Child Support Arrears: Difference between revisions

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When a person who is obliged to pay child support fails to meet some or all of that obligation, a debt begins to accumulate and the amount owing is called the payor's ''arrears'' of support.  
When a person who is obliged to pay child support fails to pay all of the child support they are required to pay, a debt begins to accumulate. The debt owing is called the payor's ''arrears'' of child support.  


People generally have two different goals when arrears begin to mount up: the person responsible for paying support likely wants the court to reduce or cancel the arrears, while the person receiving the support will want the court to force the payor to pay what's owing.
People generally have two different goals when arrears begin to mount up. The person responsible for paying support, the ''payor'', likely wants the court to reduce or cancel the arrears, while the person receiving support, the ''recipient'', will want the court to force the payor to pay what's owing.


This section provides an introduction to the problem of child support arrears. It also discusses the reduction and cancellation of arrears and the collection of arrears.
This section provides an introduction to the problem of child support arrears. It also discusses the reduction and cancellation of arrears and how arrears are collected.


==Introduction==
==Introduction==


If child support is owed under a court order or an agreement, a failure to pay the support owing is a breach of that order or agreement, and, in the case of orders, it's contempt of court as well. The courts and society as a whole place a high value on the financial support of children, and both take an extremely dim view of anyone who defaults on such an obligation in the absence of a very good excuse or some very compelling circumstances.
If child support is owed under a court order or an agreement, a failure to pay the support owing is a breach of that order or agreement, and, in the case of orders, it's contempt of court as well. The courts, and society as a whole, place a high value on the financial support of children, and both take an extremely dim view of anyone who defaults on such an obligation in the absence of a very good excuse or some very compelling circumstances.


A person who owes arrears of child support, a ''payor'', will likely be interested in the ways that the outstanding amount can be reduced, while a person to whom support is owing, a ''recipient'', will be interested in collecting on the arrears.  
Someone who owes arrears of child support, the ''payor'', will likely be interested in the ways that the outstanding amount can be reduced, while a person to whom support is owing, the ''recipient'', will be interested in collecting the arrears. Someone who owes arrears will generally have a difficult time convincing the court to reduce their debt. On the other hand, collecting arrears can be difficult as well, if for no other reason than you can't get blood from a stone. Unless the payor has another source of funds to draw upon, a recipient may discover that the outstanding support may never be recovered.


A person who owes arrears will generally have a difficult time convincing the court to forgive all or some of his or her debt. On the other hand, collecting arrears can be difficult as well, if for no other reason than the fact that you can't get blood from a stone. Unless the payor has another source of funds to draw upon, a recipient may discover that the outstanding support will never be recovered.
Despite these challenges, it is possible for a payor to have their arrears reduced and, sometimes, cancelled altogether. At the same time, recipients have <span class="noglossary">access</span> to some very powerful and effective enforcement tools to collect outstanding arrears of support.


Despite these barriers and obstacles, it is possible for a payor to have his or her arrears reduced and, sometimes, cancelled altogether. At the same time, recipients have access to some very powerful and effective enforcement tools to collect outstanding arrears of support.
===Orders for child support===


===Orders for support===
Orders for the payment of child support are enforceable like any other order of the court. Someone who breaches a Supreme Court order can be punished for contempt of court. As well, under the ''[[Family Law Act]]'', both the Supreme Court and the Provincial Court can require the payor to:


Orders for the payment of child support are enforceable like any other order of the court. Someone who breaches a Supreme Court order can be punished for contempt of court. As well, under the ''[[Family Law Act]]'', the Supreme Court and the Provincial Court can:
*provide security for their compliance with the court order, in other words, pay an amount of money into the court which the court will hold to guarantee the payment of child support,
*pay any expenses incurred by the recipient as a result of the payor's failure to pay child support,
*pay up to $5,000 for the benefit of another party or a child whose interests were affected by the payor's failure to pay child support, or
*pay up to $5,000 as a fine.


#require the payor to provide security for his or her compliance with the court order,
If nothing else works to ensure that the payor complies with the child support order, the court can also jail the payor for up to 30 days.
#pay any expenses incurred by the recipient as a result of the payor's actions,
#pay up to $5,000 for the benefit of another party or a child whose interests were affected by the payor's actions,
#pay up to $5,000 as a fine, or,
#if nothing else will ensure the payor's compliance with the order, jail the payor for up to 30 days.


Unfortunately for people who would rather be jailed than pay, s. 231(3)(c) says that:
Unfortunately for people who would rather be jailed than pay, section 231(3)(c) of the ''Family Law Act'' says that:


<blockquote><tt>imprisonment of a person under this section does not discharge any duties of the person owing under an order</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>imprisonment of a person under this section does not discharge any duties of the person owing under an order.</tt></blockquote>


Since orders for support require the payment of money, arrears can also be enforced as a judgment debt under the provincial ''[http://canlii.ca/t/84h5 Court Order Enforcement Act]'' for up to 10 years after the monthly payment of support is no longer required, often when the child reaches the age of majority.
Since orders for support require the payment of money, arrears can also be enforced as a "judgment debt" under the provincial ''[https://canlii.ca/t/84h5 Court Order Enforcement Act]''. They can also be enforced under the ''[https://canlii.ca/t/840m Family Maintenance Enforcement Act]'', and section 3(1)(l) of the act says that there is no time limit within which child support arrears must be enforced.


Payors can apply for an order reducing arrears that have accumulated under a court order under both the ''[[Divorce Act]]'' and the ''[[Family Law Act]]''. Such applications must be made using the act under which the support order was made.
Payors can apply for an order reducing arrears that have accumulated under both the ''[[Divorce Act]]'' and the ''Family Law Act''. Applications like these must be made under the same legislation under which the original child support order was made.


