If you are found to be the non-custodial parent of any children between you and your spouse, then you will be legally obligated to pay some degree of child support as part of a divorce agreement.

The amount of child support you end up paying will be calculated both by the number of children left in your spouse’s care and a confluence of assessments of your personal finances.

You will also have to provide your spouse with updated income documentation. If your children should ultimately incur “special or extraordinary expenses” such as child care, daycare, medical, dental, private school or post-secondary educational costs, you may have to pay more than the Ontario Child Support Guidelines’ recommended amount.

The exceptional expenses can be shared, however, depending on the disparity between your earnings.

Whether you are entitled to child support or paying it, the long-term financial consequences of ending a marriage or relationship make it crucial that you always retain a lawyer familiar with your circumstances when managing the amount you’re ordered to pay.