Need a quick estimate of child support in Ontario?
Use our Ontario child support calculator to get a general estimate of monthly child support based on income, number of children, and parenting arrangements. This tool is designed to help separated parents understand the likely starting point for support before speaking with a family lawyer.
Child support is not optional. In Canada, both parents have a legal obligation to financially support their children after separation or divorce, and children have a legal right to that support. The amount is usually based on the Child Support Guidelines, the paying parent’s gross annual income, the number of children, and the province or territory where the paying parent lives.
Use the calculator below as a starting point. It can help you prepare for a consultation, settlement discussion, mediation, or court step. However, the final amount may be different if there is shared parenting time, split parenting time, special or extraordinary expenses, self-employment income, fluctuating income, high income, or missing financial disclosure.
Ontario Child Support Calculator
Estimate monthly child support using the Ontario Federal Child Support Table. This tool gives a helpful starting point, but it is not legal advice.
Important: This calculator provides a general estimate only. It is not legal advice and should not be used as a final child support calculation. A lawyer can help confirm the correct income, table amount, section 7 expenses, and legal strategy for your specific situation.
You may also like our Spousal Support Calculator – check it out for FREE.
What is child support in Ontario?
Child support is money paid to help cover a child’s living expenses after parents separate. It is meant to help pay for the child’s basic needs, including housing, food, clothing, transportation, school needs, and daily care.
In most cases, the parent who has the children less of the time pays child support to the parent who has the children most of the time. When parenting time is shared, support may still be payable. A 50/50 or near-equal schedule does not automatically mean no child support. The calculation becomes more detailed because both parents’ incomes and the cost of raising the children in two homes may need to be considered. Under the Federal Child Support Guidelines, shared parenting time applies where each parent has not less than 40 percent of parenting time over the year.
How child support is usually calculated in Ontario
The basic child support amount is often called the table amount. The table amount is usually based on three main factors:
- The paying parent’s gross annual income before tax
- The number of children entitled to support
- The province or territory where the paying parent lives
The Department of Justice Canada updated the Federal Child Support Tables in 2025. The updated tables came into effect on October 1, 2025. For child support from October 1, 2025 onward, the 2025 table look-up should be used. For periods between November 22, 2017 and September 30, 2025, the 2017 table look-up should be used.
This matters because an old child support number may no longer reflect the current table amount. If your support order or agreement was made before October 1, 2025, the new tables do not automatically change the amount. However, if the updated table amount is different, that may support a request to update child support through court or a recalculation process.
What income is used for child support?
Child support is usually calculated using gross annual income. For many employees, this starts with line 15000 of the income tax return, but the correct income can be more complex.
Income may need a closer review if a parent is:
- self-employed
- paid through a corporation
- earning commissions, bonuses, or overtime
- receiving cash income
- earning investment or rental income
- working reduced hours by choice
- unemployed or underemployed
- receiving income that changes year to year
- claiming business deductions
- earning more than $150,000 per year
The Department of Justice Canada notes that calculating income can be complicated, especially where a parent is self-employed or has fluctuating income. The court may also impute income if a parent does not provide proper disclosure or if the reported income does not fairly reflect the parent’s true ability to pay.
What financial documents are usually needed?
To calculate child support properly, parents often need to exchange complete and current financial information.
Common documents include:
- income tax returns for the three most recent tax years
- notices of assessment or reassessment for the three most recent tax years
- recent pay stubs
- employment income letters
- corporate financial statements, if self-employed or involved in a corporation
- details of employment insurance, disability payments, workers’ compensation, or social assistance
- business partnership information, if applicable
- trust or investment income information, if applicable
Both parents may need to provide income information where there is shared parenting time, split parenting time, section 7 expenses, undue hardship, a child over the age of majority, income over $150,000, or a step-parent support issue.
What are section 7 expenses?
The table amount is only the starting point. Some expenses may be added on top of the basic monthly support amount. These are often called section 7 expenses or special and extraordinary expenses.
Examples may include:
- child care required because of work, illness, disability, education, or training
- the child’s portion of medical or dental insurance premiums
- health expenses not covered by insurance, such as orthodontics, counselling, medication, therapy, glasses, or contact lenses
- post-secondary education expenses
- extraordinary school expenses
- extraordinary extracurricular expenses
These expenses must generally be necessary for the child and reasonable based on the parents’ means, the child’s needs, and the family’s spending pattern before separation. In many cases, parents share section 7 expenses in proportion to their incomes after considering subsidies, benefits, tax deductions, and other adjustments.
Example:
If Parent A earns $80,000 and Parent B earns $40,000, their total income is $120,000. Parent A earns two-thirds of the combined income and Parent B earns one-third. If an eligible section 7 expense is $300 per month, Parent A may be responsible for about $200 and Parent B may be responsible for about $100, subject to the specific facts and legal analysis.
Shared parenting and child support
Many parents believe that if parenting time is shared equally, child support disappears. That is not always correct.
