Special and Extraordinary Expenses

Child support only covers the basic costs of raising a child, but there are often other expenses that go beyond the basics like child care, dental and fees for extracurricular activities. Not every extra expense counts though, for an expense to be special or extraordinary it must be: 

• Necessary — because they are in the children’s best interests, and
• Reasonable — because they take into consideration how much the parents earn and what the family's spending patterns were before the separation.

There is no defined list of what counts as a special and extraordinary expense, but they may include:

• Child-care expenses that a parent with whom the children live faces as a result of the parent's job, illness, disability or educational requirements for employment.
• The portion of a parent's medical and dental insurance premiums that provides coverage for the children.
• The children’s healthcare needs, over and above that covered by insurance (for example, orthodontics, counselling, medication, eye care and other items) that exceed $100 per year.
• The children’s expenses for extracurricular activities.
• The children’s expenses for primary and secondary education or other educational programs.
• The children’s expenses for post-secondary education.

You and the other parent are free to decide which expenses are reasonable and necessary, or a judge may decide for you.

As a general rule, you share the cost in proportion to your incomes, but you may agree to another arrangement. 

To share expenses in proportion to your income means each of you pay a portion of the cost equal to what you earn. For example, if both parents have the same income, they would each pay for one-half (50%) of the cost of the activity.

Example: Peter and Candice agree that they will share the cost of their son’s soccer. Peter has an income of $20,000 and Candice has an income of $30,000, which makes their combined income $50,000. Of the $50,000, Peter earns 40% of the total and Candice earns 60%. This means Peter should pay 40% of the cost of the soccer and Candice should pay the remaining 60% of the cost. So, if a year of soccer for their son is $200, then Peter would pay $80 and Candice would pay $120 toward the cost.