In BC, the financial support given to the children is the right of a child and legal responsibility of each parent.

Child support is broken down into basic support pursuant to s. 3 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines, and support for special and extraordinary expenses pursuant to s. 7 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines. To calculate basic support, visit the child support calculator.

Special and extraordinary expenses are generally shared proportional to each parent’s income and include the following:

  • child care expenses incurred as a result of the custodial parent’s employment, illness, disability or education or training for employment;

  • that portion of the medical and dental insurance premiums attributable to the child;

  • health-related expenses that exceed insurance reimbursement by at least $100 annually, including orthodontic treatment, professional counselling provided by a psychologist, social worker, psychiatrist or any other person, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and prescription drugs, hearing aids, glasses and contact lenses;

  • extraordinary expenses for primary or secondary school education or for any other educational programs that meet the child’s particular needs;

  • expenses for post-secondary education; and

  • extraordinary expenses for extracurricular activities.

The calculation of child support becomes more complex in the following situations:

  • If one or both parents are self-employed;

  • If the paying parent is underemployed;

  • If the paying parent is overseas;

  • If the paying parent’s income is over $150,000 a year;

  • If there is a shared parenting arrangement; or

  • If one parent is seeking retroactive child support.

If any of the above applies to you or if you would like further guidance on your particular situation, please contact us today.