Which Ontario number belongs in a support discussion?
Usually, the first number is the table amount. Ontario's Child Support Guidelines regulation adopts the federal tables with provincial modifications. Reliable income evidence, parenting arrangements, special expenses, and the existing support terms complete the picture.
Test the inputs before relying on the output
Suppose the paying parent lives in Ontario, annual income is $80,000, and the table applies for one child. The 2025 Ontario figure is $743 per month. If income is incomplete, the parenting schedule is shared or split, or section 7 expenses are claimed, that figure may be only one part of the calculation.
Undue hardship, imputed income, retroactive support, and arrears each require facts and evidence beyond the three calculator inputs.
What this calculator estimates
Enter the paying parent's annual gross income before tax, province or territory of residence, and number of children. The calculator returns the monthly Schedule I table amount from the 2025 Federal Child Support Tables, effective October 1, 2025.
The table amount is a starting point. The correct support amount depends on the law that applies, reliable income information, the parenting arrangement, and the facts of the family.
Build the income record before debating the amount
Three years of income tax returns and notices of assessment or reassessment provide the usual starting record. Add current pay information and the documents that explain any bonus, job loss, disability benefit, self-employment income, corporate income, dividend, capital gain, or other material change.
Both incomes are required for shared or split parenting, section 7 expenses, and undue-hardship claims. For a section 7 expense, the useful record includes the invoice, the reason for the expense, any subsidy or reimbursement, the net cost, and each parent's income. That permits a discussion about eligibility, reasonableness, necessity, and proportional sharing.
Use the right route for enforcement and for change
Ontario support orders are generally filed with the Family Responsibility Office. FRO receives and distributes payments and can take enforcement steps based on the filed support terms. A new agreement, recalculation process where available, or court order changes those terms when income or parenting arrangements change.
This distinction matters when a fresh calculator result differs from the amount on the FRO account. The calculator can help identify the issue; the proper variation route supplies the enforceable change. Keep a copy of the current order, the FRO statement, recent income disclosure, and the date each parent received updated information.
Prepare for the next procedural step
Family Law Information Centres operate in courthouses that hear family matters. Staff provide information about forms, court process, mediation, and available community services. Ontario's family-court guide also identifies legal-advice options, including Legal Aid Ontario services.
Before seeking help, write down the result you need: an initial support order, a variation, enforcement of arrears, or a response to an existing application. Bring the current order or agreement, recent financial disclosure, and a clear parenting schedule. Those documents make the first discussion more useful.
When the calculation needs more information
The table result answers one question: the monthly Schedule I amount for the three inputs entered. A fuller support calculation brings in:
- shared parenting time or split parenting arrangements
- section 7 special or extraordinary expenses
- undue hardship claims
- income that is disputed, imputed, self-employment income, or income that varies
- income above $150,000
- retroactive support or arrears
- any order, agreement, variation, or enforcement decision
Use the estimate as a starting figure. The enforceable amount comes from the applicable order or agreement, interpreted alongside the Guidelines and the evidence for the family.
Official sources and services
- 2025 Federal Child Support Tables (Department of Justice Canada, verified August 2, 2026)
- Federal Child Support Guidelines (Justice Laws Website, verified August 2, 2026)
- Ontario Child Support Guidelines, O. Reg. 391/97 (Ontario e-Laws, verified August 2, 2026)
- Child and spousal support - Family Responsibility Office (Government of Ontario, verified August 2, 2026)
- Family Law Information Centres (Government of Ontario, verified August 2, 2026)
- Get legal advice - Guide to family court procedure (Government of Ontario, verified August 2, 2026)
