Separated parents often disagree about who pays for daycare, braces, tutoring or a hockey season on top of regular child support. The rules for those costs are in section 7 of the child support guidelines.
Child support in Ontario has two parts. The first is the table amount. It’s a monthly payment based on the paying parent’s income, using the Federal Child Support Tables last updated on October 1, 2025. The second is section 7 expenses. These are specific costs added on top of the table amount and shared by both parents, usually in proportion to their incomes. Our guide to what child support covers explains what the table amount itself is meant to pay for.
What are section 7 expenses?
Section 7 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines lists six kinds of expense a court can order the parents to share. If you were never married, or you’re not getting a divorce, Ontario’s own Child Support Guidelines apply instead, and their section 7 uses the same list.
- 01Child care
Costs a parent pays because they work, are ill or disabled, or are in school or training for a job.
Necessary and reasonable - 02Medical and dental insurance premiums
The part of the premium that covers the child.
Necessary and reasonable - 03Health costs
Costs that exceed what insurance pays back by at least $100 a year. Orthodontics, counselling, physiotherapy, speech therapy, prescriptions, glasses, contacts and hearing aids are all named.
Necessary and reasonable - 04Extraordinary school expenses
Costs for elementary or high school, or for an educational program that meets the child’s particular needs.
Also must be extraordinary - 05Post-secondary education
College, university and other post-secondary costs.
Necessary and reasonable - 06Extraordinary extracurricular expenses
Costs for activities outside school, such as sports, music or the arts.
Also must be extraordinary
Only items 4 and 6 have to be “extraordinary.” Daycare, the child’s share of a benefits premium, uninsured health costs over the threshold and university tuition don’t need to pass that test.
Every section 7 expense, though, has to meet two basic conditions. It must be necessary for the child’s best interests. It must also be reasonable, given what both parents and the child can afford and how the family spent money before the separation.
How “extraordinary” is decided
For school costs and activities, the guidelines give a two-step definition in section 7(1.1).
The first step asks whether the expense is more than the parent requesting it can reasonably cover, taking into account that parent’s income and the table amount they receive. If you earn $45,000 and receive the table amount, a $6,000 rep hockey season may well be beyond what you can reasonably cover alone. If it is, the expense is extraordinary and the analysis can stop there.
If the expense doesn’t clearly pass that test, the court moves to the second step and weighs several factors:
- the cost compared with the requesting parent’s income and the table amount they receive
- the number and type of programs the child is in
- any special needs or talents the child has
- the overall cost of all the programs together
- Step 1
Is the cost more than the requesting parent can reasonably cover with their income and the table amount they receive?
YesIt is extraordinary. The court then decides whether it is necessary and reasonable.No or unclearGo to step 2. - Step 2
The court weighs the four factors above and decides whether the cost is extraordinary for this family.
That’s why the same expense can count as extraordinary in one family and ordinary in another. Piano lessons may be extraordinary for a parent earning $40,000 and ordinary for a parent earning $250,000. Courts usually treat a house-league soccer season as an everyday cost and a travel team with out-of-province tournaments as an extraordinary one.
In higher-income families, the first step rarely settles the question. A parent earning a high income can usually cover a cost alone, so most claims in these families are decided at the second step.
How section 7 expenses are calculated and shared
The starting point in section 7(2) is that the parents share the cost in proportion to their incomes, after first taking off anything the child contributes. Each parent’s income is worked out the same way as for the table amount, generally starting from the total income on line 15000 of the tax return. We explain the adjustments in how child support is calculated in Ontario.
Here’s how it works for a first year of university.
| Tuition, books and residence for the year | $20,000 |
| Less the student’s own contribution from summer work | − $4,000 |
| Amount the parents share | $16,000 |
Section 7 expenses calculator
Estimate each parent’s share of a section 7 expense.
Section 7(2) calls proportionate sharing a guiding principle, so a court can depart from it. That can happen where one parent’s income is very low, or where the child has savings set aside for the expense.
In an order or agreement, section 7 amounts are usually either added to the monthly payment as a fixed figure or paid as each bill comes in, with receipts.
Section 7 expenses are shared after subsidies and tax credits
Before a section 7 expense is divided, it’s reduced by any subsidy, benefit, tax deduction or tax credit connected to it. Section 7(3) requires the court to take these into account, including ones a parent is eligible for but hasn’t claimed.
Child care is the clearest example. The parent who pays for daycare can often claim the child care expense deduction, a federal tax deduction that lowers their income tax. Say daycare costs $9,000 a year and the deduction saves that parent $2,000 in tax. Then the parents share $7,000. A municipal child care fee subsidy, a subsidized program fee or the medical expense tax credit reduces the shared cost in the same way.
Where section 7 disputes come from
Section 7 disagreements tend to involve the same few kinds of expense.
Private school
A court looks at whether the child was already in private school before the separation and whether the school meets a particular need. It also asks whether both parents can afford it now that there are two households to run.
Competitive sport
Rep teams, travel, tournament fees and equipment add up quickly. The usual question is whether the activity fits the child’s talent, the family’s spending before the separation, and both parents’ budgets now.
