Child Support (return to list)

Pilot Study of Child Support

Official Title: The Survey of Child Support Awards: Final Analysis of Pilot Data and Recommendations for Continued Data Collection. Research Report CSR-1999-2E

Authors:
Joseph P. Hornick, Ph.D. Canadian Institute for Law and the Family
Lorne D Bertrand, Ph.D. Canadian Institute for Law and the Family
Nicholas M.C. Bala, B.A.,LL.M. Faculty of Law, Queen's University
The Canadian Institute for Law and the Family is located within the Law building at the University of Calgary.

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Summary of Findings

• 8,233 cases from 13 places (covering 11 of Canada's 13 juridictions) were examined (only Quebec and Nunavut were missed)
• Mothers had legal representation in 74.2 percent of cases, Fathers in 59.0 percent
  This may indicate fathers are poorer or have difficulty getting legal aid compared to mothers
• Restriction on Access were not recorded properly.
• The father was the payer in 94.3% of cases
• Most cases (76.6%) did not specify when support would end. 11.9% included cost of living clauses.
• 31.2% were awarded extraordinary expenses. Most common were extracurricular activities, medical/dental insurance premiums, child care. The amount ordered increases with income and if sole custody was ordered.
  If you are familiar with the development of the formulas, you know that these costs and more were already included in the formula amount

• 	Avg(Mean)	Median	Min	Max
  Payor's Income	$41,486	$34,725	$0	$3,322,592
  Payee's Income	$23,929	$21,093	$0	$357,500
  Monthly Child Support	$563	$413	$1	$14,200
  Monthly Spousal Support	$1,124	$675	$1	$20,000

  Note that monthly support amounts are after taxes, while income is before taxes.