Both homes have costs when a child spends substantial time with each parent. Under Canada’s Federal Child Support Guidelines, shared parenting does not automatically cancel support or make subtracting two table amounts the final answer.
Canada · Checked 17 September 2026
Section 9 applies when each parent exercises at least 40% of parenting time over the course of a year. It is a child support rule, not a requirement to choose that schedule. Different guidelines may apply depending on the family and province or territory.
Describe the actual care arrangement accurately. A label such as “joint custody” does not establish the percentage of parenting time or the support amount.
The federal guidelines require consideration of:
Subtracting the lower table amount from the higher one can illustrate a difference between the parents’ starting figures, but it does not complete the legal assessment. A child may still need support flowing from one household to the other.
Some costs occur in both homes, such as having a place to sleep. Other bills may be paid mainly by one parent, such as childcare or a qualifying health expense. Explain who pays what, without assuming that every duplicated purchase must be reimbursed.
For example, two parents with similar amounts of care may have very different incomes, or one may pay an eligible childcare bill. A night count alone would miss those facts. Special or extraordinary expenses are considered separately under the applicable rules.
The Canada child benefit, or CCB, is a government payment. Child support is an obligation between parents. Do not use the same arithmetic for both.
For CCB shared-custody purposes, the Canada Revenue Agency generally uses an approximately equal arrangement, with the child living with each person between 40% and 60% of the time. Each eligible parent receives 50% of the amount they would receive with full care, calculated using their own adjusted family net income. The two payments can therefore differ.
This guide explains general rules and services. It does not assess your individual case.
Information checked on 17 September 2026.
Based on the original article by Elisabeth Scholander.
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