Spousal & child support & dividing property

Describes child and spousal support, how to track support payments, and what to do if the payor can’t or won’t pay.

This guide has general information, instructions and worksheets, as well as other tools to help you make decisions about child support when you separate or divorce. It is based on the Divorce Act.

The Federal Child Support Tables were updated in 2017 to reflect more recent tax rules. The updated tables came into effect on November 22, 2017. Both 2011 and 2017 tables are provided here.

Brief description of the federal child support guidelines, which are the rules for calculating the amount of child support one parent must pay to the other parent to help support their child or children.

Explains when you have to share information about your income, expenses, assets, and debts with your ex-spouse, and how to go about doing so.

When a relationship ends, one spouse may seek help from the other with living expenses or to compensate for choices the spouses made during the relationship. Learn about spousal support.

Not all couples who live together meet the definition of “spouse” under BC’s family law. For these couples, learn your entitlement to benefits and what happens if you split up.

Provides information about who will move out when a couple separates. Learn your rights when deciding who goes and who stays — and how to enforce the decision. It also covers information about renting. Find out your next steps, and the answers to some common questions.

Explains how Canada Pension Plan pension credits built up during the time a couple lived together can be split equally between them upon divorce or separation. It also outlines how to request “credit splitting.”

Information about what’s considered shared property and debt, how to divide them between you after you separate or divorce, and how to protect your property and finances from being unfairly divided without your consent.

Explains that going to court over a family law problem can be stressful, time consuming, and expensive. Learn how to use mediation, collaborative negotiation, or arbitration to resolve issues without going to court. You can also find answers to some common questions.

On December 7, 2020, the provincial court registries in Surrey and Victoria adopted the early resolution and case management aspects of the new Provincial Court Family Rules. This page tells you about the process and the steps involved. Also includes a poster and a brochure downloadable in PDF.

This article explains the Family Management Conference at the Provincial Court of BC. Includes definitions, steps for preparing yourself, what will happen at the conference, what happens if you need a trial, getting a copy of an order, and links to more details.

Describes what to expect when you go to court for a conference, Chambers hearing, or trial. Includes how to prepare for court, and tips on what you can do and how you should act to make your case go smoothly.

Step-by-step guides to help you figure out what to do if you’re the respondent in a family law case and you’ve been served with a court form.

This guidebook introduces what a judicial case conference is, including which forms you will need.

A four-and-a-half-minute video that gives an overview of the steps leading up to a Supreme Court family law trial, including scheduling a trial, attending a Trial Management Conference, and filing and serving the necessary documents.

Information about getting ready for a family law trial in Provincial Court, including what happens at a trial, how the courtroom is set up, how evidence is presented, and what goes in a trial book.

This website is for people in British Columbia who are interested in unbundled legal services — a new service model for lower-cost legal help. You hire a lawyer to help with parts of your legal matter (rather than the whole file). You get the support you need at a manageable cost.

Step-by-step guides on how to get, change, enforce, appeal, or write court orders, plus information on what to do if your order was made outside BC or one of you leaves the province.

Unfortunately, some parties who owe child support or spousal support fail to make their payments. Learn the steps to take to enforce payments owed under a support order or agreement.

BCFMA is a free service helping families and children get the support payments they’re entitled to. This web page explains how to enrol in the program and get an order, and what to expect after sending an application.

This website is for people in British Columbia who are interested in unbundled legal services — a new service model for lower-cost legal help. You hire a lawyer to help with parts of your legal matter (rather than the whole file). You get the support you need at a manageable cost.

This chapter provides information about the division of property and debt between married spouses and unmarried spouses and the steps you can take to protect family property.

This handbook builds on the information provided in the Parenting After Separation (PAS) course. That course focuses on the legal aspects of separating and how to make decisions that put the needs of the children first.

This chapter provides an overview of child support and child support orders, and includes information about exceptions to the Federal Child Support Guidelines, how to make changes to child support, and how to deal with arrears of child support.

This chapter provides an overview of the law on spousal support, and includes more detailed information about the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines, how to make changes to spousal support, and how to deal with arrears of spousal support.