Arrears
Another word for balance owing. It is the amount of support that a payor has missed and owes to a recipient.

Assignment of Support
An Assignment of Support may be made when a person, who is entitled to support under a support order, receives or has received social assistance. The Support Order or Agreement is assigned to the appropriate social assistance agency (Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program) by the support recipient. Support payments that are due during the period of the assignment are owed to the social assistance agency.

Case Number
A seven-digit number starting with zero that is assigned to your case when your court order or agreement is registered with the Family Responsibility Office (FRO). Payors and recipients must use the case number whenever they contact FRO.

Commissioner of Oaths
A person who is authorized to administer oaths or take affidavits, such as a lawyer, MPP, municipal official or court official.

Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) Clause
A COLA clause provides for an annual increase or decrease in the amount of support payments. The basis for most COLA changes is how much the cost of living changed over the previous year. COLA clauses are in some support orders and agreements. It should be noted that FRO only enforces certain types of COLA clauses.

Domestic Contract
A legal document in which the support payor and support recipient have agreed on the amount of support to be paid.

Global Order
A support order that does not specify a support amount for each child, but provides a total amount for all children. This total amount is in effect until the youngest child is no longer a dependant. For example, in a global order for $600 for three children, the amount will still be $600, even if two children are no longer dependant.

Income Source
An income source includes an individual, a corporation or other entity that owes or makes any payment, whether periodically or in a lump sum, to or on behalf of a payor.

Interjurisdictional Support Order (ISO)
The legislation that guides the process of obtaining and enforcing support orders when one person lives outside Ontario (in a reciprocating jurisdiction).

Payor
The person who is required to pay support under a support order or domestic contract.

Provisional Order
A support order by a court that has no legal effect until confirmed by a court in a reciprocating jurisdiction.

Recipient
The person who is entitled to receive support under a support order or domestic contract.

Reciprocating Jurisdiction
A province, state or country that enforces Ontario support orders when the support payor lives in that province, state or country. Ontario enforces the support orders of reciprocating jurisdictions when the payor lives in Ontario.

Registration Package
FRO sends every recipient a registration package. All recipients must fill out the registration package and send it back to our office. By filling out this package, a recipient provides us the information that we need to start collection and/or enforcement of support payments.

Re-registering Another word for re-opening your case with FRO. To re-register with FRO, you must complete the Notice of Re-registering Form. To re-open a closed case, a fee of $50 each will be charged to the support recipient and the support payor if a case is reregistered at a later date.

Statement of Arrears
A sworn document that lists payments due, payments made and missed, and shows the total amount owed. A recipient must swear a Statement of Arrears in front of a Commissioner of Oaths.

Support Deduction Notice
A support deduction notice is sent to a payor's employer/income source. This notice directs the employer/income source to deduct support payments from the payor's income and send them to FRO.

Support Deduction Order
An order made each time the court makes a support order (see Support Order). The support deduction order authorizes FRO to send the support deduction notice to the payor's income source.

Support Order
An order for the payment of money toward the support or maintenance of a child or spouse.  Also includes a domestic contract requiring support payments which has been filed with the court.

Voluntary Arrears Payment Schedule (VAPS)
A plan to repay support arrears (debts) owing to a recipient. The plan is proposed by the payor and agreed to by FRO. The VAPS payment is in addition to the regular support payment obligation.

Withdraw
If both the support payor and recipient agree that they do not want FRO to administer or enforce their case, they can withdraw from FRO. A recipient has the option for unilateral withdrawal (without the payors consent) when the payor is not in compliance with the support order. They must advise FRO in writing of this decision. If a third party (a social services agency, for example) is owed funds, FRO cannot withdraw its enforcement of these arrears. The case will not be closed until all third-party arrears are paid.