Child Support for High-Income Payors Over $150,000 in BC

The British Columbia table is built in income steps, and its top row is $150,000 or greater. If the paying parent earns more than that, you may wonder whether support keeps rising with income or stops at a ceiling.

This article explains the choice the Guidelines give the court at that income level and the other situations that can change the result. Because the court has discretion, a lawyer can help you understand how it may apply to your family.

This article covers the law of British Columbia.

The starting point: the table amount

The presumptive child support amount is the table amount for the payor's province of habitual residence plus any section 7 special or extraordinary expense amount. Monthly support is the basic amount for the income row plus a percentage of income over the row's floor figure.

For the top row of the BC table, monthly support is as follows:

These figures come from the table as last amended 2025-10-01, when the current amounts took effect, and earlier versions had lower amounts. Check the official table for later changes and for the exact row that applies to you.

What section 4 allows when income is over $150,000

If the payor's income is over $150,000, the court may apply the table under section 3. Alternatively, it may set the table amount for the first $150,000 plus whatever amount it considers appropriate for the balance.

So there are two possible paths. One follows the table's percentage on the income above $150,000. The other leaves the amount on the balance to the court's judgment. Which path a court takes depends on the facts, and a lawyer can explain how the choice might play out for you.

Income for support purposes

Income is determined from the Total income heading of the T1 General tax form, adjusted under Schedule III. For a payor who owns a company, the court may include all or part of the corporation's pre-tax income, or an amount commensurate with the services provided, capped at the corporation's pre-tax income.

The table amount is based on the payor's income only. The recipient's income does not affect the table figure, though it can matter for section 7 sharing and for the shared parenting and undue hardship exceptions.

Other ways support can differ from the table

• Shared parenting: if each parent has not less than 40% of parenting time over a year, the court must consider each parent's table amount, the increased costs of shared arrangements and each parent's circumstances.
• Undue hardship: a court may award a different amount if a parent or child would otherwise suffer undue hardship, but the claim must be denied if the claiming household would have a higher standard of living than the other parent's household.
• Agreement: the Family Law Act lets a court depart from the guidelines if the parties consent or have an agreement and reasonable arrangements exist for the child's support.
• Section 7 expenses: on a parent's request the court may add amounts for items such as child care, medical and dental insurance premiums, and post-secondary education, shared in proportion to income.

For school and extracurricular costs, extraordinary means expenses that exceed what the requesting parent can reasonably cover.

What to do next

• Gather the payor's recent tax returns and company financial information, if relevant.
• Look up the official BC table for the number of children and the current amounts.
• List any child expenses that may qualify under section 7.
• Note your parenting schedule, since 40% of time can change the analysis.
• Ask a lawyer how a court may treat income above $150,000 in your case.

Frequently asked questions