Child support in British Columbia.

Child support in British Columbia is a right that belongs to the child. Parents cannot bargain it away, and courts will not enforce agreements that unfairly reduce it. The framework is the Federal Child Support Guidelines, applied in BC under both the Divorce Act and the Family Law Act.

Guideline income

Support starts with the payor's Guideline income. For most employees, this is Line 15000 of the most recent tax return, with some adjustments. Self-employed, incorporated, and commission-based payors often require closer analysis — corporate pre-tax income, non-arm's-length payments, and add-backs can all factor in.

The table amount

Once Guideline income is set, the table amount is a straightforward lookup based on the payor's province of residence and the number of children. This is the base monthly amount.

Section 7 expenses

On top of the table amount, parents share special or extraordinary expenses in proportion to their incomes — childcare, medical premiums, orthodontia, post-secondary tuition, and extraordinary extracurricular costs.

Shared parenting (section 9)

Where each parent has the child at least 40 percent of the time, the calculation shifts to section 9. Courts consider the table amounts for both parents (typically a set-off), the increased costs of shared parenting, and the conditions and means of each household.

Imputed income

Where a payor is intentionally under-earning, refuses to disclose, diverts income through a corporation, or otherwise avoids their support obligation, section 19 lets a court impute income and calculate support on that figure instead.