BC child support calculator

The paying parent’s "guideline income" — normally line 15000 (formerly line 150) of their tax return, adjusted under Schedule III of the Federal Child Support Guidelines. Where a payor is self-employed, paid in cash or diverting income through a corporation, the court can impute a higher income under section 19. Income determination is the single most litigated part of child support.

Where each parent has the children at least 40% of the time, section 9 applies instead of the straight table amount. The starting point is a set-off — each parent’s table amount is calculated and the higher pays the difference — but the court must also consider the increased costs of shared parenting and the circumstances of each household. The result is frequently more than a bare set-off.

No. The table amount covers ordinary living costs only. Special and extraordinary expenses under section 7 — childcare, medical and dental premiums, orthodontics, therapy, post-secondary and significant extracurricular costs — are shared separately, usually in proportion to income after deducting any subsidy or tax benefit.

Until the child is no longer a "child of the marriage": generally the age of majority, but continuing where the child remains dependent because of illness, disability or full-time post-secondary education. Support for an adult child in university is common in British Columbia and is often calculated differently from the table amount.

You can agree, but a court reviewing an agreement will ask whether it reasonably provides for the child, and child support is regarded as the child’s right rather than the parents’. Agreements meaningfully below the guideline amount without a good reason can be set aside. Get advice before signing one.