===Agreements for support===
===Agreements for child support===


Arrears that have accumulated under a separation agreement are owed as a result of a contractual obligation to provide support. A separation agreement is a contract that can be enforced in the courts just like any other contract.
Arrears that have accumulated under a separation agreement are owed because of the promises each party made to the other when they signed the agreement. A separation agreement is a contract that can be enforced in court, just like any other contract.


Agreements for support are most easily enforced by filing them in court, after which they can be enforced as if they were court orders. Although agreements can still be enforced under the law of contracts, it's a lot simpler to file them in court. Section 148(2) of the ''[[Family Law Act]]'' says:
Agreements for support are most easily enforced by filing them in court. Once they are filed in court, agreements can be enforced as if they are court orders. (Although agreements can still be enforced under the law of contracts, it's a lot simpler to file them in court and take care of it that way.) Section 148(2) of the ''[[Family Law Act]]'' says:


<blockquote><tt>A written agreement respecting child support that is filed in the court is enforceable under this Act and the ''Family Maintenance Enforcement Act'' as if it were an order of the court.</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>A written agreement respecting child support that is filed in the court is enforceable under this Act and the ''Family Maintenance Enforcement Act'' as if it were an order of the court.</tt></blockquote>


As a result, the Supreme Court and the Provincial Court can:
Payors can apply under section 174 of the ''Family Law Act'' for an order reducing arrears that have accumulated under an agreement that has been filed in court just like they can for arrears accumulating under an order.


#require the payor to provide security for his or her compliance with the agreement,
===The BC Family Maintenance Agency===
#pay any expenses incurred by the recipient as a result of the payor's actions,
#pay up to $5,000 for the benefit of another party or a child whose interests were affected by the payor's actions,
#pay up to $5,000 as a fine, or
#if nothing else will ensure the payor's compliance with the agreement, jail the payor for up to 30 days.


Payors can apply under s. 174 of the ''Family Law Act'' for an order reducing arrears that have accumulated under an agreement that has been filed in court just like they can for arrears accumulating under an order.
Although recipients can enforce agreements and orders for child support on their own, most of the time recipients will give that job to the [https://www.bcfma.ca/ BC Family Maintenance Agency], which has taken over the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program. BCFMA is the new name for FMEP, however the older name is still in common use. This is a provincial government program under the provincial ''[https://canlii.ca/t/840m Family Maintenance Enforcement Act]'' that tracks payments that are owing and those that are paid, calculates the interest owing on payments that are not made, and can impose fines when payments aren't made.  


===The Family Maintenance Enforcement Program===
BCFMA is a free service for recipients. Its purpose is to enforce the payment of child support and children's special expenses and extraordinary expenses, although the enforcement of special expenses and extraordinary expenses through BCFMA isn't exactly straightforward. You should contact BCFMA to ask what they can or cannot do about enforcing agreements and orders about the payment of children's special expenses and extraordinary expenses. 


Although recipients can enforce orders and agreements for child support on their own, most of the time recipients will give that job to the [http://www.fmep.gov.bc.ca/ Family Maintenance Enforcement Program (FMEP)]. This a provincial government program under the provincial ''[http://canlii.ca/t/840m Family Maintenance Enforcement Act]'' which has been contracted out to an American company, Maximus (Themis) ― not that you'd know this from the government website.  
It's important to know that BCFMA can't change agreements and orders about child support. While it can make important, judge-like decisions about who is and isn't entitled to receive child support when children are 19 years old or older, BCFMA can't increase or decrease the amount of a child support obligation and it can't reduce or cancel arrears of child support.  


FMEP is a free service for recipients that is largely funded by late fees and penalties charged to delinquent payors.
It's also important to know that payors who want to apply to court to reduce or cancel arrears of child support accumulating under an agreement or order that's been filed with BCFMA must serve BCFMA, as well as the recipient, with their application. BCFMA does not help recipients respond to applications to change support orders, set aside agreements, or reduce or cancel arrears. You'll have to do that on your own. But from the recipient's perspective, just having BCFMA take over enforcement of the order or agreement can be a huge relief.


FMEP has no discretion to change the orders and agreements that are filed with it for enforcement, although it will make important, judge-like decisions about who is and isn't entitled to receive child support. FMEP cannot increase or decrease the amount of a child support obligation and it cannot reduce or cancel arrears of child support.
==Reducing and cancelling arrears==


==The reduction and cancellation of arrears==
Payors may apply to court to have their arrears of child support cancelled or reduced. When arrears are ''cancelled'', the debt is wiped out and the payor no longer owes money to the recipient for their past child support obligation, and any obligation they may have to contribute to the cost of the children's special expenses and extraordinary expenses. When arrears are ''reduced'', there's still a debt owing to the recipient but the amount of the debt has been reduced to a smaller amount.


Payors may apply to court to have their arrears cancelled or reduced; technically, this is in some ways an application to vary the order or agreement for child support under which the arrears accumulated rather than an independent order about the arrears.
===Arrears under the ''Divorce Act''===


===Arrears under the ''Divorce Act''===
Making an application to cancel or reduce arrears of child support is much the same kind of application as an application to change a child support order where the ''[[Divorce Act]]'' is involved. Like applications to change a child support order, applications to reduce or cancel arrears are made under section 17 of the act.


