If child support is missing, start with the order or written agreement and a record of payments. Every Canadian province and territory has a service that can help enforce support. The enrolment rules and name of that service depend on where you live.
Canada · Checked 17 September 2026
Arrears means unpaid support that should already have been paid. List the amount due, due date, amount received and remaining shortfall for each payment. Keep bank records and the latest support document together.
For extra expenses, also keep the clause explaining how they are shared and the invoices or reimbursement information. An unclear agreement about an extra cost may need clarification before it can be collected.
A Maintenance Enforcement Program is a provincial or territorial service that collects and enforces support under qualifying orders or agreements. Names vary—for example, Ontario’s service is called the Family Responsibility Office.
Use the official federal enforcement page to find the relevant local service. Ask whether your document must be filed with a court, whether enrolment is automatic or requested, and how to report payments already received.
Depending on the case and available enforcement powers, collection can involve wages or other money owed to the payer. Federal assistance can also help with enforcement. The service assesses which steps are available; registration is not a promise of immediate payment.
An enforcement service generally collects the obligation in place. It does not simply choose a new support amount because a parent reports job loss or a changed schedule. Changing support uses the appropriate agreement, recalculation or court process.
Tell your local program where the other parent lives, works or may have moved, if you know. Canadian provinces and territories have arrangements with each other and with certain other countries.
You do not necessarily need to begin by chasing the parent in a different province yourself. Ask the program how the cross-border process works and which documents it needs. Arrangements with another country depend on the places involved.
Contact the enforcement program about the immediate problem, and separately ask the appropriate service about changing the obligation. Provide current income information and any relevant change in care. Do not assume stopping payments will trigger a recalculation or erase existing arrears.
Child support and parenting time are separate issues. An unpaid bill does not, by itself, determine safe parenting arrangements. If the shortfall puts essentials at risk, check local income or housing assistance while enforcement is being addressed.
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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