The Child Support Guidelines govern how child support is calculated. First, determine your base amount using this handy online tool.
Then, adjustments up or down may be required. On top of the base amount parents may still need to share children’s “special expenses” such as child care, health premiums/expenses, education, and extra-curricular activities. If the children are split between both parents, or if other special circumstances apply to you, the base amount may be reduced in your case.
Lawyers use specialised software to precisely calculate child support payable. The above is over-simplified to give you a starting point. Consult your lawyer to make sure that all applicable considerations have been taken in your case.
Next month – find out basic information with respect to parenting time & responsibilities (aka custody & access).
Read the other articles in this series: