5. Compare your agreement to child support laws

If your separation agreement is about child support, the law says that it must be reasonable. Child support is reasonable if it is similar to the amount in the Government of Canada’s child support tables or if other support arrangements have been made for the children.

The tables show the basic monthly amount of child support that a parent is supposed to pay. It is based on the amount of money the parent paying support makes and the number of children they have to support.

This doesn’t mean the amount you agree on has to be the same as the table amount. You can agree to an amount that is more or less than the table amount.

But, if you or your partner later don’t agree on what your agreement says about child support, the court can look at what it would have ordered under the Child Support Guidelines and child support tables to decide if the agreement is reasonable.

If the court decides that it is not reasonable, then it may change the agreement and make a court order about child support that meets the Child Support Guidelines and child support tables.

There is an online calculator at the Child Support Table Look-up that can help you figure out the table amount of child support.