Section 17 of the ''Divorce Act'' says this about varying orders for child support:
Section 17 of the ''Divorce Act'' says this about varying orders for spousal support:


<blockquote><tt>(1) A court of competent jurisdiction may make an order varying, rescinding or suspending, prospectively or retroactively,</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(1) A court of competent jurisdiction may make an order varying, rescinding or suspending, prospectively or retroactively,</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><blockquote><tt>(a) a support order or any provision thereof on application by either or both former spouses; or</tt></blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote><blockquote><tt>(a) a support order or any provision thereof on application by either or both former spouses; ...</tt></blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote><blockquote><tt>(b) a custody order or any provision thereof on application by either or both former spouses or by any other person.</tt></blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(3) The court may include in a variation order any provision that under this Act could have been included in the order in respect of which the variation order is sought. ...</Tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(3) The court may include in a variation order any provision that under this Act could have been included in the order in respect of which the variation order is sought.</Tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(4) Before the court makes a variation order in respect of a child support order, the court shall satisfy itself that a change of circumstances as provided for in the applicable guidelines has occurred since the making of the child support order or the last variation order made in respect of that order. ...</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(4) Before the court makes a variation order in respect of a child support order, the court shall satisfy itself that a change of circumstances as provided for in the applicable guidelines has occurred since the making of the child support order or the last variation order made in respect of that order.</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(6.1) A court making a variation order in respect of a child support order shall do so in accordance with the applicable guidelines.</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(6.1) A court making a variation order in respect of a child support order shall do so in accordance with the applicable guidelines.</tt></blockquote>


The ''[[Divorce Act]]'' does not deal expressly with arrears; applications under the act to reduce arrears are simply variation applications. The test the court will apply is similar to the test it applies for orders made under the ''[[Family Law Act]]''.
The ''Divorce Act'' doesn't talk about arrears specifically. The test the court will apply is similar to the test it applies for orders under the ''[[Family Law Act]]''. It is difficult to persuade the court to reduce or cancel arrears, as you'll see in the next section.


===Arrears under the ''Family Law Act''===
===Arrears under the ''Family Law Act''===


Unlike the ''Divorce Act'', the ''Family Law Act'' deals with the question of arrears directly. Section 174(1) of the act says this:
Unlike the ''Divorce Act'', the ''[[Family Law Act]]'' does talk about arrears, and the test to reduce or cancel arrears of child support is ''not'' the same as the test to simply change an agreement or order for child support. Section 174 of the act says this:


<blockquote><tt>(1) On application, a court may reduce or cancel arrears owing under an agreement or order respecting child support or spousal support if satisfied that it would be grossly unfair not to reduce or cancel the arrears.</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(1) On application, a court may reduce or cancel arrears owing under an agreement or order respecting child support or spousal support if satisfied that it would be grossly unfair not to reduce or cancel the arrears.</tt></blockquote>
Line 95: Line 86:
<blockquote><tt>(4) If a court cancels arrears under this section, the court may cancel interest that has accrued, under section 11.1 of the ''Family Maintenance Enforcement Act'', on the cancelled arrears if satisfied that it would be grossly unfair not to cancel the accrued interest.</tt></blockquote>
<blockquote><tt>(4) If a court cancels arrears under this section, the court may cancel interest that has accrued, under section 11.1 of the ''Family Maintenance Enforcement Act'', on the cancelled arrears if satisfied that it would be grossly unfair not to cancel the accrued interest.</tt></blockquote>


A similar section of the old ''Family Relations Act'' was described as a "complete code" regarding the reduction or cancellation of arrears under that act, meaning that the only ground on which a court could reduce or cancel arrears was "gross unfairness," as set out in s. 96(2). I expect the courts will take the same approach to s. 174 of the ''[[Family Law Act]]''.
A similar section of the old ''Family Relations Act'', the law before the ''Family Law Act'', was described as a "complete code" regarding the reduction or cancellation of arrears under that act, meaning that the only ground on which a court could reduce or cancel arrears was "gross unfairness," as set out in section 96(2) of the old act. The courts have taken the same approach to section 174 of the ''Family Law Act''.
 
The courts have interpreted "gross unfairness" under the ''Family Law Act'' to mean that the payor is not only incapable of repaying the arrears but is also unlikely to be able to repay them in the foreseeable future without suffering severe financial hardship. If you are asking the court to make an order reducing arrears, you must be prepared to prove that it would be not just "unfair," but ''grossly'' unfair for you to have to pay off the arrears. The leading case that describes the legal principles about cancelling arrears is a 1999 case called ''[https://canlii.ca/t/1d20m Earle v. Earle]'', 1999 CanLII 6914 (BC SC), in which the court said this:
 
<blockquote><tt>"There is a heavy duty on the person asking for a reduction or a cancellation of arrears to show that there has been a significant and long lasting change in circumstances. Arrears will not be reduced or cancelled unless it is grossly unfair not to do so."</tt></blockquote>


The courts have interpreted "gross unfairness" under the ''Family Relations Act'' to mean that the payor is not only incapable of repaying the arrears but is also unlikely to be able to repay them in the foreseeable future without suffering severe financial hardship. If you are asking the court to make an order of reducing arrears, you must be prepared to prove that it would be not just unfair but grossly unfair for you to have to pay off the arrears, and you must be prepared to address the criteria set out in s. 174(2):
You must be prepared to address the criteria set out in section 174(2) of the ''Family Law Act'':


*What efforts have you made to pay the child support you were required to pay?
*What efforts have you made to pay the child support you were required to pay?
*Why did you wait until arrears had accumulated before you tried to vary the child support order?
*Why did you wait until arrears had accumulated before you tried to vary the child support order?
*Why can you not pay your arrears now?
*Why can you not pay your arrears now?
*Are there any other circumstances, such as catastrophic business losses or the unintended loss of your employment, changes in the children's residence, or new financial obligations in relation to your family that the court should take into account?
*Are there any other circumstances, such as catastrophic business losses or the unintended loss of your employment, changes in the children's residence, or new financial obligations in relation to your family that the court should take into <span class="noglossary">account</span>?


Be prepared to provide to the court a financial statement summarizing all of your assets and income, liabilities and expenses, if you intend to show the court that you cannot pay your arrears. Complete financial disclosure is absolutely essential.
Be prepared to provide a court form called a financial statement, Form F8 in the Supreme Court and Form 4 in the Provincial Court, that summarizes all of your assets and debts, and income and expenses, if you intend to show the court that you cannot pay your arrears. Complete financial disclosure is absolutely essential.


