In shared custody is there still child support?
Short answer
Yes. In Quebec, shared custody does not eliminate child support: the parent with the higher income generally pays support to offset the gap between the two parents' incomes.
In detail
JuridiQC expressly lists this belief among the myths: “Shared custody means no child support — FALSE”. The reasoning is straightforward: support exists so that the child has a comparable standard of living in both homes. If incomes are very different, an equal split of time is not enough to equalize the means each parent has available for the child.
The calculation in shared custody takes each parent's custody time into account: each parent's contribution is established first, then adjusted according to the time actually spent at one home and at the other. Shared custody corresponds to a split of time between 40% and 60%, that is, roughly 146 to 219 days per year.
If both parents' incomes are similar and custody time is equivalent, the amount can be nil or very small. But that follows from the calculation, not from an automatic rule.
What to document
A precise count of the overnights or custody days over a full year, including school breaks, vacations and one-off exchanges. A disagreement of a few days can tip the percentage from one category into another. Also keep both parents' income for each year involved.
Put your facts in writing, free. Writing your version down early, keeping your documents dated and preparing your questions for a lawyer: the tool is there to document, never to advise.
Open the application Up to 3 files, no card · see the plans
Official sources
- JuridiQC — True or false about child support
- Gouvernement du Québec — Principles applied in determining custody of a child
Related questions
- Can we agree that there will be no child support?
- Can I stop paying support if my ex prevents me from seeing my child?
- Is child support taxable in Quebec?
- Until what age do you have to pay child support?
- How do you get child support changed?
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What this page is not
This is general legal information about the law of Quebec and Canada, dated and sourced. It is not legal advice, not a strategy, and not a prediction about the outcome of a case. In Quebec, only lawyers and notaries may give legal advice (Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, ss. 128 and 133). Laws and amounts change: the official source always prevails over us.