Divorced or separated parents in British Columbia are sometimes ordered to make child support payments. The amount of child support that a parent will be ordered to pay depends on the parent’s income, the custody arrangement and the number of children they have. Child support may be ordered even if the parents were never married.
If you are going through a divorce or separation where child support is an issue, our lawyers at Quay Law Centre may be able to represent your interests in the case. Using our thorough understanding of the Federal Child Support Guidelines and other local regulations, we will work to ensure that the child support order in your case is appropriate and fair for the given circumstances.
In addition to child support payments, a judge may order a parent to pay for a portion of the child’s special and extraordinary expenses. These expenses might include the cost of day care, extracurricular activities, tutoring and health care. The percentage that each parent will be obligated to pay will depend on their income. For instance, two parents who earn the same income would each pay 50 percent of the special and extraordinary expenses.
Determining how much money the payor parent earns is an important part of a judge’s decision about child support payments. A parent’s income is found by looking at line 150 of their income tax return. If you are a payor parent with a unique financial situation, such as a high amount of debt, we may be able to help you qualify for a variation on the standard child support order. To learn more about how child support is calculated, visit our on page child support and extraordinary expenses.