==Collecting arrears of support==
==Collecting arrears of support==
The collection of debts and enforcement of judgments occupies a whole course at law school and is not a simple matter. Fortunately, the BC Family Maintenance Agency was established to take on collection and enforcement of support orders or agreements. Someone who is entitled to receive child support or spousal support under an agreement or order can sign up with this program and the BCFMA will tend to the enforcement of the agreement or order without a great deal of further involvement on the part of the recipient.


The collection of debts and enforcement of judgments occupies a whole course at law school and is not a simple matter. The provincial government has, however, established an agency responsible for enforcing support obligations, the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program. Someone entitled to receive support under an order or agreement can sign up with this program and the program will tend to the enforcement support without a great deal of further involvement on the part of the recipient.
BCFMA is free for recipients. All you have to do is file your agreement or order with the program and fill out an application form. (Agreements about child support must be filed in court first.) BCFMA will take the matter from there, and the program is authorized by the ''[https://canlii.ca/t/840m Family Maintenance Enforcement Act]'' to take whatever legal steps may be required to enforce an ongoing support obligation, and track and collect on any unpaid support and the interest accumulating on any unpaid support.
 
FMEP is free for recipients. All you have to do is file your order or filed separation agreement with the program and fill out an application form. FMEP will take the matter from there, and the program is authorized by the ''[http://canlii.ca/t/840m Family Maintenance Enforcement Act]'' to take whatever legal steps are required to enforce an ongoing support obligation, and track and collect on any outstanding arrears, plus interest accumulating on those arrears.


Under the ''[http://canlii.ca/t/840m Family Maintenance Enforcement Act]'', FMEP has the authority to commence and conduct any court proceedings that can be undertaken by a private creditor, as well as some unique actions that the program alone can take. Among FMEP's collection powers are:
The ''Family Maintenance Enforcement Act'' gives BCFMA a lot power to collect child support. The program can start and manage all of the court proceedings that can be undertaken by a private creditor, as well as some unique actions that the program alone can take. BCFMA can also:


#garnishing the payor's wages,
*garnish the payor's wages,
#collecting from a corporation wholly owned by the payor,
*collect from a corporation wholly owned by the payor,
#redirecting federal and provincial payments owed to the payor, like GST or income tax rebates, to the recipient,
*redirect federal and provincial payments owed to the payor, like GST or income tax rebates, to the recipient,
#prohibiting a payor from renewing his or her driver's licence,
*prohibit a payor from renewing their driver's licence,
#directing the RCMP to seize a payor's passport,
*direct the federal government to refuse to issue a new passport to the payor or suspend the payor's current passport,
#registering a lien against personal property and real property owned by the payor, and
*register a lien against either personal property or real property, or both, owned by the payor, and
#obtaining an order for the payor's arrest.
*get an order for the payor's arrest.


While it is possible to undertake collection or enforcement proceedings on your own, this will cost money and time and possibly require you to hire a lawyer and bear that expense as well. Since any private collection efforts you might take may interfere with efforts being made on your behalf by FMEP, recipients enrolled with FMEP are required to obtain the permission of the program's director before they can take independent enforcement actions.
While it is possible to make collection or enforcement efforts on your own, this will cost money and time and possibly require you to hire a lawyer and bear that expense as well. Since any private collection efforts you might take may interfere with efforts being made by BCFMA, recipients enrolled with BCFMA are required to get the permission of the program's director before they take independent enforcement steps.


More information about enforcing orders can be found in the page [[Enforcing Orders in Family Matters]]  and at the website of the [http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/fcy-fea/sup-pen/enf-exe/index.html Department of Justice], which includes a helpful overview of support enforcement mechanisms in Canada.
You can find more information about enforcing orders at the website of the [https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/fl-df/enforce-execution/index.html Department of Justice], which includes a helpful overview of support enforcement mechanisms in Canada.


===Separation agreements===
===Separation agreements===


Section 148(3) of the ''[[Family Law Act]]'' allows a party to an agreement, usually a separation agreement, to file the agreement in the Provincial Court or in the Supreme Court. An agreement that is filed in court can be enforced as if it were an order of the court. It is not necessary for a court proceeding to have been started before an agreement can be filed in court.
Section 148(3) of the ''[[Family Law Act]]'' allows a party to an agreement, usually a separation agreement, to file the agreement in the Provincial Court or in the Supreme Court. An agreement that is filed in court can be enforced as if it were an order of the court. It is not necessary for a court proceeding to have been started before an agreement can be filed in court, nor is it necessary that the agreement be a British Columbia agreement.  


FMEP will enforce agreements for support, however they require that an original copy of the agreement be filed in court and sent to them with the court's stamp before they can enforce the agreement.
BCFMA will enforce agreements for support, however they require that the agreement be filed in court first, and sent to them, with the court's stamp, before they can enforce the agreement.


More information about enforcing agreements can be found in the chapter on [[Family Law Agreements]], in particular the page on [[Enforcing Family Law Agreements]].
You can find more information about enforcing agreements in the chapter [[Family Law Agreements]], in particular within the section [[Enforcing Family Law Agreements]].


===Orders made outside British Columbia===
===Orders made outside British Columbia===


Section 20 of the ''[[Divorce Act]]'' says that an order made in a divorce action has legal effect throughout Canada. It also provides that such an order may be filed in the courts of any province and be enforced as if it were an order of the courts of that province. In other words, if your divorce order was made in Alberta and contains a term requiring child support to be paid, you can register that order in the Supreme Court of British Columbia and it will have the same effect and be enforceable here as if it were an order of the courts of British Columbia.
It's a little harder to enforce orders for child support that are made elsewhere against payors living in British Columbia because the recipient needs the help of the British Columbia courts to collect against a British Columbia resident. However, both the federal ''Divorce Act'' and the provincial ''Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act'' have special processes that can help.
 
