access costs or debts), very high income (over $150,000 where the strict table amount may not be appropriate), or specific shared/split custody arrangements. Parents can agree to a different amount in a separation agreement, but courts will scrutinise agreements that deviate from the guidelines when approving consent orders.
The guidelines use the paying parent's total gross annual income from all sources as shown on line 15000 of their T1 income tax return, subject to certain adjustments under Schedule III of the guidelines. Adjustments include: deducting union dues, employment expenses, Universal Child Care Benefit, and adding back certain deductions like business losses or RRSP contributions that effectively reduced income artificially.
Shared custody applies when each parent has physical custody at least 40% of the time. The most common approach is the "set-off method": calculate each parent's table amount based on their income, then the higher earner pays the difference. Courts can deviate from set-off to reflect actual spending patterns and the conditions and means of each parent. Shared custody does not mean zero child support — the income disparity still drives a payment.
Child support paid under agreements or orders made after April 30, 1997 is neither deductible by the payer nor taxable as income for the recipient. This is different from spousal support, which remains tax-deductible for the payer and taxable for the recipient. Pre-May 1997 child support orders may still follow the old tax rules unless varied after that date.
Many separation agreements and court orders include an automatic annual review clause tied to income disclosure. Either parent can request a review if there has been a material change in circumstances — typically a 10–15% change in the paying parent's income. The federal and provincial tables themselves are periodically updated by the government to reflect updated cost-of-raising-children data.

Related Calculators

Canada Spousal Support Calculator
SSAG without-children and with-children formulas
UK Child Maintenance Calculator
CMS formula with all rate bands and shared care reductions
Australia Child Support Calculator
CSA 8-step formula with care percentage adjustments
US Child Support Calculator
State income shares and percentage of income models