“I highly recommend Violeta for anyone dealing with family law matters. From the very beginning, they were professional, compassionate, and incredibly knowledgeable. She took the time to explain every step of the process clearly and made sure I understood my options.”
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– Brad C.
Child support in Alberta starts with the paying parent’s income. For employees, that is often straightforward. For business owners, professionals with a corporation, and anyone earning dividends or significant investment income, the number on your tax return is often not the number used for support.
Under the Child Support Guidelines, dividends are adjusted to the amount actually received, capital gains are adjusted, personal expenses run through a business can be added back, and in some cases part of a corporation’s income can be attributed to the parent who controls it.
This free calculator walks through those common adjustments for up to three years, so you can see a rough income figure and a three-year average before you use our child support calculator.
Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere. For more background, read Child Support When You Own a Corporation in Alberta.
Use the amounts from your personal tax returns (T1) and, if you own a corporation, from its financial statements. Leave a year blank if you do not have it. All amounts are annual, in dollars.
| Income source | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 (most recent) |
|---|
Corporate income: enter below the percentage of the corporation’s pre-tax income you think could reasonably be paid out to you, after the business’s legitimate needs (working capital, debt repayment, planned investment). Courts decide this on the evidence; 0% means none is added.
| Portion of corporate pre-tax income treated as available (%) | |
| Your personal tax rate used to gross up personal expenses paid by the business (%)Personal expenses run through a company are paid with pre-tax dollars, so they are often grossed up. |
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|
Next step: use this figure in our child support calculator to estimate the table amount. Courts usually use the most recent year, but may use a three-year pattern where income fluctuates (Guidelines s. 17).
Important: This tool is a general educational estimate based on the Federal Child Support Guidelines (and the similar Alberta Child Support Guidelines). It is not legal or tax advice. Real income determinations depend on full financial disclosure, accountants’ analysis and the court’s discretion, including whether corporate income is available, whether income should be imputed, and how capital gains, one-time items and business expenses are treated. Nothing you enter is saved or sent to us. Please speak with a lawyer about your situation.
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Your tax return shows a “grossed-up” taxable amount for dividends that is higher than the cash you received. The Guidelines replace it with the actual amount received. In some cases a court may then gross the dividends back up to reflect their tax advantage.
Yes, in appropriate cases. Where you control a corporation, the court can attribute some or all of its pre-tax income to you, taking into account the legitimate needs of the business.
Personal costs paid by a business are paid with pre-tax dollars. To compare fairly with employment income, they are often added back and grossed up for tax.
Usually the most recent year, but where income fluctuates the court may use a pattern of income, often an average of the last three years.
No. It is a rough educational estimate. The actual figure depends on full disclosure, accountants’ analysis and the court’s discretion.
Income for business owners is one of the most frequently disputed issues in family law. We can help you prepare a clear, well-documented position.
Call 587-329-0999 or fill out the form below to book a confidential consultation.
I highly recommend Violeta for anyone dealing with family law matters. From the very beginning, they were professional, compassionate, and incredibly knowledgeable. She took the time to explain every step of the process clearly and made sure I understood my options.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
– Brad C.
