1. Learn more about getting child support
The Ontario Human Rights Commission has released their latest take on mandatory vaccines, passports and testing, here: http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/news_centre/ohrc-policy-statement-covid-19-vaccine-mandates-and-proof-vaccine-certificates. In light of this update, and the new directives that the Province released a few weeks ago, we are in the process of updating our covid testing content. Please re-visit the site to the updated content when it is available.
Question & Answer
Can I get child support and money from OW?Child support payments that are owed for periods of time that begin on February 1, 2017, or after that date, don’t affect the amount of you get from Ontario Works (OW).
So, if you get , you have more money because you get that money and your financial assistance.
What child support is and who pays it
Family law says that all parents must support their “dependent” children. Children are usually dependent until they are at least 18 years old and sometimes longer.
And parents must provide financial support, even if they have never lived with their child. This is true even if the parents have never been to each other or lived together.
When parents don’t live together, their child may live most of the time with one of the parents.
The parent the child lives with most of the time usually has most of the expenses of raising the child. The other parent must help with those expenses by paying money to the parent the child lives with. This is called “child support”.
How much child support someone pays is usually based on the Child Support Guidelines.
If parents agree
Some parents can agree about child support without talking to a lawyer.
But it’s still a good idea for:
- one of the parents to get a lawyer to put the agreement in writing, and
- the other parent to get a different lawyer to check it.
That way each parent can make sure that the agreement:
- means what they want it to mean
- protects their rights and their children’s rights
If parents don’t agree
If you and your child’s other parent can’t agree about child support, you have 2 options. You can:
- ask a family law professional to help you
- go to court and ask a judge to decide
Family law professionals are people who are trained to work with both of you so you can avoid going to court. They can either help you make an agreement or make a decision for you. Sometimes this is called alternative dispute resolution.
Step 4 talks about where to find help to get child support.
