Search Federal Guidelines calculations, shared parenting adjustments, extraordinary expenses, enforcement remedies, variation orders, and more — backed by real case law.
Child support ensures children maintain an appropriate standard of living after separation — Casey searches millions of court decisions to return verified rulings on guideline calculations, income determination, special expenses, and enforcement mechanisms.
Child support ensures children maintain an appropriate standard of living after separation — Casey searches millions of court decisions to return verified rulings on guideline calculations, income determination, special expenses, and enforcement mechanisms.
Real Scenarios
1
Federal Child Support Guidelines
The Federal Child Support Guidelines establish a presumptive amount of support based on the payor's income and the number of children. Courts generally follow the table amounts unless a specific exception applies, such as undue hardship or shared parenting time.
Prompt:
“How do courts calculate child support under the Federal Child Support Guidelines?”
Casey returns decisions applying the Guidelines table amounts, how courts determined the payor's income from various sources including self-employment and corporate structures, and when departures from the table amounts were permitted.
2
Shared Parenting Time
When a child spends at least 40 percent of the time with each parent, the court may adjust the child support amount. The calculation considers the table amounts for each parent, the increased costs of shared parenting, and the actual spending patterns in each household.
Prompt:
“How is child support calculated when parents share parenting time equally?”
Casey surfaces rulings applying the shared parenting provisions, how courts calculated the set-off between each parent's table amount, the additional factors courts considered beyond the mathematical formula, and how the child's actual living conditions influenced the final amount.
3
Extraordinary Expenses
Section 7 of the Guidelines allows courts to order contributions toward special or extraordinary expenses such as childcare, medical needs, extracurricular activities, and post-secondary education. These expenses are shared proportionally based on each parent's income.
Prompt:
“What qualifies as a Section 7 extraordinary expense for child support purposes?”
Casey retrieves cases defining what constitutes a special or extraordinary expense, how courts assessed whether an expense was necessary and reasonable, the proportional sharing formula, and when courts declined to order contributions for certain activities.
4
Enforcement of Child Support
When a payor fails to meet their child support obligations, the recipient can pursue enforcement through maintenance enforcement programs or the court. Remedies include garnishment of wages, suspension of licenses, seizure of assets, and in serious cases, contempt of court.
Prompt:
“What enforcement options are available when a parent refuses to pay court-ordered child support?”
Casey returns decisions on enforcement mechanisms including wage garnishment, license suspension, asset seizure, and imprisonment for contempt, how courts treated payors who claimed inability to pay, and the interaction between provincial enforcement programs and court orders.
5
Variation of Child Support
Child support orders can be varied when there is a change in circumstances, such as a significant change in either parent's income, a change in the parenting arrangement, or a child reaching the age of majority. The threshold for variation is lower than for spousal support.
Prompt:
“Can child support be reduced if the payor's income decreases significantly?”
Casey surfaces rulings on variation applications following income changes, how courts distinguished genuine income loss from voluntary underemployment, when retroactive adjustments were ordered, and how courts handled situations where the payor's income fluctuated year to year.
6
Support for Adult Children
Child support obligations may continue beyond the age of majority if the child is unable to withdraw from parental charge due to illness, disability, or pursuit of education. Courts assess whether the child is genuinely dependent and making reasonable progress toward independence.
Prompt:
“How long must a parent pay child support for a child attending university?”
Casey returns cases addressing support for adult children in post-secondary education, how courts evaluated whether the child was enrolled in a genuine program, the expectation of contribution from the child through employment, and when support was terminated for children who were not making reasonable academic progress.
Real Scenarios
The Federal Child Support Guidelines establish a presumptive amount of support based on the payor's income and the number of children. Courts generally follow the table amounts unless a specific exception applies, such as undue hardship or shared parenting time.
Prompt:
“How do courts calculate child support under the Federal Child Support Guidelines?”
Casey returns decisions applying the Guidelines table amounts, how courts determined the payor's income from various sources including self-employment and corporate structures, and when departures from the table amounts were permitted.
The Federal Child Support Guidelines were introduced in 1997 to reduce conflict and ensure consistency in child support calculations across Canada. Before the Guidelines, child support amounts were highly unpredictable and varied dramatically from judge to judge.
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