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The Federal Child Support Guidelines:
Step-by-Step
Step 3: determine the parenting arrangement
You must decide which type of parenting arrangement you have before you calculate the amount of child support.
The guidelines use the following three terms to describe parenting arrangements. Please read these descriptions carefully as they may be different than the term you use to describe your parenting arrangement, or they may be different from how your provincial or territorial laws describe parenting arrangements.
Shared custody
In shared custody situations, a child lives at least 40 percent of the time with each parent over the course of a year.
Split custody
Split custody is possible when there are two or more children. Split custody describes an arrangement where each parent has custody of one or more of the children, which means:
- one or more children live with one parent more than 60 percent of the time in the year, and
- one or more children live with the other parent more than 60 percent of the time in the year.
Sole custody
This is where all children live with one parent more than 60 percent of the time over the course of a year.
Shared custody example
If Patrick and Michelle agree that the children will live with Patrick 55 percent of the time and with Michelle the rest of the time, they will have a shared custody arrangement.
Split custody example
If Patrick and Michelle agree that two of the children will live with Patrick more than 60 percent of the time, and the other child will live with Michelle more than 60 percent of the time, they will have a split custody arrangement.
Sole custody example
If all three children live with Patrick more than 60 percent of the time, and with Michelle the rest of the time, Patrick will have a sole custody arrangement.
