Child and Spousal Support Lawyer in Ajax

Who this helps

Parents and spouses who need to claim, pay, calculate or review child or spousal support, including self-employed people and those with irregular income.

Child support

Child support belongs to the child. The base amount comes from the Federal Child Support Guidelines tables, using the paying parent's income and the number of children. Special or extraordinary expenses, known as section 7 expenses (such as childcare, medical costs and some activities), are usually shared in proportion to income. Different rules can apply where parenting time is shared at 40% or more, or where income is over $150,000.

Spousal support

A spouse must first show entitlement, based on need, compensation for roles taken on during the relationship, or an agreement. Amount and duration are commonly guided by the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines. Common-law partners may claim spousal support if they lived together for at least three years, or were in a relationship of some permanence and have a child together.

The process

1. Exchange of income disclosure.
2. Calculation of support ranges.
3. Negotiation or a court application.
4. An agreement or order, usually enforced through the Family Responsibility Office.

Documents to bring

• Last three years of income tax returns and notices of assessment
• Recent pay stubs or business financial statements
• Childcare, medical and activity receipts
• Any existing agreement or order

Fees

We accept Legal Aid Ontario certificates for eligible family law matters. If you are not using a certificate, we explain the fee arrangement and give you a written estimate or quote before any work starts. Court filing fees and other disbursements are explained separately.

Next step

Book a consultation. To change an existing order, see motions to change. See our family law services in Ajax and across Ontario.