The Divorcepath Pro Tools support calculator is a professional spousal support & child support calculator, capable of generating courtroom-ready support reports for any scenario under the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines and Federal Child Support Guidelines.
This guide explains how to enter client data into the calculator to easily generate an accurate support report.
The inputs section of the support calculator includes both required and optional fields.
Background
The "Background" section of the support calculator is used to input important background information for each person. The information entered is used to calculate support and customize the report.
Required Background Inputs
Support varies by province/territory, and tax calculations may vary based on each person's age. These required inputs are used to calculate support and customize the report:
Optional Trillium Benefit Inputs
The calculator accepts optional inputs for Ontario to calculate the Trillium Benefit, which can affect apportioning of special child-related expenses as well as spousal support:
Additional Background Inputs
Click "Show More Options" to view some additional background inputs that may be relevant to the client's situation:
Income
The income section of the Divorcepath Pro Tools support calculator is used to input the user's income information.
To use this section, the user needs to add each income type from their T1 federal tax return that is included in line 15000, except for spousal support which is calculated separately. For each income type, the user should enter the current annualized amount of income.
To assist the user in identifying all relevant income types, the calculator provides a table of income types that the user can navigate to view. This table includes common sources of income such as employment income, self-employment income, investment income, and pension income.
It's important to note that the accuracy of the support calculation depends on the accuracy of the income information entered by the user. Therefore, it's important for the user to take care in entering their income information as accurately as possible.
Guideline Income Adjustments
Guideline income adjustments are used to adjust the guideline income for the purposes of calculating child support or spousal support. The user should enter any adjustments that are necessary for their particular situation.
The calculator provides all the available income adjustments from the child support guidelines, including adjustments for child care expenses, health-related expenses, and extraordinary expenses. Additionally, the calculator provides the ability to make custom adjustments to either child support guideline income or spousal support guideline income.
To view the table of guideline income adjustments, the user can navigate to a separate page. From there, they can select any applicable adjustments and enter the corresponding amounts in the calculator. Once all adjustments have been entered, the adjusted guideline income will be displayed.
It is important to note that guideline income adjustments can have a significant impact on the calculation of child support and spousal support. Therefore, it is important for users to carefully consider all applicable adjustments and enter them accurately.
Section 7 Child-Related Expenses
The s. 7 expenses section is designed to help users calculate child-related expenses paid by each person, which will be used to determine any s. 7 child support and will also affect spousal support.
In this section, the user can enter the total amount of the expense and select the type of expense from a list of pre-defined categories.
In addition, the user can enter the amount of the expense paid up front by each person or let the calculator assign this by default. The user can also select the child the expense is for, if applicable.
The s. 7 expenses section is an important part of the Divorcepath Pro Tools support calculator, as it helps to ensure that all relevant expenses are taken into account when calculating child support and spousal support. By accurately inputting these expenses, the user can ensure that the calculator provides the most accurate results possible.
It should be noted that s. 7 expenses can include a wide range of items, such as child care expenses, medical and dental expenses, and education-related expenses. A table listing all available expense categories can be viewed on a separate page.
Additional Tax Options
The Additional Tax Options section of the Divorcepath Pro Tools support calculator provides users with the ability to customize tax credits, tax deductions, and government benefits used in the calculation of support payments.
The section is divided into three tabs: Tax Credits, Tax Deductions, and Government Benefits.
Credits (Tax Credits)
In the Tax Credits tab, users can add, edit, or delete any tax credits applicable to their specific situation.
Tax credits reduce the amount of tax owed to the government, and the calculator takes this reduction into account when calculating support payments. Users can adjust the tax credits for themselves or their former spouse as necessary.
Deductions (Federal Tax Deductions)
In the Tax Deductions tab, users can add, edit, or delete any tax deductions that apply to their specific situation.
Tax deductions reduce the amount of income that is taxed, which can reduce the amount of tax owed to the government. The calculator takes these deductions into account when calculating support payments. Users can adjust tax deductions for themselves or their former spouse as necessary.
Benefits (Federal & Provincial)
In the Government Benefits tab, users can add, edit, or delete any government benefits that apply to their specific situation.
Government benefits can include child benefits, employment insurance, and other income supports. The calculator takes these benefits into account when calculating support payments. Users can adjust government benefits for themselves or their former spouse as necessary.
Child related benefits can be specifically controlled here or in the child benefits section (see below).
Undue Hardship
The Undue Hardship tab allows users to enter any undue hardship amounts that should be considered in the support calculation.
Undue hardship is a special circumstance that may require adjustments to the support payments. This could include significant financial difficulties or health issues. Entering amounts in this section will ensure they are noted in the support calculation in order that they can be taken into consideration by a judge or mediator, although they will not affect the calculated amount. Users can enter any undue hardship amounts that apply to their specific situation.
Children
All children of both parties should be entered in the "Children" section of the calculator.
The inputs displayed for each child may vary depending on the options selected, as follows:
Options Conditional on Child of Relationship
Options Conditional on Support Type
The Children section of the Divorcepath Pro Tools support calculator allows users to input all necessary information about the children involved in a support calculation. By providing this information, the calculator can accurately determine the appropriate level of support to be paid.
Relationship
The Relationship section requires the user to enter the date of cohabitation and the date of separation.
This information is used to calculate the duration of the relationship.
The duration of the relationship is a key factor in determining the duration of spousal support payments and the amount of support (if support is calculated using the without children formula).
Calculate Support
Once all inputs have been entered and validated, the user can click the "Calculate" button to calculate support.
After the initial calculation is complete, support will be automatically recalculated if the user changes any of the input values.
Calculation Settings
There are a number of additional configuration options that can be adjusted.
The Tax Year for the calculation can be set using the dropdown select input at the top of the inputs section. Tax years 2023-2017 are currently available, with additional years coming soon.
Other settings can be accessed on the "settings" tab, at the top of the inputs section.
The "Customize Support Scenarios" option allows for a variety of specific support scenarios to be included in a spousal support report. When selected, a custom scenario will be displayed in addition to the standard low and high end of the spousal support ranges. The custom scenarios are as follows:
Ideas for another custom scenario you'd like to try? Let us know.