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Find a Lawyer » Canada Legal Guides » New Brunswick Legal Guides » Family Law & Divorce New Brunswick » Child Custody & Support New Brunswick
📅Modifying a child support order in New Brunswick typically takes 2 to 6 months, depending on the method chosen. You can use the provincial Child Support Recalculation Service (CSRS) for…
💵In New Brunswick, each parent is generally responsible for paying their own lawyer’s fees upfront. However, if the child support dispute goes to the Court of King’s Bench, the judge…
🕑In New Brunswick, drafting an amicable parenting plan (custody agreement) through lawyers or mediation takes about 1 to 3 months. If parents cannot agree and must litigate at the Court…
💵In New Brunswick, basic child support is calculated using the Federal Child Support Guidelines. The amount is determined almost entirely by the paying parent’s gross annual income and the number…
💰In New Brunswick, an amicable agreement regarding parenting time and decision-making responsibility typically costs between $1,500 and $3,000 CAD. However, a high-conflict custody battle that goes to trial at the…
👪In New Brunswick, the term “custody” has been legally replaced by “decision-making responsibility” and “parenting time.” You can apply for these rights by filing a Notice of Application at the…
💡If your ex-partner is denying you parenting time in New Brunswick, you should document every missed visit and try to resolve the issue through negotiation or mediation. If they still…
🚗To legally relocate with a child in New Brunswick, you must provide a written Notice of Relocation to anyone with parenting time or decision-making responsibility at least 60 days before…
💰The Office of Support Enforcement (OSE) in New Brunswick is a free government service that can aggressively enforce unpaid child and spousal support by garnishing wages, seizing CRA tax refunds,…
💡A shared parenting plan in New Brunswick outlines how you and your ex-partner will raise your children, covering living schedules and major decisions. You can draft this agreement privately or…
💡If your ex stops paying child support in New Brunswick, your most effective step is to register your court order or separation agreement with the Office of Support Enforcement (OSE).…
💡Section 7 special and extraordinary expenses cover costs like childcare, braces, or university that go beyond basic child support. In New Brunswick, parents generally share these costs proportionately based on…
💡Parental alienation occurs when one parent psychologically manipulates a child into rejecting the other parent without valid reason. New Brunswick family courts take this severely, often ordering family therapy or…
💡If your ex-spouse is intentionally hiding income, working cash jobs, or refusing to work to avoid paying child support, a New Brunswick judge can “impute” their income. This means calculating…
💡In New Brunswick, child support does not automatically end when a child turns 19 (the age of majority). If your adult child is enrolled in a full-time university or college…
🎯 Specialization: Family Law, Mediation, Divorce, Adoption, Surrogacy
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🎯 Specialization: Family Law Divorce Child Custody Wills and Estates Real Estate
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📍 Address: 344 George St, Fredericton, New Brunswick
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🎯 Specialization: Wrongful Dismissal, Separation Agreements, Child Support, Civil Litigation
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🎯 Specialization: Family Law, Divorce, Child Custody, Collaborative Law, Spousal Support
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🏢 Est: 1995
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Welcome to the New Brunswick Child Custody & Support guide centre. Here you will find comprehensive resources covering everything from establishing parenting time schedules to calculating fair child support payments, based on current provincial regulations.
When parents separate, ensuring the emotional and financial well-being of their children is always the top priority. In New Brunswick, child custody and support are guided by the principle of the “best interests of the child.” Modern family law now uses the terms “decision-making responsibility” instead of custody, and “parenting time” instead of access, focusing on the parents’ ongoing duties rather than treating children as property to be won.
Navigating these changes can be highly emotional and stressful for everyone involved. Whether you are trying to agree on a holiday parenting schedule or figuring out how to share the costs of your child’s daycare and extracurricular activities, understanding the province’s legal framework helps reduce conflict and provides stability for your family’s future.
In New Brunswick, cases involving child support, parenting time, and decision-making responsibility are heard in the Family Division of the Court of King’s Bench. This specialized court operates in major centres like Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John, and Bathurst. Judges here are focused specifically on family dynamics and are legally bound to make decisions that prioritize the children’s physical, emotional, and psychological safety.
Once a child support order or formal agreement is in place, it can be filed with the Family Support Orders Service (FSOS). Managed by the provincial Department of Justice and Public Safety, FSOS is the agency responsible for monitoring and enforcing support payments. If a parent fails to pay, FSOS has the authority to garnish wages, seize tax returns, or even suspend driver’s licences to ensure children receive the financial support they are owed.
Resolving disputes about where your children will live or how they will be financially supported is complex and heavily regulated. Attempting to represent yourself in the Court of King’s Bench or signing a poorly drafted parenting agreement without professional advice can lead to tragic outcomes. Missing financial disclosures or misunderstanding the child support guidelines can result in unfair arrangements that are incredibly difficult to overturn later.
Because your children’s future is at stake, we strongly advise consulting with a qualified New Brunswick family lawyer. You can find a list of relevant local lawyers and government agencies at the top of this page. An experienced lawyer can advocate for your parental rights, negotiate fair support terms, and ensure that your final parenting plan is legally sound and truly in your child’s best interests.
Under updated Canadian family law, “custody” has been replaced with “decision-making responsibility” (the right to make major choices about health, education, and religion). “Access” is now called “parenting time,” which refers to the actual physical time the child spends in each parent’s care.
Child support is determined using the mandatory Federal Child Support Guidelines. The monthly amount is based on the paying parent’s gross annual income, the number of children involved, and the specific parenting time arrangement (such as shared or split parenting).
Section 7 expenses are special or extraordinary costs that go beyond basic child support. These typically include things like childcare, medical and dental premiums, tutoring, and expensive extracurricular activities. Parents usually share these costs in proportion to their respective incomes.
In New Brunswick, there is no magic age where a child legally gets to choose where they live. However, as a child gets older and more mature (often around 12 to 14 years old), their views and preferences are given significantly more weight by a judge.
No. In Canada, child support and parenting time are two completely separate legal rights. You cannot legally deny a parent their scheduled parenting time simply because they are behind on child support payments.
No. If both parents can agree on an amount that aligns with the Federal Child Support Guidelines, you can draft a written separation agreement. Once this agreement is signed and witnessed, it can be filed with the court and enforced just like a judge’s order.
