“I had a very positive experience working with Violeta Cozma at Bellagio Law. I was going through a difficult situation involving parenting and custody, and she provided clear, professional, and reliable guidance every step of the way.”
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
– Josue O.
Most fathers we speak with want to support their children. What they want to know is that the number is fair, based on accurate information, and something they can plan their life around.
In Alberta, child support is not a matter of opinion. It is calculated under the Federal Child Support Guidelines (for divorcing parents) or the Alberta Child Support Guidelines (for parents who were never married, or are not divorcing). The two sets of guidelines work in almost the same way.
The formula is straightforward on paper. In real life, the details matter: what counts as income, how much time the children spend with each parent, which extra expenses are shared, and what happens when your income changes.
A small mistake at the start, such as the wrong income figure or an overlooked parenting-time arrangement, can mean paying too much or too little for years.
Our Calgary family lawyers help fathers understand the numbers, check them against the Guidelines, and put a support arrangement in place that is fair to your children and workable for you.
Below is a general overview of child support in Alberta. It is not legal advice about your situation, but it will help you understand the key terms before you speak with a lawyer.
For a starting estimate, try our Alberta child support calculator. It gives you a sense of the basic table amount. Your actual obligation can be different once income questions, parenting time and special expenses are taken into account, which is where legal advice helps.
The core of child support is the table amount. It depends on three things: the paying parent’s annual income, the number of children, and the province where the paying parent lives. The tables are set by regulation, so two parents with the same income and number of children in Alberta start from the same figure.
Where a parent’s income is over $150,000, the table amount usually still applies, but the court has some flexibility on the portion above $150,000.
The starting point is generally the total income on line 15000 of your tax return, with some adjustments. Questions often arise with:
A court can also “impute” income, meaning it assigns an income higher than what you reported, if it finds a parent is intentionally under-employed, unemployed without good reason, or not disclosing income properly. Accurate, complete disclosure protects you as much as the other parent.
Own a business or earn dividends? Try our income for child support calculator →
If each parent has the children at least 40% of the time over the course of a year, the Guidelines treat it as shared parenting. Support is then not simply the full table amount. The court usually begins by comparing what each parent would pay the other (a “set-off”) and then looks at the actual costs of each household and the parents’ circumstances.
How parenting time is counted can matter a great deal here, so it is worth getting advice before you agree to a schedule or a support figure.
On top of the table amount, parents usually share certain extra costs in proportion to their incomes. These can include child care, health and dental costs not covered by insurance, post-secondary education, and extraordinary extracurricular activities. Whether an expense qualifies, and whether it is reasonable given the family’s means, is often where disagreements arise.
In limited situations, a parent can ask the court to order a different amount because the Guidelines amount would cause undue hardship, for example because of unusually high debts reasonably incurred to support the family, or significant costs of exercising parenting time. These claims are difficult to make out and require careful financial evidence.
Child support can be varied when there is a change in circumstances, such as a job loss, a significant change in income, or a change in where the children live. Until an order or agreement is changed, the existing amount still applies, so it is important to act promptly rather than simply paying less.
Some Alberta orders can also be updated through the provincial Child Support Recalculation Program, which adjusts support annually based on updated income information.
Courts can order support for past periods where support was not paid, or was paid at too low a level because income was not disclosed. In some cases they can also adjust arrears. Recent Supreme Court of Canada decisions have clarified how these claims work. If you have received a claim for retroactive support, or you have fallen behind, get advice early. Alberta’s Maintenance Enforcement Program has significant enforcement powers, including garnishing wages and suspending licences.
We review your income and the other parent’s income, check the calculations against the Guidelines, identify any special expense or shared-parenting issues, and help you reach an agreement or court order you can rely on. If support needs to be changed, or you are facing an arrears claim, we will explain your options and the likely costs clearly before you decide how to proceed.
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Child support is calculated under the Federal Child Support Guidelines (for divorcing parents) or the Alberta Child Support Guidelines (for others). The basic amount depends on the paying parent’s income, the number of children and the province where the paying parent lives. Certain special expenses are usually shared in proportion to income. You can get a starting estimate with our child support calculator.
Often, yes. With shared parenting (at least 40% each), the court usually compares the table amounts each parent would pay and considers each household’s costs. The higher-income parent frequently pays a reduced amount to the other.
You can apply to vary child support when there is a change in circumstances. The existing order or agreement stays in place until it is changed, so speak with a lawyer promptly rather than simply paying less.
No. Child support and parenting time are separate. Stopping payment can lead to arrears and enforcement action. If parenting time is being withheld, there are separate legal steps to address that.
Support generally continues while a child is a minor, and can continue past 18 while the child remains dependent, for example because they are in full-time post-secondary education or have a disability. The rules differ somewhat between the Divorce Act and Alberta’s Family Law Act.
Both parents are required to provide financial disclosure. If a parent does not disclose, or their reported income does not reflect reality, the court can order disclosure and may impute income. We can help you request the right documents and assess what they show.
You want to support your children, and you want the number to be right. We can help with both.
Call 587-329-0999 or fill out the form below to book a consultation with our Calgary family law team.
I had a very positive experience working with Violeta Cozma at Bellagio Law. I was going through a difficult situation involving parenting and custody, and she provided clear, professional, and reliable guidance every step of the way.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
– Josue O.
