Ontario general information. Sources checked 3 October 2026.
A changed income, care arrangement or expense can raise questions about child support. Before choosing a new payment amount, put the existing arrangement and the proposed change side by side. A clear record helps a lawyer identify what needs attention; it does not establish that a change is available or what amount should be paid.
Start with the complete current arrangement
Keep the signed agreement, court orders and any later amendments together. Identify the date of each document, the payment amount, any separate expense provisions and any requirement to exchange income information. Include schedules referred to in the document. If you have only a photograph of one page, note what is missing rather than treating it as the complete arrangement.
Write down how payments are being made and whether an enforcement agency is involved. A question about changing support is different from a question about collecting unpaid support. Tell the lawyer about both, and keep any agency correspondence with the documents. Do not assume that a private discussion automatically changes an order or the instructions an agency follows.
Explain what changed and when
Prepare a short timeline. For each change, record the date, what happened and the document that helps explain it. Examples of information worth raising include changed employment, a different care routine, education or health expenses, or questions about a child’s continuing support needs. Listing a change does not mean that it meets the legal test for changing support.
For orders under the Divorce Act, section 17 addresses variation. Before varying a child-support order, the court must be satisfied that a change of circumstances provided for in the applicable guidelines has occurred since the order or its last variation. Provincial law may govern other arrangements. Ask which law and process apply to yours; this guide does not determine that test.
Connect the proposed change to reliable records
Collect available tax returns, assessment or reassessment notices, current earnings records and documents explaining the change. If income is irregular, you are self-employed or a company pays some expenses, identify that early. Separate an expected change from one that has already occurred. Do not quietly replace older records with newer figures; the timing may matter.
Keep a payment list showing the date, amount and reference for each payment. Label a disputed amount as disputed. For a special expense, retain the invoice, available benefit or reimbursement information and related communications. A calculator result is a starting figure, not proof of the income, eligibility, expense-sharing arrangement or appropriate legal outcome.
Separate support questions from parenting disagreements
The Department of Justice explains that child support cannot be stopped simply because the other parent does not permit contact, and contact cannot be withheld simply because support is unpaid. Raise the parenting concern separately and identify any existing parenting order. Do not use a payment change as a way to enforce a parenting proposal.
Check the order or agreement for income-update provisions. Federal and provincial guideline requirements can differ, and a document may set additional requirements. Ask what must be exchanged, how a proposed change should be recorded and whether a court step or another available process is needed. This page does not provide a filing deadline or authorize stopping payment.
Bring a focused question list
Useful questions include: which document currently governs; what information is missing; which date or event may matter; how should payments be handled while the issue is unresolved; and what process is available if the parties disagree? Identify any court date, enforcement notice or request with a response date. Do not assume that sending an inquiry extends that date.
For organizing the supporting documents, use our financial-disclosure preparation guide. Keep personal records out of public comments and messages. Ask the office how documents should be provided before sending sensitive material.
Official sources
See Spousal & Child Support for the firm’s related practice information. To ask whether the firm can assist with your matter, contact the office. Identify upcoming dates. An inquiry does not confirm representation or change a deadline.
General information for Ontario; not legal advice about your circumstances.