Moving Out of Ontario or Canada: What Happens to Child Support?

A move can happen on either side of a support order. A paying parent may relocate to another province or country, or a receiving parent may take the children away from Ontario. Both raise the same worry: does the order still count, and can it be enforced?

This article explains in general terms how Ontario deals with child support when a parent lives elsewhere. Cross-border cases turn heavily on where each person lives, so the details are worth confirming with a lawyer.

Does the Ontario order still apply after a move?

A move does not give a payor the power to change an order. The Family Responsibility Office (FRO) says only a judge can change the amount in a support order. If the order is filed with FRO, the Director enforces it, and no one other than the Director may enforce it. Orders made in court are automatically filed with FRO.

While a case is registered with FRO, the payor must make all payments through FRO, and FRO warns payors not to pay the recipient directly. Because only a judge can change the amount, the order stays in place until a court changes it. Whether a particular move counts as a change in circumstances depends on your situation, so it is worth confirming with a lawyer.

Which table applies when someone lives elsewhere

If the paying parent lives in Ontario, the table for Ontario applies. If the paying parent lives outside Canada, the Ontario table applies if the other parent lives in Ontario. Otherwise, the table for the applying parent's province or territory applies.

Justice Canada says to use the table for the province or territory where the paying parent lives and the number of children being supported. The 2025 Federal Child Support Tables came into effect on October 1, 2025. Which table applies in a cross-border case depends on where each parent lives, so it is worth confirming with a lawyer.

Getting or enforcing an order across borders

Under the Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act, 2002, a claimant in Ontario may start a proceeding in Ontario to get an order in the reciprocating jurisdiction where the respondent habitually lives. Reciprocating jurisdictions include all Canadian provinces and territories, all U.S. states and more than 55 other countries.

• Provisional orders: some reciprocating jurisdictions require an Ontario provisional order, which has no legal effect until a court there confirms it.
• FRO names Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Quebec, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia (spousal support only) as examples.
• Orders from elsewhere: a registered order from a reciprocating jurisdiction has the same effect as an Ontario support order.
• For an order made outside Canada, a party has 30 days after notice of registration to move to set the registration aside.
• If the other parent lives in a non-reciprocating country, Ontario's guidance is to talk to a lawyer about the options.

The list of reciprocating jurisdictions and of those needing provisional orders can change, so it should be confirmed before you rely on it.

Enforcement and timelines

FRO enforcement tools for missed payments include suspending the driver's licence, suspending federal licences including the passport, deducting from federal government payments, reporting to the credit bureau, placing liens on property, and default hearings. How well these tools work against someone living abroad depends on the facts.

Timelines can be longer when someone lives outside Canada and the United States. A respondent served in Canada or the United States has 30 calendar days to answer, while a respondent served elsewhere has 60 calendar days. A disclosure request to a parent living outside Canada and the United States gives 60 days instead of 30.

Changing the order after a move

A court may discharge, vary or suspend child support where there has been a change in circumstances under the guidelines, or where new evidence is available. It may also relieve the payor from paying part or all of the arrears or interest. A motion to change support must include a current schedule of arrears from FRO, served with the financial statement.

The online Child Support Service is not available if either parent or any child lives outside Ontario. A move out of province may therefore mean going through court instead.

What to do next

• Keep paying through FRO, if the order is registered there, until a court or FRO says otherwise in writing.
• Get a copy of your current order and your FRO arrears statement.
• Write down the other parent's new address and the date of the move.
• Gather recent income documents, since a new calculation may be needed.
• Speak with a lawyer before moving or before starting any cross-border application.

Frequently asked questions