Get instant clarity on child support obligations using Federal Guidelines. Our free calculator gives the 2025 Ontario table amount for 1 to 6 or more children, plus both parents’ amounts for shared parenting.
Get instant clarity on child support obligations using Federal Guidelines. Our free calculator gives the 2025 Ontario table amount for 1 to 6 or more children, plus both parents’ amounts for shared parenting.
Understanding the Federal Child Support Guidelines and what the numbers really mean.
Child support in Ontario is governed by the Federal Child Support Guidelines, which use standardized tables based on the payor’s gross income and number of children.
The table amounts are designed to cover basic necessities: food, clothing, shelter, and routine expenses. They are mandatory and non-negotiable in most cases.
Key Point: The table amount is the presumptive amount (Federal Child Support Guidelines, s. 3). The court can depart from it only in limited cases, such as a payor income over $150,000 (s. 4), split or shared parenting time (ss. 8, 9), or undue hardship (s. 10).
Child support calculations use gross income (before taxes), not take-home pay. It starts from your “total income” on your tax return (line 15000, formerly line 150), adjusted under the Guidelines (Federal Child Support Guidelines, s. 16 and Schedule III).
Why gross? Because tax situations vary wildly. Using gross income creates a standardized, fair baseline that accounts for the payor’s true earning capacity.
Includes: Employment income, self-employment, bonuses, commissions, investment income
Excludes: Child tax benefits, social assistance (in most cases)
The table amount is just the baseline. Section 7 expenses are additional costs shared proportionally based on each parent’s income.
Childcare: Daycare, before/after school programs
Medical/Dental: Orthodontics, therapy, prescriptions not covered by insurance
Education: Private school tuition, tutoring, post-secondary expenses
Extracurriculars: Hockey, dance, music lessons (if reasonable)
Reality Check: Section 7 expenses often exceed the table amount. A $1,200/month table payment can become $2,000+ with daycare and activities.
Online calculators (including this one) provide estimates. They cannot account for:
We build the strategy. We prepare the financial disclosure. We fight the income disputes. That’s the difference between a calculator and a certified calculation.
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Calculators provide estimates. We provide certified calculations, strategic financial disclosure, and courtroom-ready support analysis.
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