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Information for people who are new to FRO

Separation and divorce are major life changes. Your role as spouse or partner will end, but your role as a parent continues. The Family Responsibility Office (FRO) helps more than 400,000 people every year by collecting and distributing support payments. We're here to help you and your family, too.

• can FRO help me?
  FRO helps families in Ontario get the support they are entitled to by enforcing court-ordered support payments. Learn more
• do I register my support order or agreement?
  We automatically register all support orders and support deduction orders that are sent to us by the courts. If you don't want us to enforce your court order, you have to withdraw from the program. Learn more
• do I pay support?
  There are several ways you can pay support through FRO including paycheque deductions, online banking, cheque or money order. Do not pay the recipient directly. Learn more
• do I receive support?
  You will receive payments from FRO, not the payor. If there are no complications, you will receive your first payment 30 to 60 days after registration. After that, when we receive a support payment, we deposit it in your account usually within 48 hours. Learn more
• can FRO take enforcement actions without first telling me?
  If you fall behind in your support payments, we can take enforcement. Depending on the action taken, you may or may not be notified in advance. You can avoid this by paying the support you owe in full and on time each month. Learn more
• can I change my support order or domestic contract?
  The Family Responsibility Office cannot change any of the terms in your support order or domestic contract. Only the courts can do that. Learn more
• do I withdraw my case from FRO?
  If you would prefer to arrange for support payments to take place privately between you and the recipient without FRO's involvement, you can withdraw your case. Learn more

• will I start paying?
  You start paying support on the date stated in the support order or domestic contract. If no date is specified, your first payment is due on the same day the order or contract was made. Learn more
• do I start receiving payments?
  If there are no complications, you can expect to receive your first payment within 30 to 60 days of registration. After that, when we receive a support payment, we deposit it in your account usually within 48 hours. Learn more
• do I stop paying?
  In most cases, we will let you know when you can stop paying us. If you believe that your support payments should end, you should contact us. Learn more
• do I need to contact FRO?
  It is important that you contact us immediately if anything changes or if you receive a letter or notice from FRO. In this way, we can enforce your support order effectively. Learn more
• will I be assigned a case contact, case number and PIN?
  The court automatically sends us the documents we need to register your case. At that time, we assign your file a case number and a case contact. We then contact you to introduce you to the program, answer any initial questions you may have, provide you with your case number and mail out your Personal Identification Number (PIN). Learn more

• or the other parent lives outside Ontario?
  FRO has enforcement agreements with every Canadian province and territory, every state in the United States of America as well as 31 other countries. If one party lives in one of these areas, you can usually get, change or enforce a support order. Learn more
• can’t pay my support or fall behind on payments?
  If you are having trouble paying support or fall behind on payments, you should contact us as soon as possible at 416-326-1817 or Toll free at 1-800-267-4330 to work out a voluntary arrears payment plan. Otherwise, we may take enforcement action to recover the money owed. Learn more about enforcement actions
• don’t know where the payor lives or works?
  Payors are required to tell us about any changes to their personal information to avoid possible enforcement action. If we don't get this information from the payor or recipient, we have a number of tools available to search for the payor's address or employment information.

• I want information on child access or custody?
  FRO does not become involved in child custody or access issues. Visit the Ministry of the Attorney General website for information on child access and custody.
• my payment is late or I haven’t received a payment yet?
  If there are no complications, you will receive your first payment 30 to 60 days after registration. After that, if you haven't received a payment in more than 30 days, please contact us right away. We can take enforcement action to recover the money you are owed. Find out more
• my contact information changes?
  You must tell us about any changes to your name, address or other personal information within 10 days to avoid file errors. Here's how to contact us
• I lost, forgot or need to change my Personal Identification Number?
  Your personal identification number (PIN) is designed to protect your personal information. Please contact us at 416-326-1817 or Toll free at 1-800-267-4330 right away if you have any concerns about your PIN.