Child Support in BC: How It Is Calculated Under the Federal Guidelines

If you are separating and have children, child support is usually one of the first numbers you need. In BC it is set under the Federal Child Support Guidelines, which use published tables to give a monthly amount based on the paying parent's income and the number of children.

The table is a starting point, not always the final answer. How income is measured, special expenses, the parenting schedule and the children's ages can all change what is payable.

The same guidelines apply whether or not you were married

BC's Family Law Act requires child support to be set in accordance with the child support guidelines, and the federal Divorce Act requires the same when married parents divorce. BC has adopted the federal tables, so the same tables apply either way.

Parents can agree on a different amount, but there are limits. If both parents consent to an amount that differs from the guidelines, a court can order it where reasonable arrangements have been made for the child's support, and a court can set aside or replace a child support agreement if it would make a different order under the guidelines.

Step one: the table amount

The tables give a monthly amount based on three things: the paying parent's annual income, the number of children, and the province where the paying parent habitually lives. If the paying parent lives in another province, that province's table applies.

Updated tables took effect on October 1, 2025, reflecting more recent tax rules. They do not automatically change an order made before that date, but a difference between the old and new amounts could be considered a change in circumstances, so a parent can ask a court or a recalculation service to update the order.

Example: under the 2025 simplified table for British Columbia, a paying parent with an annual income of $60,000 would pay $563 a month for one child, or $939 a month for two children. Justice Canada publishes an online child support table look-up and simplified tables for each province.

How income is measured

Income for child support starts with the total income figure on the parent's T1 tax return, then is adjusted under the guidelines. In a court application, a parent whose income matters must provide, among other things, tax returns and notices of assessment for the three most recent years.

A court can also impute income, which means treating a parent as earning more than they report. Grounds include being intentionally under-employed or unemployed (other than because of a child's needs or the parent's own reasonable educational or health needs), diverting income, and failing to provide income information when required. Self-employment and company income often need a closer look.

Once there is an order, the paying parent must provide updated income information when the other parent asks in writing, no more than once a year.

Step two: special or extraordinary expenses

In addition to the table amount, section 7 of the guidelines allows a court to add a share of certain expenses:

• child care needed because the parent with most of the parenting time is working, ill, disabled, or in education or training for employment;
• the part of medical and dental insurance premiums that covers the child;
• health-related expenses that exceed insurance reimbursement by at least $100 a year, such as orthodontic treatment, counselling, physiotherapy, prescription drugs and glasses;
• extraordinary expenses for primary or secondary school education, or for other educational programs that meet the child's particular needs;
• post-secondary education expenses; and
• extraordinary expenses for extracurricular activities.

Each expense has to be necessary in light of the child's best interests and reasonable given the parents' means and the family's spending before separation. Subsidies, benefits and tax deductions or credits for the expense are taken into account, and the guiding principle is that the rest is shared in proportion to the parents' incomes.

Example: if one parent earns $60,000 and the other $40,000, a net child care cost of $500 a month would be shared 60/40, so $300 and $200.

When the table amount is only the starting point

• Shared parenting time. If each parent has at least 40% of the parenting time over the course of a year, the amount is based on both parents' table amounts, the increased costs of shared parenting time and each household's circumstances.
• Split parenting time. If there are two or more children and each parent has most of the parenting time with at least one of them, each parent's amount is worked out and the difference is paid.
• Income over $150,000. The table amount still applies unless a court considers it inappropriate. In that case it uses the table for the first $150,000 and sets an appropriate amount for the rest, plus any special expenses.
• Children 19 and older. In BC, support can continue past 19 if a child cannot become independent because of illness, disability or another reason. A court can apply the guidelines as usual or, if that is inappropriate, set an amount based on the child's circumstances and each parent's ability to contribute.
• Undue hardship. A parent can ask for a different amount because of undue hardship, for example unusually high debts or a legal duty to support other people, but not if their household would still have a higher standard of living than the other parent's.

For how parenting time and decision-making work in BC, see our guide to guardianship, parenting time and decision-making.

Keeping support current and paid

A court can change a child support order if circumstances have changed, if evidence that was not available at the earlier hearing comes to light, or if it later emerges that a party did not fully disclose financial information.

The Province's Child Support Recalculation Service is a free service that recalculates eligible orders and agreements each year using the paying parent's income tax information. Written agreements and orders can also be enrolled with the BC Family Maintenance Agency, formerly the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program, which collects payments and enforces support.

If spousal support is also in question, our guide to spousal support in BC explains how it is assessed.

Working out child support? Start with accurate income figures

Our family lawyers can review both parents' income information, explain how special expenses and parenting time affect the amount, and prepare or review a child support agreement or court application.

Call 604-259-2844 or send us a message to arrange a consultation at our Vancouver office.