When each parent has at least 40 percent of parenting time over the year, child support is determined by considering:
- the table amount for each parent
- the increased cost of shared parenting time
- the condition, means, needs, and circumstances of each parent and child
This means a simple set-off calculation may not always be the final answer. Courts may also look at the children’s actual expenses, each home’s financial reality, and whether the proposed amount is fair to the children.
Split parenting and child support
Split parenting usually means there are two or more children, and each parent has the majority of parenting time with at least one child.
In that situation, each parent’s table amount is calculated for the child or children living mainly with the other parent. The lower amount is then usually subtracted from the higher amount. The parent with the higher amount pays the difference.
When child support calculations become more complicated
You should speak with a family lawyer before relying on a calculator if:
- one parent is self-employed
- one parent owns or controls a corporation
- income is unclear or not fully disclosed
- one parent earns cash income
- parenting time is close to 40 percent
- the children live in both homes
- there are expensive extracurricular activities
- there are private school, daycare, medical, dental, or counselling expenses
- one parent earns more than $150,000 per year
- a child is over 18 but still dependent
- a parent wants to change an old support order
- a parent is not paying support
- there are arrears
- support is being negotiated as part of a separation agreement
- the case is already in court
These situations can change the final number and may affect how the support clause should be drafted in a court order, separation agreement, or minutes of settlement.
Can child support be changed?
Yes. Child support can often be updated when income changes, parenting arrangements change, a child’s expenses change, or the table amount changes. Parents should not rely on outdated income information for years. Current income matters.
The Department of Justice Canada explains that parents may have an ongoing obligation to provide updated income information after a child support order or agreement is made, including where a written request is made or where a recalculation service applies.
If you are paying too much, receiving too little, or using an old income number, it may be time to review the support arrangement.
Enforcing child support in Ontario
If child support is set out in a court order or properly filed agreement, it may be enforceable through Ontario’s Family Responsibility Office. FRO helps collect, distribute, and enforce child and spousal support payments in Ontario.
If support is not being paid, legal advice is important. Depending on the situation, you may need to enforce support, calculate arrears, request disclosure, update support, or bring a motion in court.
Why use the PLS Child Support Calculator?
The PLS Child Support Calculator helps you understand the likely starting point before taking the next step. It can be useful if you are:
- starting a separation
- reviewing a proposed agreement
- preparing for mediation
- trying to understand your rights before court
- checking whether an old amount still makes sense
- estimating support before a consultation
- dealing with income disclosure issues
- planning settlement discussions
The calculator gives you a starting estimate. PLS can help you turn that estimate into a practical legal strategy.
Get legal advice before you agree to child support
Child support can affect your finances for years. A small mistake in income, parenting time, or section 7 expenses can create major long-term consequences.
At Progressive Legal Solutions, our family law team helps clients with child support calculations, financial disclosure, shared parenting support issues, section 7 expenses, support enforcement, support changes, and court proceedings. We focus on practical advice, strong preparation, and clear legal strategy.
Whether you are negotiating an agreement, responding to a support claim, or preparing for court, we can help you understand the numbers and protect your position.
Need help calculating child support in Ontario?
Book a consultation with Progressive Legal Solutions. We can review your income, parenting schedule, disclosure, section 7 expenses, and support options so you understand what should be paid and why.
Have a support dispute already in court? PLS handles difficult family law matters, including urgent and complex child support issues.
Ontario Child Support Calculator FAQ
No. The calculator provides a general estimate only. It is not legal advice and is not a court order. The final child support amount may be different depending on income, parenting time, section 7 expenses, disclosure, and other legal factors.
In most cases, child support starts with the table amount. The table amount is based on the paying parent’s gross annual income, the number of children, and the province or territory where the paying parent lives. Other amounts may be added for special or extraordinary expenses.
No. Shared parenting does not automatically eliminate child support. If each parent has at least 40 percent of parenting time, the calculation may consider both parents’ table amounts, the increased cost of shared parenting, and the financial circumstances of each household.
Section 7 expenses are special or extraordinary expenses that may be added to the table amount. They can include child care, medical and dental costs, counselling, orthodontics, post-secondary education, and extraordinary extracurricular or school expenses.
Child support usually starts with gross annual income, but the correct income can be more complicated for self-employed parents, business owners, parents with fluctuating income, or parents who are not properly disclosing income. In some cases, income may be imputed.
Yes. Child support can often be changed if income changes, parenting time changes, a child’s needs change, or the applicable table amount changes. The 2025 Federal Child Support Tables apply to support amounts from October 1, 2025 onward.
The court can order disclosure, impute income, make retroactive support orders, award costs, or take other steps. Complete and current income disclosure is very important in child support cases.
Yes, especially if the calculation involves shared parenting, self-employment income, high income, section 7 expenses, arrears, enforcement, or a court case. A lawyer can help confirm the correct calculation and make sure the wording in your agreement or order protects you.