3. Get help from the FRO to enforce your support order
Question & Answer
What can I do if my partner isn’t following our court order?If your partner isn’t paying support, you can get help from the (FRO) to make them pay.
The FRO is a government agency that enforces and payments. They collect support directly from the person who has to pay support, keep a record of the amounts paid, and then pay that amount to the person who has to get support.
If your partner misses payments, the FRO can take action to enforce the order and make them pay. For example, the FRO can take money from their bank account, suspend their driver’s licence, or start a court case that can put them in jail.
If you have a , the court automatically sends the order, the Support Deduction Order Information Form, and the Support Deduction Order to the FRO.
If you were registered with the FRO and withdrew, you can re-register. You need to fill out a Notice of Re-Filing Form and pay a $50 re-filing fee.
If you want the FRO to enforce any payments that were missed since your case was closed, you need to fill out a Statement of Arrears Form. This form tells the FRO about the amount of unpaid support.
The FRO writes to your partner’s employer, or any other place where they receive income. The FRO tells the employer to deduct support from your partner’s cheque and send it to the FRO. The FRO then sends the money to you.
The FRO can help collect money from a parent who lives in Canada, any state in the United States, and about 30 other countries that Ontario has an agreement with. These are called reciprocating jurisdictions.
If Ontario doesn’t have an agreement with the country where the payor parent lives, the FRO cannot help you collect support. You will have to use the laws of the country where the payor lives. You can talk to a lawyer who may be able to help you do this.
