Section 7 expenses calculator

See how two parents could share extra expenses for their child. Enter each parent's yearly income and the expenses you want to compare. Your estimate updates as you type.

This is a planning estimate. Some expenses may not qualify under Section 7. Learn what counts.

Enter your numbersExample amounts are filled in. Replace them with yours (yearly Canadian dollars).

Parents’ incomes

Start with each parent's yearly income. You can adjust it under Advanced options.

Parent A income (annual)

Parent B income (annual)

Expenses to share

Enter only the expenses you want to estimate. Not every expense is eligible.

Child care (yearly)

For eligible child care related to work, illness, disability or education.

Health expenses (yearly)

Federal rules include a $100 yearly threshold after insurance for this category. See details.

Extraordinary activities (yearly)

Regular activities do not automatically qualify.

Education or special programs (yearly)

Reimbursements or subsidies (yearly)

Enter each reduction only once.

Advanced optionsMore expense types and adjustments

Additional Section 7 categories

Child’s portion of medical / dental insurance premiums (annual)

Post-secondary education (annual)

Net-cost adjustments

These amounts further reduce the shared expense pool, if relevant. Avoid double-counting amounts already taken off the expense entries or included in “other reimbursements.” Tax relief and benefits must be estimated externally; the calculator does not calculate entitlements.

Child’s own contribution (annual)

Estimated tax relief attributable to these costs (annual)

Estimated increase in benefits attributable to these costs (annual)

Income adjustments (optional)

If you have calculated the correct Section 7 annual income for either parent (for example, after considering relevant spousal support), enter it here to override the quick income field. Leave blank to use the quick income.

Established Section 7 income — Parent A

Established Section 7 income — Parent B

Already paid directly (optional)

Enter net Section 7 expenses actually paid by each parent after relevant reductions. These do not reduce the total expense budget again. A suggested parent-to-parent balancing payment appears only when together they cover the full net expense budget.

Parent A direct payments (annual)

Parent B direct payments (annual)

Planning estimate · not a court order

Net annual expenses to share

$5,600.00

About $466.67 per month across both parents

Parent A · annual$3,266.6758.3%

Parent B · annual$2,333.3341.7%

Monthly amounts are separately rounded and annual shares reconcile to the cent.

Using $70,000.00 and $50,000.00 annual incomes.

Amounts are estimates. Confirm the expense qualifies and the appropriate income figures before relying on a split.

See expense breakdown

Expense breakdown

Annual item	Amount
Net shared expense	$5,600.00

Check that each expense qualifies and that tax adjustments are accurate.

Already paid an expense?

Compare payments

Enter direct payments under Advanced options to compare them with each parent's estimated share.

Section 7 expense estimate · annual figures

Prepared:

Estimate unavailable: correct all invalid inputs before printing. No calculated amounts are shown.

Legal Cost Canada · informational arithmetic estimate, not a court order or legal advice. Consult the official sources and check any expense’s eligibility and all tax/income adjustments.

Need to keep track of receipts?

Use our free printable worksheet to list expenses and payments.

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What counts as a Section 7 expense? Rules, examples and sources

When does Section 7 apply?

Section 7 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines lists qualifying child-care expenses, the child’s portion of medical and dental insurance premiums, health-related expenses, extraordinary primary/secondary education or special programs, post-secondary education, and extraordinary extracurricular activities. An amount is not automatically shareable just because it is a child-related cost.

Eligibility can depend on the child’s best interests, whether the expense is reasonable considering the family’s means and pre-separation spending, and—especially for education and extracurricular activities—whether it is extraordinary. Health-related expenses must exceed insurance reimbursement by at least $100 annually (federal Guidelines, section 7(1)(c)). The calculator does not check this threshold or decide expense eligibility.

How this estimate works: add entered annual candidate expenses; subtract only the reimbursements, child contributions, tax relief and benefit increases you explicitly enter; split the remaining annual amount in proportion to the annual Section 7 incomes you provide. Monthly figures divide the annual results by 12. It does not automatically determine tax effects, entitlement, eligibility, custody arrangements, or binding child-support obligations.

Worked example

With $70,000 and $50,000 in the relevant annual incomes, and $5,600 in eligible net annual expenses, the proportional split is approximately 58.3% / 41.7%, or $3,266.67 and $2,333.33 annually. An actual outcome can differ following income adjustments, expense-eligibility decisions or judicial discretion.

Before using this in an agreement or court filing

Use verified incomes, the specific eligible expenses, evidence of subsidies and reimbursements, and the correct tax and benefit implications. A shared-parenting situation may require a different overall child-support analysis. For an enforceable order or agreement, specify the expenses and actual amounts payable, not only percentages. Consider legal advice where income, eligibility or direct payments are contested.

Official sources: Section 7 of the federal Guidelines and Justice Canada’s Worksheet 2. This calculator is independent of the Government of Canada and is intended for planning, not as an official determination.

See government sources

Primary sources: Federal Child Support Guidelines — section 7·Justice Canada — Worksheet 2 guidance·BC Family Law Act Regulation — Part 4.