If you are paying support through the Family Responsibility Office, here are some tips to help you avoid problems with your child support or spousal support.

• Pay your support in full and on time to avoid enforcement action.



• Make your support payments make your support payments directly through us, not to the support recipient. If you do you may have to pay a fee for each adjustment to your case.



• Keep your own records (pay stubs, copies of cancelled cheques, receipts). We do not provide a year-end statement for income tax purposes.



• Always include your case number and your first and last name on your payment when you communicate with us. Never include your Personal Identification Number (PIN).



• If your financial situation changes, you may wish to contact a lawyer to find out what your options are. We cannot change the amount of support you pay. Only a judge can change the amount of support in your support order or domestic contract.



• If you fall behind on your payments, you should contact us to make a payment arrangement. You will be asked to fill out a financial statement and a document called a Voluntary Arrears Payment Schedule (VAPS).



• You are obligated to tell us about any changes to your name, address or income source within 10 days to avoid file errors and possible enforcement action.



• If you believe that your obligation to pay support has ended, you should contact us.



• If you need a change to your support order or the support terms in your domestic contract, you can:
• get advice from a lawyer,
• contact your local Legal Aid office (Look in the Yellow Pages under 'legal aid'.),
• meet with an Advice Lawyer at the family court, or
• visit a Family Law Information Centre (they are located at all family court locations across Ontario). For information on the location of a Family Law Information Centre near you, visit the website of the Ministry of the Attorney General.
• If you need help finding a lawyer, contact the Lawyer Referral Service for a free half-hour consultation at 1-900-565-4577. (A $6 fee will automatically be charged to your phone bill.)



• For updated information on your case, call our automated information line at 1-800-267-7263, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Have your Family Responsibility Office case number and Personal Identification Number (PIN) ready.