Parent-reported child support arrangements, 2017

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Bianca Stumpf, Research and Statistics Division, and Kristen Nolan

July 2026

Introduction

In Canada, when parents separate or divorce, their legal duty to support their children continues; this is also known as child support. Established in 1997, the Federal Child Support Guidelines (federal guidelines) were designed with the intention of creating fair standards of support for children to ensure they continue to benefit from the financial means of both parents after separation or divorce. The federal guidelines are a set of rules and tables used to determine child support amounts. The determination of the child support payments is based on a variety of factors including the income of the parent who will pay child support (called the paying parent), the number of children involved and the province or territory in which they reside. In shared parenting time arrangements, the child support is payable by both parents. Prior to the implementation of the federal guidelines, child support lacked a legal backing and often varied across provinces and territories.^{Footnote 1}

In Canada, there are very few data sources that explore parenting arrangements and child support post-separation and divorce. The General Social Survey (GSS) on Families^{Footnote 2} was one of the only national surveys that collected these data. However, the questions on parenting arrangements and child support were removed after the 2017 survey cycle. While the last cycle of the GSS on Families was collected nine years ago, there are no published reports summarizing the data on child support arrangements, unlike previous cycles.^{Footnote 3}

This Research in Brief provides a descriptive overview of the most recent data on parent-reported child support arrangements in Canada from the GSS on Families with trend analyses where available. The report summarizes the prevalence of child support arrangements, the types of arrangements, the frequency and enforcement of child support payments, as well as the use of child support related services. Details about how child support arrangements may vary across regions and demographic characteristics are also presented where relevant.

Methodology

This Research in Brief uses data from custom tables^{Footnote 4} generated from the 2017 GSS on Families, a survey that collected detailed information on family transitions including separation and divorce, parenting experiences, parenting time, and child support arrangements. While this report focuses on the 2017 cycle of the GSS on Families, comparisons are made with the 2011 GSS on Families data to showcase trends over time.^{Footnote 5}

The target population for the 2017 GSS on Families consisted of non-institutionalized persons aged 15 years and older across the ten provinces of Canada. The final sample comprised 20,602 responses.^{Footnote 6} For the purpose of this brief, the sample was restricted to respondents who reported having experienced separation or divorce in the last 20 years and currently had at least one child aged 18 or younger from that relationship with a child support arrangement (n=4,244; 21% of the total sample). Among these parents, 40% of respondents were fathers and 60% were mothers. With respect to their place of residence, 8% lived in the Atlantic provinces, 27% in Quebec, 35% in Ontario, 19% in the Prairie provinces, and 11% in British Columbia. One in ten (10%) were 25 to 34 years old, 33% were 35 to 44, and 53% were 45 to 64, and 4% were 65 years and older.^{Footnote 7}

The 2011 GSS on Families used a similar methodology. In total, 22,435 people were included in the final sample.^{Footnote 8} When looking specifically at those who were separated or divorced, had at least one child under the age of 18 and answered the child support related questions, the sample size was reduced to 4,599 (or 20% of the total sample). Of these respondents, 47% were fathers and 53% were mothers.

Several limitations must be considered when interpreting the findings in this report. Specifically, the GSS on Families relies on self-reported information, which may be subject to recall error or social desirability bias. It is also important to remember that the survey excludes individuals living in the territories as well as residents residing in institutional settings, which further limits the generalizability of the results. Additionally, cross sectional survey designs limit the ability to draw causal inferences about change over time. Where appropriate, comparisons are made between the 2011 and 2017 cycles, however, the comparisons are not based on the same respondent pool. To mitigate this limitation, confidence intervals were used and the data were weighted to make predictions and inferences regarding the general population. Only statistically significant differences are discussed in this report.

At times, percentages are presented with an “E” symbol to indicate that they are based on a small sample size. While the percentages provided are representative of the sample size, they are less reliable when making generalizations about the population and as such, caution should be used when interpreting the data. Similarly, the “F” symbol is also used in this report to designate where percentages are too unreliable to publish. The data unreliability can be for several reasons, such as too few responses to publish, poor data quality or other technical reasons.

Findings

In 2017, almost three in four respondents provided and/or received child support payments.

In 2017, almost one-third of respondents (32% of 4,244) reported providing child support and 38% reported receiving child support. These percentages are slightly higher than the 2011 results, where 21% provided child support and 26% received child support.^{Footnote 9} A small proportion (3%^E)^{Footnote 10} in 2017 stated that they receive and provide child support. In total, about three-quarters (73%) of separated and divorced respondents with at least one child under the age of 18 reported providing and/or receiving child support, with 27% indicating that they do not provide or receive any financial support for their children.

