Child support in British Columbia: Funding a child’s free time
On behalf of Laughlin & Company Lawyers, mediators posted Child Support on Monday, October 2, 2017.
Parents want to give their children what other kids have, and that could translate into going beyond their means to provide it. When a British Columbia couple separates and one partner is paying child support, he or she could find there is more to supporting kids than merely providing for the bare necessities. In fact, there is federal legislation in Canada that stipulates payments as they pertain to kids and “special and extraordinary expenses” highlighted in the Federal Child Support Guidelines.
The guidelines deem such expenses necessary because they are in the best interests of children and indicate that expenses should be reasonable according to the parents’ means and spending habits before the separation. Extraordinary expenses are more than can be reasonably handled regarding child support when looking at income. In this instance, courts usually split these types of expenses — little Johnny’s hockey enrollment, for instance — between the parents taking into consideration the income of both and how they spent their money for getting divorced or separated.
In most cases, these types of expenses will be in addition to regular child support payments. The court will look at these expenses bearing in mind what is in the best interests of the children. Courts tend to make objective decisions in these regards; however, some may be costly.
Child support issues in a divorce or separation situation are best ironed out with the help of a British Columbia lawyer seasoned in family law. When it comes to legislation regarding child support, a lawyer will be able to guide his or her client regarding any additions or changes to the law. He or she will also be able to answer any queries regarding legislative changes.
Source: Extraordinary child support expenses mean you could be paying for your children’s leisure time, “findlaw.ca,” Miriam Yosowich, Accessed on Sept. 30, 2017
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