2025 Amendments to the Federal Child Support Tables – Out With the Old, In With the New
The Federal Child Support Guidelines and many provincial/territorial Child Support Guidelines, were amended as of October 1, 2025, specifically to update the Child Support Tables.[1] These amendments have important and significant impacts on current and future child support payors and child support recipients in Canada. This blog examines the changes to the Tables and its impact on child support payors and recipients in Ontario pursuant to the Federal Child Support Guidelines and Tables and the Ontario Child Support Guidelines and Tables (collectively referred to in this blog as the “Guidelines” and “Tables”).
The Guidelines set out child support obligations using a well-established mathematical formula that takes into account federal and provincial tax rules applicable to the payor and the recipient, reflecting parents’ capacity to pay child support. Parties with children who were married and are separated or divorced must use the Federal Guidelines. Parties with children who are not married and were not married, must use the provincial/territorial Guidelines in the province/territory in which the child(ren) reside. Most provincial and territorial guidelines include tables that reflect the Federal Tables. The Tables are generally amended every 5 years or where there are changes to tax regimes that have a major impact on the Tables. The Tables were amended in 2006, 2011 and 2017, and were due to be amended in 2022, but this amendment was postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant pressure the pandemic placed on families and the family justice system.[2]
The Tables amended as of October 1, 2025 replace the 2017 Tables,[3] and will remain in effect until further amendments (the “2025 Amendment”). The 2025 Amendment uses the same mathematical formula as the 2017 Tables, but as a result of recent tax changes, the child support payable has increased or decreased depending on the income of the payor.[4]
Impact across income groups in Ontario
To assess the change to child support payable as a result of the 2025 Amendment, we assessed the child support payable across income groups. A review of the Table child support payable for a family with three children where a payor spouse has a low income ($16,000 to $18,000), a middle income ($83,000 to $85,000), a high income ($148,000 to $150,000) and a very high income ($350,000 to $352,000) demonstrates that parents with low income will pay less child support under the 2025 Amendment as compared to the 2017 Tables, middle income earners will pay approximately the same child support, high income earners will pay slightly more child support, and very high-income earners will pay significantly more child support.
The 2025 Amendment also creates a new threshold level of income, below which no child support amount is payable. In the 2017 Tables, the threshold was set at $12,000. The 2025 Amendment increases the threshold to $16,000, correlating with an increase in the federal basic personal amount from $11,424 to $15,000.[5] After October 1, 2025, a parent with an income below $16,000 will have a basic Tables child support amount of $0.
An analysis of the difference in payments between the 2017 Tables and the 2025 Amendment is set out below:
Those with income levels in the mid-range of the Tables are generally unaffected by the 2025 Amendment, and will continue to pay child support amounts similar to those under the 2017 Tables:
In contrast, for parents with higher incomes, we found an increase in child support amounts of approximately 3%:
For those who earn incomes above $350,000, the increase in child support is approximately 4%:
Impact on payors and recipients of existing agreements and orders
What if a party is already paying child support pursuant to an existing agreement or court order? Does the child support payable automatically increase/decrease as of October 1, 2025?
The short answer is no – child support is not automatically varied. A party seeking a change to child support pursuant to the 2025 Amendment must either enter into a new child support agreement or obtain a court order. If either party seeks a variation to the quantum of child support payable based on the 2025 Amendment, they are likely to be successful. The Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement published by the Department of Justice Canada confirms that the coming into force of the 2025 Amendment constitutes grounds for a variation of child support payable pursuant to a court Order for child support made in accordance with the Tables .[6]
If you are paying or receiving Table child support pursuant to an existing agreement or court order, it is important to consider whether the 2025 Amendment materially impacts the child support payable and whether it is worthwhile to seek a variation to the quantum of child support payable in accordance with the 2025 Amendment. Based on the comparison above, it is likely that payors who are low-income earners will have an incentive to seek a variation, as will recipients of child support where the payor is a high or very high-income earner. Where a payor's income falls within the middle range of those listed in the Tables, the cost of obtaining a variation may not be worthwhile, considering the minimal increase in child support.
Parents and family law professionals must consider the 2025 Amendment and the changes to Table child support when negotiating or litigating the issue of child support, to ensure that children’s needs and living costs are met in today's economic environment. If child support payable was calculated pre-October 1, 2025, those calculations may need to be revised for future negotiations/litigation.
Impact on retroactive Table child support
How does the 2025 Amendment affect retroactive child support? Do the 2017 Tables or the 2025 Amendment apply in calculating retroactive child support?
It depends on when retroactive child support is owed – if retroactive child support is owed between November 22, 2017 and September 30, 2025, the 2017 Tables apply. If retroactive child support is owed from October 1, 2025 onwards, the 2025 Amendment applies.[7]
Additional considerations may support a variation irrespective of the 2025 Amendment. Parents paying or receiving child support pursuant to an existing agreement or court order may wish to consult a lawyer about whether a variation is necessary or worthwhile.
[1] Guidelines Amending the Federal Child Support Guidelines: SOR/2025-166, SOR/2025-166.
[2] Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, SOR/2025-166, Canada Gazette, Part II, vol. 159, No. 19, August 28, 2025.
[3] Federal Child Support Guidelines, SOR/97-175 as it appeared on September 15, 2025.
[4] Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, SOR/2025-166, Canada Gazette, Part II, vol. 159, No. 19, August 28, 2025.
[5] Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, SOR/2025-166, Canada Gazette, Part II, vol. 159, No. 19, August 28, 2025.
[6] Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, SOR/2025-166, Canada Gazette, Part II, vol. 159, No. 19, August 28, 2025.
[7] Department of Justice Canada, “Frequently Asked Questions - 2025 update to the Federal Child Support Tables” (1 October 2025), online.