Separation and divorce are major life changes. Your role as a spouse or partner will end, but the role of parent continues. The Family Responsibility Office (FRO) is committed to treating everyone with fairness and respect. We want to work with you and your family to ensure that support responsibilities are met.
It is important to get to know the details of your support order or agreement. You have a legal obligation and a responsibility to respect it.
When the court makes a support order or agreement, it sets out the amount of support payments and when they are to be paid. You must start paying support on the date given in the court order or agreement. If no date was specified, the first payment is due on the same day the court order was made.
When the court makes a support order, it also makes a support deduction order that gives the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) the right to send a support deduction notice to your employer or other regular income source who will then deduct the amount of support that you owe from your wages or other income.
It can take time before the FRO receives the information it needs to process the support payments. During that period, you are still responsible for making any support payments owing.
Until deductions by your employer or income source begin, you must make support payment through the FRO and not directly to the recipient. There are a variety of payment options available for your convenience. These methods can also be used for support payors who are not on a regular payroll.
If your employment or regular income ends, you are still required to make your support payments. You can do this by sending your payments directly to the FRO. Keep records of the support payments that you make. The FRO does not issue year-end statements.
You must let the FRO know immediately if:
- you move or change your telephone number(s);
- you change employers or there is any change in your income source; and
- there are any changes to your court order, or your support obligation ends or changes.
If you fall behind in your support payments it is important to contact us as soon as possible. We will try to work with you to enter into an agreement to pay the arrears by installments in addition to paying your ongoing support payments. This is known as a Voluntary Arrears Payment Schedule (VAPS). If necessary, the FRO is authorized under the Family Support Arrears Enforcement Act, 1996 to proceed with enforcement action.