Child and Spousal Support Lawyer in Toronto

Civitas Law is a team of legal professionals under the leadership of lawyer Nasibeh Mehrpouyan, serving clients across Toronto and the GTA in English, French, Farsi, Russian and Serbian. We act for both recipients and payors.

• Table amount. Based on the payor's annual income and the number of children. In shared parenting (each parent has the child at least 40% of the time) the calculation is adjusted.
• Special expenses. Child care, medical and dental costs not covered by insurance, some educational costs, post-secondary expenses and some extracurricular activities, shared in proportion to income.
• Income disclosure. Parents exchange tax returns and notices of assessment, and self-employed parents provide business records. Income can be imputed where a parent is under-employed or not disclosing.

Read more in our guide to child support in Ontario.

Entitlement can be compensatory (one spouse gave up career opportunities or supported the other's career), needs-based, or set by contract. If entitlement is shown, the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines produce ranges for amount and duration based on incomes, the length of the relationship and whether there are children. Married spouses and unmarried partners who meet the definition of spouse under Ontario's Family Law Act can both claim.

Support can be changed when there is a material change in circumstances, such as a job loss, a significant change in income or a change in where the children live. Agreements can be updated by consent, and court orders can be changed by a motion to change. Payments do not change on their own, so act promptly.

Support orders and filed agreements are generally enforced by Ontario's Family Responsibility Office, which can garnish wages and bank accounts, suspend driver's licences and passports, and register liens. We help recipients get orders in a form that can be enforced and help payors deal with arrears.

Book a consultation online or call (647) 271-1646 (the phone is answered 24/7). 30-minute consultation, $150 plus HST, paid when you book. Legal fees after that depend on the work involved, and we explain them in writing before you retain us.