When looking at gender, fathers represented a higher proportion of respondents who provide child support (79% in 2011 and 84% in 2017) and mothers represented a higher proportion of respondents who receive child support (91% and 91%).^{Footnote 11} The proportion of respondents who receive and/or provide child support also differed depending on how often their children lived with them in 2017. For instance, those who reported a shared parenting time arrangement, where their children lived with them 40% to 60% of the time, were significantly more likely to report receiving and providing child support (63%^E) as opposed to only receiving child support (19%^E). When the children lived with the respondent exclusively, respondents were significantly more likely to receive child support (47%) as opposed to providing child support (10%^E).

The median amount of child support provided or received was above $4,000 per year.

Respondents were asked to share the amount of child support they paid and/or received in the last 12 months preceding the survey. While the median child support amount differed depending on whether the respondent provided or received child support, the amounts were similar. In 2017, the median child support amount provided was $4,771 and the median amount received was $4,235. Between 2011 and 2017, while the median amount of child support received increased by 3% (from $4,123 in 2011), the median amount of child support provided decreased by 8% (from $5,195 in 2011). It is important to interpret these differences over time with caution, as they may be due to differences in the sample sizes and may not represent a general trend.

In 2017, the median amount of child support provided or received differed depending on the number of children the respondents had, from $3,961 received and $4,135 provided for one child, to $3,762 received and $5,469 provided for two children, and to $6,697 received and $9,518^E provided for three or more children.

Over three in four respondents provided and/or received periodic payments, with most reporting following a monthly payment schedule.

Child support payments can be provided or received in several ways (see Figure 1). Most respondents indicated that they provided and/or received child support via periodic payments in 2011 (88%) and 2017 (78%), such as weekly, biweekly or monthly payments. Over a third (35%) reported that financial support was provided and/or received for their specific children’s expenses (e.g., extracurricular activities, childcare) in 2017, a proportion slightly higher than what was reported in 2011 (24%). The remaining respondents indicated that child support was provided and/or received as a lump sum amount (5%), meaning a one-time amount paid to cover past and/or future child support obligations, or in another way (4%).^{Footnote 12} Respondents who provided or received periodic payments in 2017 were significantly more likely to report monthly payments (49% and 57%), as opposed to biweekly payments (20% and 24%). This was consistent with 2011 findings, where monthly payments (55%) were the most common child support payment schedule, followed by biweekly payments (29%).^{Footnote 13} In 2017, respondents were also significantly more likely to receive periodic payments (32%) than financial support for their children’s expenses (13%^E) when their children lived with them exclusively.

Most reported full compliance with child support payment amounts, consistent with 2011 findings.

The overall perception of compliance with child support payments in the 12 months preceding the survey was high among both providers and recipients. In 2017, respondents were significantly more likely to report that they made the payments in full (82%) and that their ex-spouse or ex-partner had made all the payments (84%), as opposed to missing all payments. The findings were similar in 2011, with 93% of respondents having made all payments and 75% of respondents having received all payments;^{Footnote 14} however, the perceptions of full compliance were more balanced in 2017.

While most respondents reported full compliance with the child support payment amounts, this did not necessarily mean that there was full compliance with the payment schedule. In 2017, over one in five (22%) of respondents who received the full amount of child support from their ex-spouse or ex-partner reported that some or all payments were late; a similar proportion was reported in 2011 (24%).^{Footnote 15} Smaller proportions reported that their ex-spouse or ex-partner missed a few payments (13% in 2011 and 8%^E in 2017) and most or all payments (8% and 7%^E). In 2017, less than one in ten (9%^E) respondents shared that they made no child support payments in the last 12 months, meaning they were in full non-compliance with their child support arrangement.

At least one in ten respondents had contacted or used government child support services.

Half (52%) of respondents with a written child support agreement reported that their arrangement was registered with a maintenance enforcement program in 2017, a proportion that remained relatively unchanged from 2011 (55%).^{Footnote 16} Maintenance enforcement programs are administered provincially and territorially to assist in the collection and enforcement of support payments. These programs collect the payments directly from the payor or from other sources, such as garnishing the payor’s wages or intercepting their tax refunds, and provide the payments to the recipients.

Another child support administrative service offered to parents are child support recalculation services, which can help them to determine child support amounts quickly outside of the court process. About one in ten (11%^E) respondents reported having contacted or used child support recalculation services in 2017. Respondents were significantly more likely to have contacted or used a child support recalculation service when their ex-spouse or ex-partner lived in a different province or territory (54%^E) compared to those who live in the same jurisdiction (9.5%^E).