====Canadian child support orders====
 
Section 20(2) of the ''[[Divorce Act]]'' says that an order under the act has legal effect throughout Canada. Section 20(3) also says that such orders may be filed in the courts of any province and be enforced as if they were an order of the courts of that province. In other words, if your divorce order was made in New Brunswick and contains a term requiring that child support be paid, you can file that order in the Supreme Court of British Columbia and it will have the same effect and be enforceable here, just as if it were an order of the courts of British Columbia.
 
Child support orders that are made under the legislation of another province can be filed for enforcement in British Columbia under sections 17 and 18 of the ''[https://canlii.ca/t/84l3 Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act]''. In this process, the recipient provides a copy of the order that entitles them to receive support to the appropriate reciprocals office in their own province (the province where the court that issued the order is located). That office then sends the order to [http://www.isoforms.bc.ca Interjurisdictional Support Services (IJSS)], which is the reciprocals office here in British Columbia. IJSS then files the order here. Once filed, the order has the same effect as an order of the courts of British Columbia.
 
Below is a list of the various reciprocals offices in Canada.
 
::{| width="65%" class="wikitable"
!style="width: 25%"|Province/Territory
!style="width: 20%" align="center"|Office Name
!style="width: 20%" align="center"|Website
|-
|align="center"|British Columbia||Interjurisdictional Support Services (IJSS)||https://www.isoforms.bc.ca/
|-
|align="center"|Alberta||Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP)||https://www.alberta.ca/mep-payments-outside-alberta
|-
|align="center"|Saskatchewan||Inter-jurisdictional Support Orders (ISO) Unit ||https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/family-and-social-support/child-support/information-on-child-support
|-
|align="center"|Manitoba||Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP)||https://www.gov.mb.ca/justice/courts/mep/index.html
|-
|align="center"|Ontario||Family Responsibility Office (FRO)||https://www.ontario.ca/page/child-and-spousal-support-when-one-person-lives-outside-ontario
|-
|align="center"|Quebec||Support-Payment Collection Program||https://www.revenuquebec.ca/en/online-services/forms-and-publications/current-details/in-904-v/
|-
|align="center"|New Brunswick||Office of Support Enforcement (OSE)||https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/public-safety/justice/content/fsos.html
|-
|align="center"|Nova Scotia||Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP)||https://mep.novascotia.ca/en/if-you-live-outside-nova-scotia-enrol
|-
|align="center"|Prince Edward Island||Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP)||https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/justice-and-public-safety/maintenance-enforcement-program-enrollment
|-
|align="center"|Newfoundland and Labrador||Support Enforcement Program||http://nl.isoforms.ca/
|-
|align="center"|Yukon||Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP)||https://yukon.ca/en/maintenance-enforcement-program
|-
|align="center"|Northwest Territories||Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP)||https://www.justice.gov.nt.ca/en/boards-agencies/maintenance-enforcement-program/
|-
|align="center"|Nunavut||Family Support Program||https://www.gov.nu.ca/en/justice-and-individual-protection/family-support-program
|}
 
 
====Orders made outside of Canada====
 
A number of other countries have agreements with British Columbia about the enforcement of child support orders. Recipients living in those countries can follow the ''Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act'' process to have their orders filed and enforced here. The countries with agreements with British Columbia are:
 
* United States of America — all of the United States, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands
* Pacific Ocean — Australia, Fiji, New Zealand (including the Cook Islands), and Papua New Guinea
* Europe — Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Slovak Republic, Swiss Confederation, Gibraltar, and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
* Caribbean — Barbados and its Dependencies
* Africa — South Africa and Zimbabwe
* Asia — Hong Kong and Republic of Singapore


The provincial ''[http://canlii.ca/t/84l3 Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act]'' allows orders for child support made under provincial laws elsewhere in Canada, and in certain foreign states, to be filed in our courts and enforced as if they were British Columbia orders. The reciprocating states under the ''Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act'' are South Africa, Zimbabwe, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Gibraltar, Norway, the Slovak Republic, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and its protectorates, the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and Barbados and its dependencies. Reciprocating countries appear in the ''[http://canlii.ca/t/84vn Interjurisdictional Support Orders Regulation]'' rather than the act itself.
See the [https://canlii.ca/t/84vn Interjurisdictional Support Orders Regulation] for the current list.


Foreign orders which are filed in this province may be enforced by FMEP as if they were orders made by the courts of British Columbia. See the page on [[Enforcing Orders in Family Matters]] in the chapter on [[Resolving Family Law Problems in Court]] for more information.
A similar process is also available under section 19.1 of the ''Divorce Act'', and the same countries that have agreements with British Columbia for the ''Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act'' also have agreements with Canada about the enforcement of child support orders.
<!---HIDDEN
==Further Reading in this Chapter==


* <span style="color: red;">bulleted list of other pages in this chapter, linked</span>
==Resources and links==
END HIDDEN--->
==Page resources and links==
===Legislation===
===Legislation===


* ''[[Family Law Act]]''
* ''[[Family Law Act]]''
* ''[[Divorce Act]]''
* ''[[Divorce Act]]''
* ''[http://canlii.ca/t/84h5  Court Order Enforcement Act]]''
* ''[https://canlii.ca/t/84h5  Court Order Enforcement Act]''
* ''[http://canlii.ca/t/840m Family Maintenance Enforcement Act]''
* ''[https://canlii.ca/t/840m Family Maintenance Enforcement Act]''
* [http://canlii.ca/t/8mcr Supreme Court Family Rules]
* [https://canlii.ca/t/8mcr Supreme Court Family Rules]
* [http://canlii.ca/t/85pb Provincial Court (Family) Rules]
* [https://canlii.ca/t/b8rn Provincial Court Family Rules]
* ''[http://canlii.ca/t/84l3 Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act]''
* ''[https://canlii.ca/t/84l3 Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act]''
* ''[http://canlii.ca/t/84vn Interjurisdictional Support Orders Regulation]''
* [https://canlii.ca/t/84vn Interjurisdictional Support Orders Regulation]
* [http://canlii.ca/t/80mh Federal Child Support Guidelines]
* [https://canlii.ca/t/80mh Child Support Guidelines]


