Legal & Regulatory · Family law · Quebec
Quebec child support: which rules apply?
Quebec is the one province that does not use the federal tables for its own child support rules. This page tells you which system applies to your situation and where the official Quebec tools are. It does not calculate a Quebec-model amount.
When both parents live in Quebec, child support is set with the Quebec model. In a divorce where one parent does not live in Quebec, the federal guidelines apply unless the parents agree to use the Quebec model.
Inputs
Which rules apply
Pick a situation, then press Calculate.
The Quebec model
Quebec’s Ministère de la Justice publishes a calculation tool and a set of contribution tables for the Quebec model. Quebec says the amount is determined from the income of both parents, the number of children and other factors, and that child support payments are indexed each January 1 using the Régime de rentes du Québec pension index. Each year the Ministère also adjusts the table amounts for changes in provincial and federal tax rates.
Where Quebec appears in the federal tables
Schedule I of the Federal Child Support Guidelines does include a Quebec table, and the main table amount calculator can show it. Justice Canada states that Quebec has different child support rules and tables from the other provinces, which is why this site does not present the federal Quebec row as a Quebec-model amount.
What to do next
If you need a number for a Quebec court or agreement, use Quebec’s own tool and form. If a divorce involves a parent living outside Quebec, ask a lawyer or the court which guidelines apply.
Frequently asked questions
Does Quebec use the federal child support tables?
Justice Canada says all provinces and territories except Quebec have adopted the Federal Tables in their child support laws, and that Quebec has different rules and tables. Quebec uses its own model when both parents live in Quebec.
When do the federal guidelines apply to a Quebec case?
Quebec says that in a divorce where one parent does not live in Quebec, the Federal Child Support Guidelines apply, though the parents may agree to use the Quebec model instead.
Is there an official Quebec child support calculator?
Yes. The Ministère de la Justice publishes a Child Support Payments Calculation Tool, and the Government of Quebec publishes the tables used to determine the basic parental contribution. Both are linked on this page.
Why does this page not give a Quebec amount?
The Quebec model depends on both parents' incomes and other inputs set by Quebec, and Quebec adjusts its tables each year. An estimate here could disagree with the official tool, so this page points you to the official one.
Does the federal Quebec table show what a Quebec court will order?
Not by itself. It is the Quebec table inside Schedule I, relevant to cases under the federal guidelines. Cases between two Quebec residents use the Quebec model.
Sources
Verified 16 October 2026. Every rate, rule and table row used here was read on the official page listed below.
- Government of Quebec, About child support
- Government of Quebec, Child Support Payments Calculation Tool
- Government of Quebec, Tables to determine the basic parental contribution
- Justice Canada, FAQ: 2025 update to the Federal Child Support Tables
- Justice Canada, Step-by-Step guide, step 4: which table applies
- Federal Child Support Guidelines, Schedule I: Federal Child Support Tables (2025), Justice Laws Website
Not legal advice
This is general information built from the published Federal Child Support Guidelines tables. It is not legal advice and it is not an official calculation. Only the table in the regulation is the legal version, and a court or agreement can set a different amount. Income for child support is defined by the Guidelines, not by your tax return alone. For an order or agreement, talk to a family lawyer, a family law information centre or your provincial family justice service.