Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines: The Revised User's Guide

• Previous Page

Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Common Errors to Avoid
• 3. Entitlement (SSAG Chapter 4)
  • (a) The principles of entitlement
  • (b) Entitlement as a threshold issue: income disparity alone does not mean entitlement
  • (c) A zero range for amount should not be confused with a lack of entitlement; it may simply reflect current inability to pay
  • (d) Entitlement and the subsequent steps in the application of the Guidelines
  • (e) Duration as the end of entitlement
  • (f) Entitlement issues on variation and review
• 4. Agreements (SSAG 5.2)
  • (a) SSAG as a backdrop to negotiation
  • (b) Existing legal framework for overriding or setting aside agreements
  • (c) Use of the SSAG in a “Miglin” analysis
  • (d) Use of SSAG in challenges to agreements under provincial legislation
  • (e) Additional reference material
• 5. Application to Interim Orders (SSAG 5.3)
  • (a) Use of the SSAG on interim applications
  • (b) Income determination at the interim stage
  • (c) Remember the interim exception
  • (d) Include periods of interim support in duration
• 6. Income (SSAG Chapter 6)
  • (a) Differences in “income” for spousal support
  • (b) Timing of income
  • (c) Imputing income
  • (d) Using alternative incomes, to estimate ranges
  • (e) Grossing-up non-taxable income
  • (f) Quick tips and alerts in determining income
  • (g) Can a payor have “two incomes”?
  • (h) Other assorted income issues
• 7. The Without Child Support Formula (SSAG Chapter 7)
  • (a) The problem of limited awards in short marriages without children (SSAG 7.4.2)
  • (b) Short marriages: immigration sponsorship cases
  • (c) Time limits under the without child support formula (SSAG, 7.5)
  • (d) Long marriages and indefinite support
  • (e) Duration and the “rule of 65” (SSAG 7.5.3)
  • (f) Medium-length marriages with children: crossover cases after child support ends
• 8. The With Child Support Formula (SSAG Chapter 8)
  • (a) Government child benefits and credits
  • (b) Section 7 expense contributions
  • (c) No ability to pay vs no entitlement
  • (d) A family of formulas: choose the right one
  • (e) The basic formula (SSAG 8.3)
  • (f) The shared custody formula (SSAG 8.6)
  • (g) Split custody (SSAG 8.7)
  • (h) Hybrid or mixed custody
  • (i) Step-children: applying the formulas (SSAG 8.8)
  • (j) The custodial payor formula (SSAG 8.9)
  • (k) The adult child formula (SSAG 8.10)
  • (l) When a child lives with a third party: what formula?
  • (m) Issues of duration (SSAG 8.5)
  • (n) Short marriages, young children (SSAG 8.5.5)
• 9. Choosing Location Within the Range (SSAG Chapter 9)
• 10. Restructuring (SSAG Chapter 10)
  • (a) Front-end loading
  • (b) Lowering amount; extending duration
  • (c) Lump sums
  • (d) Restructuring under the with child support formula
  • (e) Restructuring under the custodial payor formula
• 11. Ceilings and Floors (SSAG Chapter 11)
  • (a) The floor: payor incomes below $20,000/$30,000
  • (b) Payor income above the $350,000 ceiling
• 12. Exceptions (SSAG Chapter 12)
  • (a) Compelling financial circumstances at the interim stage (SSAG 12.1)
  • (b) Debt payments (SSAG 12.2)
  • (c) Prior support obligations (SSAG 12.3)
  • (d) Illness and disability (SSAG 12.4)
  • (e) The compensatory exception in short marriages without children (SSAG 12.5)
  • (f) Property division: reapportionment (B.C.) (SSAG 12.6.1)
  • (g) Property division: “Boston” (SSAG 12.6.3)
  • (h) Property division: high property awards (SSAG 12.6.2)
  • (i) Basic needs/hardship (SSAG 12.7)
  • (j) Non-taxable payor income (SSAG 12.8)
  • (j.1) Payor resides in country where no tax deductibility for support
  • (k) Non-primary parent to fulfil parenting role (SSAG 12.9)
  • (l) Special needs of child (SSAG 12.10)
  • (m) Section 15.3: inadequate compensation (SSAG 12.11)
  • (n) Other grounds for departures, “new exceptions”
• 13. Variation and Review (SSAG Chapter 14)
  • (a) The general framework of variation and review
  • (b) Applicability of the SSAG on variation and review
  • (c) Variation of pre-SSAG orders or non-SSAG consent orders
• 14. Crossovers Between Formulas When Child Support Ends (SSAG 14.5)
• 15. Changing Incomes
  • (a) Payor’s income reduced
  • (b) Recipient’s income increased
  • (c) Both incomes increased
  • (d) Change from imputed income
  • (e) Post-separation income of payor increased
  • (f) Post-separation income reduction of the recipient
  • (g) Delayed claims
• 16. The Recipient’s Remarriage or Repartnering (SSAG 14.7)
• 17. Second Families, or Subsequent Children (SSAG 14.8)
• 18. Self-sufficiency and Termination
  • (a) Reasonable efforts to achieve self-sufficiency
  • (b) Self-sufficiency and termination of support
• 19. Retirement
  • (a) Early retirement
  • (b) Does retirement constitute a basis for a change in spousal support?
  • (c) Previously-divided pensions: double-dipping, “Boston” and the SSAG
  • (d) Termination of spousal support
  • (e) Living off capital and income-based guidelines
• 20. Retroactive Spousal Support
  • (a) General principles
  • (b) Use of the SSAG
  • (c) Tax issues