===Links===
===Links===


* [http://www.isoforms.bc.ca The British Columbia Reciprocals Office]
* [https://www.isoforms.bc.ca/ Interjurisdictional Support Orders] from BC Ministry of Attorney General
* [http://www.familylaw.lss.bc.ca/guides/change/cantAgree/index.php Legal Services Society Family Law in BC Website: How to change a family law order (Supreme Court and Provincial Court)]
* [https://family.legalaid.bc.ca/bc-legal-system/court-orders Court Orders] from Legal Aid BC  
* [http://www.familylaw.lss.bc.ca/resources/fact_sheets/changingFinalOrder.php Legal Services Society Family Law in BC Website: Fact sheet on when you can change a final order]
* [https://family.legalaid.bc.ca/bc-legal-system/court-orders/change-order-or-set-aside-agreement-made-bc/when-can-you-change-order When can you change an order?] from Legal Aid BC
* [http://www.fmep.gov.bc.ca/ Family Maintenance Enforcement Program Website]
* [https://www.bcfma.ca/ BC Family Maintenance Agency website] (formerly FMEP)
* [http://clicklaw.bc.ca/helpmap/service/1082 Clicklaw HelpMap: Family Maintenance Enforcement Program details]
* [https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/fl-df/enforce-execution/index.html Helping with Family Obligations] from the Department of Justice
* [http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/fcy-fea/sup-pen/enf-exe/index.html Department of Justice: About support enforcement]
 


{{REVIEWED | reviewer = [[Beatrice McCutcheon]], 24 August 2022}}


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Latest revision as of 20:38, 26 August 2024

When a person who is obliged to pay child support fails to pay all of the child support they are required to pay, a debt begins to accumulate. The debt owing is called the payor's arrears of child support.

People generally have two different goals when arrears begin to mount up. The person responsible for paying support, the payor, likely wants the court to reduce or cancel the arrears, while the person receiving support, the recipient, will want the court to force the payor to pay what's owing.

This section provides an introduction to the problem of child support arrears. It also discusses the reduction and cancellation of arrears and how arrears are collected.

Introduction

If child support is owed under a court order or an agreement, a failure to pay the support owing is a breach of that order or agreement, and, in the case of orders, it's contempt of court as well. The courts, and society as a whole, place a high value on the financial support of children, and both take an extremely dim view of anyone who defaults on such an obligation in the absence of a very good excuse or some very compelling circumstances.

Someone who owes arrears of child support, the payor, will likely be interested in the ways that the outstanding amount can be reduced, while a person to whom support is owing, the recipient, will be interested in collecting the arrears. Someone who owes arrears will generally have a difficult time convincing the court to reduce their debt. On the other hand, collecting arrears can be difficult as well, if for no other reason than you can't get blood from a stone. Unless the payor has another source of funds to draw upon, a recipient may discover that the outstanding support may never be recovered.

Despite these challenges, it is possible for a payor to have their arrears reduced and, sometimes, cancelled altogether. At the same time, recipients have access to some very powerful and effective enforcement tools to collect outstanding arrears of support.

Orders for child support

Orders for the payment of child support are enforceable like any other order of the court. Someone who breaches a Supreme Court order can be punished for contempt of court. As well, under the Family Law Act, both the Supreme Court and the Provincial Court can require the payor to:

  • provide security for their compliance with the court order, in other words, pay an amount of money into the court which the court will hold to guarantee the payment of child support,
  • pay any expenses incurred by the recipient as a result of the payor's failure to pay child support,
  • pay up to $5,000 for the benefit of another party or a child whose interests were affected by the payor's failure to pay child support, or
  • pay up to $5,000 as a fine.

If nothing else works to ensure that the payor complies with the child support order, the court can also jail the payor for up to 30 days.

Unfortunately for people who would rather be jailed than pay, section 231(3)(c) of the Family Law Act says that:

imprisonment of a person under this section does not discharge any duties of the person owing under an order.

Since orders for support require the payment of money, arrears can also be enforced as a "judgment debt" under the provincial Court Order Enforcement Act. They can also be enforced under the Family Maintenance Enforcement Act, and section 3(1)(l) of the act says that there is no time limit within which child support arrears must be enforced.

Payors can apply for an order reducing arrears that have accumulated under both the Divorce Act and the Family Law Act. Applications like these must be made under the same legislation under which the original child support order was made.

Agreements for child support

Arrears that have accumulated under a separation agreement are owed because of the promises each party made to the other when they signed the agreement. A separation agreement is a contract that can be enforced in court, just like any other contract.

Agreements for support are most easily enforced by filing them in court. Once they are filed in court, agreements can be enforced as if they are court orders. (Although agreements can still be enforced under the law of contracts, it's a lot simpler to file them in court and take care of it that way.) Section 148(2) of the Family Law Act says:

A written agreement respecting child support that is filed in the court is enforceable under this Act and the Family Maintenance Enforcement Act as if it were an order of the court.

Payors can apply under section 174 of the Family Law Act for an order reducing arrears that have accumulated under an agreement that has been filed in court just like they can for arrears accumulating under an order.

