You can calculate the appropriate amount of child support and spousal support with a child support and spousal support calculator available online. The Government of Canada also has an child support calculator for monthly child support only.

Monthly child support is calculated based on the child support Tables in the Federal Child Support Guidelines. For this reason, monthly child support is sometimes referred to as the “Table amount” of support. The Tables determine how monthly much child support is required based on the income of the payor, the number of children, and the province that the payor resides in.

The first step in calculating child support is determining what each parent’s “Guideline Income” is. Calculating Guideline Income may be as simple as referring to line 150 in each parent’s income tax return or notice of assessment. These online tools are useful if both spouses are employees with steady incomes. However, there are several factors that may complicate the calculation, for example:

• Income may be imputed to someone who is intentionally underemployed or unemployed if that person is capable of earning more.
• Union dues may be deducted from someone’s Line 150 income.
• Self-employed individuals are entitled to deduct legitimate business expenses from their incomes, but some expenses deducted in an income tax return may be added back to the person’s income if he or she received a personal benefit from the expense.
• If either party owns a corporation, a Guideline Income Report may be required to accurately determine the amount of income available to that person, because owners of corporations often pay themselves less than they could in an effort to minimize their income taxes.
• Non-recurring income (such as a one-time bonus; capital gains from the sale of a property; or an RRSP withdrawal to pay legal fees) may be deducted from a party’s income.
• If a party’s income fluctuates, it may be appropriate to average that person’s income over the last three years.

If your child(ren) live primarily with you (more than 60% of the time) then you only need to calculate your spouse’s child support obligation using the child support calculator above. If your child(ren) live in a shared parenting arrangement (both parents care for the children at least 40% of the time), then you need to calculate your child support obligations to each other, and the party that earns more will pay the difference. For example, if you and your spouse reside in BC and you have one child, this is how child support is calculated in a shared parenting arrangement:

• If your income is $50,000, your child support obligation is $470.00 per month;
• If your spouse’s income is $75,000, his or her child support obligation is $716.00 per month;
• Your spouse would pay the difference of $246.00 per month.