In Alberta, child and spousal support are calculated based on the payor’s income. If someone has chosen to work less or take lower paying work, the Court may determine that imputing income to that individual is the appropriate course of action. This has historically been a difficult thing to do …
Gender Inequity in Family Law: The Men, The Myth, the Urban Legend
Family Lawyers regularly encounter male clients who feel preemptively aggrieved by the judicial system. Some men’s advocacy groups would have you believe that court decisions in Family Law are unjustly and favourably skewed toward women. That perception is not reality. Parenting Issues When couples with children separate, the two key …
Calculating Guideline Income for Support Purposes
If you are the payor or recipient of child or spousal support in Alberta, it is important you are aware of how calculating guideline income comes into play. While your guideline income may be the same as your Line 150 (or as of 2019, Line 15000), that is not always …
Will Quitting Your Job Reduce Child Support?
Can you quit your job to reduce child support obligations? After all, child support (and spousal support) are based off of your gross income so a lower income results in lower support. Why work long hours at a stressful job when you can only work part-time or move to that …
What are Section 7 Expenses?
Many people are familiar with child support. You can calculate it on the Government of Canada website and you simply pay the number that it gives you. However, what the Government of Canada website does not give you is a calculation to be used for the payment of Section 7 …
What is child support?
Many people know what child support is; it is the money you are forced to pay your ex every month. However, there is a bit more to child support than that. Child support is financial support that is paid between the parents so the children can live a lifestyle commensurate …
Retroactive Child Support: Payor Beware!
In 1996, the Federal Government introduced the Federal Child Support Guidelines (the “Guidelines”). The purpose of the Guidelines was to promote consistency and fairness in child support payments. The Guidelines provide for two classes of payment. First is “Section 3” child support, which is based on the payor’s income as …
How child support and custody impacts separated parents’ taxes
There are many things parents need to consider after separating from their significant other. Among the many considerations are changes to one’s tax status. The tax situation of a newly single parent can vary greatly depending who maintains child custody, who is paying child support and how child care expenses …
Child Support & Spousal Support “Calculators”
A determination of entitlement to child and/or spousal support logically leads to an analysis of the appropriate amount. With increasing demand, the general public is seeking immediately available and reliable resources for “child support calculators” and “spousal support calculators”. CHILD SUPPORT “CALCULATORS” The Federal Child Support Guideline tables make the calculation of …
How compensation structure can impact child and spousal support
On the surface, declaring income for a divorce may seem relatively straight-forward. However, it often becomes a matter of far more than just presenting last year’s tax return. For Alberta workers who must factor in commission, bonuses or even a job change, estimating and identifying income can become a challenge. It …