Is child support taxable in Quebec?
Short answer
No. In Quebec, child support is not deductible for the parent who pays it and does not have to be reported as income by the parent who receives it.
In detail
JuridiQC places among the myths the idea that child support is tax deductible: the paying parent cannot deduct it, and the parent who receives it does not include it in their income.
This matters for the calculation itself: the amounts in the schedule are set taking that tax treatment into account. Support should therefore not be increased or reduced “to make up for taxes”.
Be careful not to confuse this with support between former spouses, which follows different tax rules, or with child credits and allowances, which have their own eligibility criteria.
What to document
The annual statement of amounts paid or received, and your notices of assessment. If Revenu Québec (Quebec's revenue agency) administers your file, keep the statements from the collection program: they are the official record of the amounts and the dates.
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
Related questions
- Until what age do you have to pay child support?
- How do you get child support changed?
- My ex is not paying child support — what do I do?
- Do I have to give my income information to my ex every year?
- Can I ask for child support if the other parent lives abroad?
See all the answers · the full guide collection · Lire en français
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.