If I have to go to court to decide child support, how can I best prepare?

You can best prepare by firstly, hiring a lawyer. It might also be beneficial to work out an arrangement with your former spouse/partner beforehand to present to the court. This can have the effect of reducing the time that you will need to spend in court as well as the cost.

If that proves to be impossible, and you are the parent against whom an application for support is sought, then you should obtain all necessary and important income information and other relevant financial information listed under ss. 21-25 of the Child Support Guidelines so that the best possible and most accurate support payment can be awarded to your children.

It is of utmost importance that all financial and income information be presented to the court when making a determination about support because if it is later discovered that it was not disclosed then you may be required to pay support retroactively so that the support payment reflects your full and complete financial situation.

If on the other hand you are the parent who is eligible to receive child support then generally you may not have to disclose any financial information as it is not relevant for a determination unless:

• the child is over the age of majority
• the paying parent is a high-income earner (i.e. he or she makes over $150,000.00)
• there are any special or extraordinary expenses to consider
• there is a split or shared custody arrangement, or
• there is a claim of undue hardship.