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How to Apply for Child Support?

How to Apply for Child Support

The most important question that almost all parent wants to know while getting separated is “How to Apply For Child Support.” It is usually best to handle these issues as soon as possible as it concerns the children’s financial support.

Generally, it is seen that the noncustodial parent pays more compared to the custodial parent, depending on income. However, the best decision is that both parents take equal responsibility for the children because it is often hard to bear all the expenses for a single person with limited income.

In Canada, both have to take the children’s responsibility like they used to take before their separation by law. It cannot be changed as it is the administrative norm for Canada’s children to support the law.

In the following part of the article, we will focus briefly on how to apply for child support? If you need any help regarding this issue you may communicate with an experienced lawyer.

How to Apply for Child Support?

Child support is the money that parents need to bear their kid’s expenses after a divorce. It is usually funded by the other parent(with whom the child doesn’t live) for supporting the kid.

Many times it is seen that one parent doesn’t want to take any support from the other. But before making such a crucial decision, you must remember your kid is authorized to be supported legally by both.

There are 3 common ways of applying from which you can choose anyone. Hence, the procedure to apply for child support is written below to give you a clear idea,

Online Application

You can easily apply online for child support using my account on the Canadian website. You or the other parent can apply for it. The steps are:

  • Firstly, log into your account if you previously have an account. And if you don’t have an account, just create one to go into the next step.
  • Secondly, Choose the“ Apply for Child Support.”
  • Thirdly, verify your contact data, marital position, earning information, and nationality.
  • Fourthly, give your children’s name, gender, birth date, and location.
  • Finally, Check the application once and then submit it.

Also, check if you are asked to submit extra files. If asked, then give it in the option where it is asking to submit. The rest procedure will be notified to you online.

So, these are the things that you need to follow for applying online.

Read More: Important Guideline and Information on Retroactive Child Support

Mutual Written Contracts

To break a marriage is a very tough job for everyone and especially for those who have children. Eventually, when a marriage fails, every parent’s primary concern is how they will deal with child support. Often many guardians make a mutual decision by not going to court. This type of contract is known as a domestic agreement.

It is usually the best one. So, the child must also agree on it as the parents will make the right decision. Also, going to court is expensive, takes a lot of time, and is too hectic for families.

So the mutual decision is the best if you can both take a decision mutually. But to stay on the safe side, it is better to create a contract with both parents’ signatures on it in case of a joint decision.

This contract must be listed under the family responsibility office, which will impose funding compulsion as they do for the court’s commands. So, it will make the process easy for you and will help if you face any problems.

Related Article: Child Benefits and How They Can Impact Spousal Support

Court Application

If you cannot take a mutual decision or don’t want to take one mutually, then it is better to go to court instead. As we see, many parents cannot agree upon a joint decision. Hence, for getting a child support command from the court, both of you or anyone can appeal for it.

You can apply under the Family Law Act by providing all the required documents to the court. The juries will then decide the amount and who will get power based on the child support rules. In almost all cases, the juries are advised to follow the rules for deciding the amount, which comprises the following three key issues,

  • Noncustodial parent yearly income
  • The number of kids appropriate for child support
  • The area or zone where the noncustodial parent lives

Generally, these conditions are taken into consideration for making the right decision and for calculating the amount. Still, juries often command a single parent to bear the children’s cost until s/he reaches adulthood due to some exceptions.

Therefore, these are the 3 ways of applying for child support. You can follow any one of the above.

Imposing Child Support

Whichever method you choose, either online or in court, it will be filed in the family responsibility office automatically. As the FRO is responsible for aiding the families in getting the support, they are authorized to. Such as, they do it by gathering, allocating, and imposing the child support expenses.

They also decide how the payment will be given and obtained, like, once a month via direct payment. Also, if child support expenses are not made properly, then the FRO has the right to collect the due money from the paying parent.  They can use various means like:

  • They can send a written notice to the paying parent for paying the due amount.
  • They can check the bank’s financial information to see whether they are facing any problem for which they are not paying.
  • The extreme step they can take is to suspend the driving license, passport, or other civic licenses of the paying parent if he didn’t respond even after the given notice.

Hence, these are the steps the family responsibility office usually takes for collecting the due amount from the paying parent. Also, If both of you don’t want the payments via the FRO, then you can easily withdraw them by applying.

When is Child Support Terminated?

It must be provided until a kid reaches the age of 18. Still, there are some conditions following which the obligation to pay child support automatically ends. They are,

  • The child gets married before 18.
  • The child willingly doesn’t want any child support.

There are also some exceptions in some children where even after turning 18, you need to pay. These special conditions are,

  • The children cannot take care of themselves due to some deadly disease.
  • S/He is a special child.
  • The child is away from home for study purposes. In a case like this, you need to pay until s/he turns 22 or completes his or her degree. But if the jury decides you need to pay until 18, you can stop paying after he reaches 18.

Conclusion

I hope this article helped you to know how to apply for child support. Child support is the right of your children. Your child has no hand in your separations. So, both of you should try to give the same love and care that s/he deserves.

As it doesn’t matter with whom the child lives, s/he will have the same feelings for both. Hence, please don’t consider it a burden or pressure; instead, try to pay it properly for your child’s wellbeing.

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