Agreement:
A legal document in which the support payor and support recipient have agreed on the amount of support to be paid. (See also Domestic Contract.)
Arrears:
Another word for balance owing. It is the amount of support payments 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 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. Your case number is issued by Family Responsibility Office’s computer system when your court order or filed agreement is registered with the program. Payors and recipients must use the case number whenever they contact the Family Responsibility Office.
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 the Family Responsibility Office 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. (See also Agreement.)
Global Order:
A support order that does not specify a support amount for each child, but provides a total amount. This total amount is in effect until the last 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.
Inter-jurisdictional Support Order (ISO):
The legislation that guides the process of obtaining and enforcing support orders when one person lives in a reciprocating jurisdiction.
Payor:
The person who is required to pay support under a support order or agreement/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 agreement/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:
The Family Responsibility Office (FRO) sends every recipient a registration package. All recipients must fill out the registration package and send it back to the FRO. By filling out this package, a recipient gives the FRO the information that it needs to start enforcement to collect support payments. Information requested includes the payor's address, social insurance number and the name and address of the payor's employer and/or other income sources.
Reregistering:
Another word for re-opening your case with the FRO. To re-register with the 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 with the FRO 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:
The FRO sends a support deduction notice to a payor's income source. This notice directs the income source to deduct support payments from the payor's income and send them to the FRO.
Support Deduction Order:
An order made each time the court makes a support order (see Support Order). The support deduction order authorizes the 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 the 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 the FRO to administer or enforce their case, they can withdraw from the 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 the FRO in writing of this decision. If a third party (a social services agency, for example) is owed funds, the FRO cannot withdraw its enforcement of these arrears. The case will not be closed until all third-party arrears are paid.