How to apply for child support in Ontario

This page is a public educational walkthrough. It is not a retainer, a court form, or a promise about your result. For legal advice, you should contact an appropriate Lawyer or Paralegal specializing in the area of law you need assistance with.

1. Child support is the child’s right, not a favour between adults

   The usual starting point is the Child Support Guidelines table amount based on the paying parent’s income and the number of children. Special or extraordinary expenses can be added. The table is not a guess and not “whatever we agreed last year.”

2. See which statute applies

   Married or divorced parents usually use the Divorce Act. Parents who never married usually use the Family Law Act. The form package is still the Family Law Rules package in Ontario court.

3. If there is no court file yet, start an application

   Use Form 8 or Form 8A and claim child support in the application. File Form 13 Financial Statement (Support Claims). Serve the other parent. If there is already a final order, you usually use Form 15 Motion to Change instead of a brand-new application.

4. If you were served with a support claim

   File Form 10 Answer and Form 13. Attach tax returns. Ignoring the claim does not freeze the table amount; it often lets the other side proceed on their numbers.

5. Ask for an order the Family Responsibility Office can enforce

   A handshake amount is hard to collect. An order or a filed domestic contract is what FRO can usually enforce. After the order, follow FRO’s own enrolment steps.

6. Keep income disclosure current

   Support files live or die on tax returns and pay stubs. If income changes, the order may need a motion to change, not a silent underpayment.

Official law on this site: family-law.

Disclaimer: Know The Law publishes legal information for the public, not legal advice. Court forms, fees and filing channels change. Read the official statute text and the official form page linked from this guide before you act. We do not represent you and we do not file documents for you. For legal advice, you should contact an appropriate Lawyer or Paralegal specializing in the area of law you need assistance with.