The BC Family Maintenance Agency

Although recipients can enforce agreements and orders for child support on their own, most of the time recipients will give that job to the BC Family Maintenance Agency, which has taken over the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program. BCFMA is the new name for FMEP, however the older name is still in common use. This is a provincial government program under the provincial Family Maintenance Enforcement Act that tracks payments that are owing and those that are paid, calculates the interest owing on payments that are not made, and can impose fines when payments aren't made.

BCFMA is a free service for recipients. Its purpose is to enforce the payment of child support and children's special expenses and extraordinary expenses, although the enforcement of special expenses and extraordinary expenses through BCFMA isn't exactly straightforward. You should contact BCFMA to ask what they can or cannot do about enforcing agreements and orders about the payment of children's special expenses and extraordinary expenses.

It's important to know that BCFMA can't change agreements and orders about child support. While it can make important, judge-like decisions about who is and isn't entitled to receive child support when children are 19 years old or older, BCFMA can't increase or decrease the amount of a child support obligation and it can't reduce or cancel arrears of child support.

It's also important to know that payors who want to apply to court to reduce or cancel arrears of child support accumulating under an agreement or order that's been filed with BCFMA must serve BCFMA, as well as the recipient, with their application. BCFMA does not help recipients respond to applications to change support orders, set aside agreements, or reduce or cancel arrears. You'll have to do that on your own. But from the recipient's perspective, just having BCFMA take over enforcement of the order or agreement can be a huge relief.

Reducing and cancelling arrears

Payors may apply to court to have their arrears of child support cancelled or reduced. When arrears are cancelled, the debt is wiped out and the payor no longer owes money to the recipient for their past child support obligation, and any obligation they may have to contribute to the cost of the children's special expenses and extraordinary expenses. When arrears are reduced, there's still a debt owing to the recipient but the amount of the debt has been reduced to a smaller amount.

Arrears under the Divorce Act

Making an application to cancel or reduce arrears of child support is much the same kind of application as an application to change a child support order where the Divorce Act is involved. Like applications to change a child support order, applications to reduce or cancel arrears are made under section 17 of the act.

Section 17 of the Divorce Act says this about varying orders for spousal support:

(1) A court of competent jurisdiction may make an order varying, rescinding or suspending, prospectively or retroactively,

(a) a support order or any provision thereof on application by either or both former spouses; ...

(3) The court may include in a variation order any provision that under this Act could have been included in the order in respect of which the variation order is sought. ...

(4) Before the court makes a variation order in respect of a child support order, the court shall satisfy itself that a change of circumstances as provided for in the applicable guidelines has occurred since the making of the child support order or the last variation order made in respect of that order. ...

(6.1) A court making a variation order in respect of a child support order shall do so in accordance with the applicable guidelines.

The Divorce Act doesn't talk about arrears specifically. The test the court will apply is similar to the test it applies for orders under the Family Law Act. It is difficult to persuade the court to reduce or cancel arrears, as you'll see in the next section.

Arrears under the Family Law Act

Unlike the Divorce Act, the Family Law Act does talk about arrears, and the test to reduce or cancel arrears of child support is not the same as the test to simply change an agreement or order for child support. Section 174 of the act says this:

(1) On application, a court may reduce or cancel arrears owing under an agreement or order respecting child support or spousal support if satisfied that it would be grossly unfair not to reduce or cancel the arrears.

(2) For the purposes of this section, the court may consider

(a) the efforts of the person responsible for paying support to comply with the agreement or order respecting support,

(b) the reasons why the person responsible for paying support cannot pay the arrears owing, and

(c) any circumstances that the court considers relevant.

(3) If a court reduces arrears under this section, the court may order that interest does not accrue on the reduced arrears if satisfied that it would be grossly unfair not to make such an order.

(4) If a court cancels arrears under this section, the court may cancel interest that has accrued, under section 11.1 of the Family Maintenance Enforcement Act, on the cancelled arrears if satisfied that it would be grossly unfair not to cancel the accrued interest.

A similar section of the old Family Relations Act, the law before the Family Law Act, was described as a "complete code" regarding the reduction or cancellation of arrears under that act, meaning that the only ground on which a court could reduce or cancel arrears was "gross unfairness," as set out in section 96(2) of the old act. The courts have taken the same approach to section 174 of the Family Law Act.

The courts have interpreted "gross unfairness" under the Family Law Act to mean that the payor is not only incapable of repaying the arrears but is also unlikely to be able to repay them in the foreseeable future without suffering severe financial hardship. If you are asking the court to make an order reducing arrears, you must be prepared to prove that it would be not just "unfair," but grossly unfair for you to have to pay off the arrears. The leading case that describes the legal principles about cancelling arrears is a 1999 case called Earle v. Earle, 1999 CanLII 6914 (BC SC), in which the court said this:

"There is a heavy duty on the person asking for a reduction or a cancellation of arrears to show that there has been a significant and long lasting change in circumstances. Arrears will not be reduced or cancelled unless it is grossly unfair not to do so."

You must be prepared to address the criteria set out in section 174(2) of the Family Law Act:

  • What efforts have you made to pay the child support you were required to pay?
  • Why did you wait until arrears had accumulated before you tried to vary the child support order?
  • Why can you not pay your arrears now?
  • Are there any other circumstances, such as catastrophic business losses or the unintended loss of your employment, changes in the children's residence, or new financial obligations in relation to your family that the court should take into account?

Be prepared to provide a court form called a financial statement, Form F8 in the Supreme Court and Form 4 in the Provincial Court, that summarizes all of your assets and debts, and income and expenses, if you intend to show the court that you cannot pay your arrears. Complete financial disclosure is absolutely essential.

Collecting arrears of support

The collection of debts and enforcement of judgments occupies a whole course at law school and is not a simple matter. Fortunately, the BC Family Maintenance Agency was established to take on collection and enforcement of support orders or agreements. Someone who is entitled to receive child support or spousal support under an agreement or order can sign up with this program and the BCFMA will tend to the enforcement of the agreement or order without a great deal of further involvement on the part of the recipient.