Two in three respondents had a written child support agreement, which was most often prepared with assistance from a third party or ordered by the court.

In 2017, two-thirds of respondents (66%) reported that they had a written child support agreement, a higher proportion than those who indicated having a written parenting time agreement (52%). The remaining respondents reported that they had either a verbal agreement (22%) or no agreement (12%). These results are consistent with findings from 2011, as similar proportions of respondents reported having a written agreement (65%) and verbal agreement (24%).

Several factors can influence whether parents decide to write down their child support arrangement. Respondents with lower education levels (e.g., less than a high school diploma) or with lower income levels (e.g., less than $20,000) were equally as likely as those with higher education attainment and high-income levels to report having a written child support agreement in 2017. Divorced respondents, however, were significantly more likely to report having a written child support agreement in 2017 (78%) compared to respondents who were single and never married (55%). Respondents who were single and never married were significantly more likely than divorced respondents to report having a verbal agreement (33% vs.15%^E).

Written agreements can be reached in several ways. In 2017, respondents were significantly less likely to report that their written child support agreements were prepared between them and their ex-partner/ex-spouse (10%^E) compared to agreements made with assistance from a third party, such as family justice services, lawyers or mediation (47%), or through a court order (43%). This is consistent with 2011 data, as the most common ways that written agreements were reached were through the assistance of a lawyer or family justice services (58%) or court-ordered by a judge (38%).

Conclusion

This report provides a comprehensive overview of parent-reported child support arrangements in Canada, based on the 2011 and 2017 GSS on Families. In 2017, about one in three separated and divorced parents reported providing child support and another third received child support, proportions that were slightly higher than those reported in 2011. Most respondents who provided child support were fathers and most respondents who received child support were mothers. While few respondents reported both providing and receiving child support, parents with a shared parenting time arrangement were more likely to report this type of child support arrangement. This is likely because parents with shared parenting time arrangements often share costs related to their children as they are incurred or paid by one parent, as opposed to adding these costs to a monthly child support amount to determine whether they pay or receive financial support.^{Footnote 17}

In 2017, written agreements continued to be the most common type of child support agreement and these agreements continued to be most frequently reached with the assistance of lawyers and family justice services or through a court order, consistent with 2011 results. There were few statistically significant differences when looking at the type of child support agreement; the one exception was that divorced respondents were more likely to have a written child support agreement compared to single, never married respondents. This may be due, in part, to the fact that divorce is a more formal process than legal separation and as such, may encourage divorced parties to seek a written agreement while handling other divorce related issues.

Despite a six-year gap between the 2011 and 2017 GSS on Families, the median amount of child support provided and received remained comparable. While the median amount of child support provided decreased, the median amount of child support received increased slightly between 2011 and 2017. These differences may be more due to the variations in sample sizes in the two surveys and may not indicate a general trend.

Although there are many ways that financial support for the children can be provided or received, in 2017, parents continued to report that periodic payments were the most common way, with financial support for the children’s expenses (e.g., extracurricular activities, childcare) as the second most common way. Consistent with 2011 findings, following a monthly payment schedule was more common than biweekly payments. Additionally, the overall perception of compliance with child support payments continued to be high in 2017, with most respondents reporting that the payments were made or received in full. A small proportion reported that the payments were late or missed. While the continued compliance with child support amounts points to a positive trend, this report could not capture whether compliance was higher as a result of enrolment in a maintenance enforcement program. Survey results did, however, show that half of respondents had a child support arrangement registered with a maintenance enforcement program, which may have contributed to the higher compliance rates reported.

Overall, the findings presented in this report show that there were few differences between the 2011 and 2017 GSS on Families, pointing to stable trends in child support over time. The 2017 cycle of the GSS on Families marked the last time these data were collected, meaning there are no more recent data on parent-reported child support arrangements. While there are some data on child support cases in family courts,^{Footnote 18} the discontinuation of child support questions in the GSS on Families (renamed as the Survey on Family Transitions) points to a large data gap that continues to grow as the 2017 data become older. Future research on separated and divorced parents and their child support arrangements will need to consider how best to address this gap, whether through new survey initiatives, the use of administrative or court data, or integrated data sources that can continue to inform evidence-based policy and practice.

For more information, please contact:
Rsd-drs@justice.gc.ca

Parent-reported child support arrangements, 2017
J2-602/2026E-PDF
ISBN: 978-0-662-44275-2