Tutoring
Tutoring is easiest to justify when it answers a real need.
Orthodontics
Braces are named in the guidelines, so the argument is rarely about whether they qualify.
When the other parent enrols your child without asking you
The guidelines don’t say a parent must get the other’s consent before incurring a section 7 expense. Courts do treat consultation as part of whether the expense is reasonable, though. A parent who signs a child up for a costly program and sends the bill afterwards can end up carrying more of the cost, or all of it. That’s especially likely where the other parent objected promptly and the activity is new.
Your separation agreement or court order may also settle this. Many agreements say section 7 expenses need the other parent’s written consent in advance, and that consent can’t be refused without a good reason. If yours does, that clause is your starting point.
If it has happened to you, start with these steps:
- 01
Put your objection in writing soon after you learn about the expense, and explain why, whether it’s the cost, the schedule or the child’s existing activities.
- 02
Ask for the full cost, the schedule and any subsidies or credits available.
- 03
Keep paying what an order or agreement already requires. Withholding support creates enforcement problems of its own.
- 04
Offer an alternative if there is one, such as a lower-cost program or a shared cap for the year.
If you can’t resolve it, a lawyer can negotiate a written arrangement or ask the court to decide. Section 7 claims can also reach back to costs you’ve already paid. Our article on retroactive child support explains how far back a claim can go.
Collecting unpaid section 7 expenses through the FRO
If the other parent doesn’t pay their share, the Family Responsibility Office (FRO), Ontario’s support enforcement program, can collect it if your order or agreement is worded the right way.
- A fixed amount, for example a set monthly sum toward daycare
- An expense the parent must pay, claimed on a sworn statement of arrears with receipts
- Wording that says the parents will share costs
- A share set only as a percentage of income
FRO can enforce a section 7 expense that’s set out as a fixed amount, or as an expense the receiving parent claims by filing a sworn statement of arrears with receipts. Ontario’s guidance tells lawyers to write that a parent must “pay” the expense, not “share” it. If the order only says the parents will share costs, or sets a share as a percentage of income, FRO may not be able to enforce it.
If your order is worded that way, a lawyer can ask the court to change it so FRO can enforce it, or ask the court to order payment of what you’re owed.
Key points about section 7 expenses in Ontario
- Section 7 expenses are added on top of the monthly table amount and are usually shared in proportion to each parent’s income.
- School costs and extracurricular activities must be extraordinary. Child care, health costs, insurance premiums and post-secondary costs don’t have to be.
- The cost is shared after subsidies, tax deductions and tax credits are taken off.
- Neither parent needs the other’s consent under the guidelines, but signing up without asking can leave you paying more of the cost.
- Check your separation agreement or order first, because its terms on section 7 expenses usually govern.
- For the FRO to collect unpaid amounts, the order has to set section 7 expenses out as a fixed amount or as a claim made with receipts.
Talk to a lawyer about your section 7 expenses
The way section 7 expenses are set up at separation tends to stay in place for years. Whether you’re asking the other parent to contribute or being asked to pay, speak with a Toronto family lawyer at Nussbaum Law before you agree to a split. Your first consultation is free.
- your separation agreement or court order
- both parents’ incomes
- the expenses, receipts and any subsidies or credits
Frequently asked questions
Do parents have to agree on section 7 expenses?
The guidelines don’t require it, but a court will consider whether you were consulted, whether you objected, and whether the activity is reasonable for your family. Check your separation agreement or order first, because many require written agreement before a section 7 expense is incurred.
What isn’t a section 7 expense?
A cost usually isn’t a section 7 expense if it doesn’t fit one of the six categories, or if it’s an ordinary school or activity cost that doesn’t meet the extraordinary test. Everyday school supplies and regular field trips, a cell phone and car insurance for a teenage driver generally don’t qualify. Our guide to what child support covers explains what the monthly table amount is meant to pay for.
Is private school a section 7 expense in Ontario?
It can be. Private school falls under extraordinary education expenses, so it has to be extraordinary as well as necessary and reasonable. Courts give weight to whether the child attended before the separation and whether the school meets a particular need.
Do section 7 expenses continue when my child starts university?
Post-secondary education is one of the six named categories. The child is usually expected to contribute through summer work, savings or student aid. The parents generally share the rest in proportion to their incomes. The table amount may also change while the child lives away from home.
Is summer camp a section 7 expense?
It depends on the camp. A day camp that lets a working parent cover the summer is usually treated as child care. A specialized or overnight camp is usually treated as an extracurricular activity, so it has to be extraordinary as well as necessary and reasonable.
Can I claim a section 7 expense I haven’t paid yet?
Yes. Section 7 allows expenses to be estimated, so an order or agreement can cover a known upcoming cost, such as next year’s daycare or a planned course of orthodontic treatment. Keep the estimate realistic and keep the receipts once you pay, because the actual cost may differ.
Can I claim my ex’s share of expenses I’ve already paid?
Often, yes. If you paid section 7 expenses alone, you can ask the other parent for their share of past costs. Courts apply limits similar to the ones used for retroactive child support. Keep receipts and any record of asking the other parent to contribute.
