If you want to get or change a child support order under the Child Support Guidelines, the court will require certain income information.

The Child Support Guidelines are a way of calculating the amount of child support. The calculations are determined by a support table or grid that is based on the support paying parent's annual income and number of children entitled to support.

The law lists the documents that must be provided to the court by the support paying parent in order to get or change a child support order.

These same documents must be provided by the parent receiving support, only in cases where the amount of child support requested is different from the amount on the support table or in addition to the table amount. Under the law, departing from the support table amount is allowed in certain circumstances, shared custody costs, or in some cases of undue hardship. Amounts in addition to the table amount can be sought as a contribution to a child's special or extra-ordinary expenses.

Please see below for a checklist of the income information required in both situations described above.

Checklist

This form is designed to help parents gather and organize income information that will be required by the court to determine the amount of the child support order. If the request for the amount of child support is the same as the amount on the applicable Child Support Guidelines support table, without variation or any claim for contribution to special or extra-ordinary expenses, then only the parent paying child support is required to supply this information.

If the request for the child support amount is different from the support table for any reason, including a claim for contribution to special or extra-ordinary expenses, then the parent receiving child support is also required to supply these same documents.

• A copy of your personal income tax returns filed with the Canada Revenue Agency for each of the three most recent taxation years together with all material that was filed with the returns.
• A copy of every notice of assessment and re-assessment that you have received from the Canada Revenue Agency for the three most recent taxation years.
• (For those who are an employee) The most recent statement of earnings indicating the total earnings paid in the year to date, including overtime or, where such a statement is not available, a letter from your employer setting out that information, including your rate of annual salary or remuneration.
• (For those who are self-employed) The following documents for the three most recent taxation years:
  1. the financial statements of your business or professional practice, other than a partnership; and
  2. a statement showing a breakdown of all salaries, wages, management fees or other payments or benefits paid to, or on behalf of, persons or corporations with whom you do not deal at arm's length.
• (For those who are partners in a partnership) Confirmation of your income and draw from, and capital in, the partnership for its three most recent taxation years.
• (For those who control a corporation) The following documents for its three most recent taxation years:
  1. the financial statements of the corporation and its subsidiaries; and
  2. a statement showing a breakdown of all salaries, wages, management fees or other payments or benefits paid to, or on behalf of, persons or corporations with whom the corporation, and every related corporation, does not deal at arm's length.
• (For those who are a beneficiary under a trust) A copy of the trust settlement agreement and copies of the trust's three most recent financial statements.
• (For those who receive income from employment insurance, social assistance, a pension, workers compensation, disability payments or any other source) The most recent statement of income indicating the total amount of income from the applicable source during the current year or, if such a statement is not provided, a letter from the appropriate authority stating the required information.