BCFMA is free for recipients. All you have to do is file your agreement or order with the program and fill out an application form. (Agreements about child support must be filed in court first.) BCFMA will take the matter from there, and the program is authorized by the Family Maintenance Enforcement Act to take whatever legal steps may be required to enforce an ongoing support obligation, and track and collect on any unpaid support and the interest accumulating on any unpaid support.

The Family Maintenance Enforcement Act gives BCFMA a lot power to collect child support. The program can start and manage all of the court proceedings that can be undertaken by a private creditor, as well as some unique actions that the program alone can take. BCFMA can also:

  • garnish the payor's wages,
  • collect from a corporation wholly owned by the payor,
  • redirect federal and provincial payments owed to the payor, like GST or income tax rebates, to the recipient,
  • prohibit a payor from renewing their driver's licence,
  • direct the federal government to refuse to issue a new passport to the payor or suspend the payor's current passport,
  • register a lien against either personal property or real property, or both, owned by the payor, and
  • get an order for the payor's arrest.

While it is possible to make collection or enforcement efforts on your own, this will cost money and time and possibly require you to hire a lawyer and bear that expense as well. Since any private collection efforts you might take may interfere with efforts being made by BCFMA, recipients enrolled with BCFMA are required to get the permission of the program's director before they take independent enforcement steps.

You can find more information about enforcing orders at the website of the Department of Justice, which includes a helpful overview of support enforcement mechanisms in Canada.

Separation agreements

Section 148(3) of the Family Law Act allows a party to an agreement, usually a separation agreement, to file the agreement in the Provincial Court or in the Supreme Court. An agreement that is filed in court can be enforced as if it were an order of the court. It is not necessary for a court proceeding to have been started before an agreement can be filed in court, nor is it necessary that the agreement be a British Columbia agreement.

BCFMA will enforce agreements for support, however they require that the agreement be filed in court first, and sent to them, with the court's stamp, before they can enforce the agreement.

You can find more information about enforcing agreements in the chapter Family Law Agreements, in particular within the section Enforcing Family Law Agreements.

Orders made outside British Columbia

It's a little harder to enforce orders for child support that are made elsewhere against payors living in British Columbia because the recipient needs the help of the British Columbia courts to collect against a British Columbia resident. However, both the federal Divorce Act and the provincial Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act have special processes that can help.

Canadian child support orders

Section 20(2) of the Divorce Act says that an order under the act has legal effect throughout Canada. Section 20(3) also says that such orders may be filed in the courts of any province and be enforced as if they were an order of the courts of that province. In other words, if your divorce order was made in New Brunswick and contains a term requiring that child support be paid, you can file that order in the Supreme Court of British Columbia and it will have the same effect and be enforceable here, just as if it were an order of the courts of British Columbia.

Child support orders that are made under the legislation of another province can be filed for enforcement in British Columbia under sections 17 and 18 of the Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act. In this process, the recipient provides a copy of the order that entitles them to receive support to the appropriate reciprocals office in their own province (the province where the court that issued the order is located). That office then sends the order to Interjurisdictional Support Services (IJSS), which is the reciprocals office here in British Columbia. IJSS then files the order here. Once filed, the order has the same effect as an order of the courts of British Columbia.

Below is a list of the various reciprocals offices in Canada.

Province/Territory Office Name Website
British Columbia Interjurisdictional Support Services (IJSS) https://www.isoforms.bc.ca/
Alberta Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP) https://www.alberta.ca/mep-payments-outside-alberta
Saskatchewan Inter-jurisdictional Support Orders (ISO) Unit https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/family-and-social-support/child-support/information-on-child-support
Manitoba Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP) https://www.gov.mb.ca/justice/courts/mep/index.html
Ontario Family Responsibility Office (FRO) https://www.ontario.ca/page/child-and-spousal-support-when-one-person-lives-outside-ontario
Quebec Support-Payment Collection Program https://www.revenuquebec.ca/en/online-services/forms-and-publications/current-details/in-904-v/
New Brunswick Office of Support Enforcement (OSE) https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/public-safety/justice/content/fsos.html
Nova Scotia Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP) https://mep.novascotia.ca/en/if-you-live-outside-nova-scotia-enrol
Prince Edward Island Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP) https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/justice-and-public-safety/maintenance-enforcement-program-enrollment
Newfoundland and Labrador Support Enforcement Program http://nl.isoforms.ca/
Yukon Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP) https://yukon.ca/en/maintenance-enforcement-program
Northwest Territories Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP) https://www.justice.gov.nt.ca/en/boards-agencies/maintenance-enforcement-program/
Nunavut Family Support Program https://www.gov.nu.ca/en/justice-and-individual-protection/family-support-program


Orders made outside of Canada

A number of other countries have agreements with British Columbia about the enforcement of child support orders. Recipients living in those countries can follow the Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act process to have their orders filed and enforced here. The countries with agreements with British Columbia are:

  • United States of America — all of the United States, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands
  • Pacific Ocean — Australia, Fiji, New Zealand (including the Cook Islands), and Papua New Guinea
  • Europe — Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Slovak Republic, Swiss Confederation, Gibraltar, and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  • Caribbean — Barbados and its Dependencies
  • Africa — South Africa and Zimbabwe
  • Asia — Hong Kong and Republic of Singapore

See the Interjurisdictional Support Orders Regulation for the current list.

A similar process is also available under section 19.1 of the Divorce Act, and the same countries that have agreements with British Columbia for the Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act also have agreements with Canada about the enforcement of child support orders.

Resources and links

Legislation

Links


This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by Beatrice McCutcheon, 24 August 2022.


JP Boyd on Family Law © John-Paul Boyd and Courthouse Libraries BC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.