Lines 230 and 220 – Support payments made

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Lines 230 and 220 – Support payments made

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Reporting support payments on your tax return

If you are claiming deductible support payments, enter on line 230 of your tax return the total amount of support payments you paid under a court orders or written agreements. This includes any non-deductible child support payments you made.

Do not include amounts you paid that are more than the amounts specified in the order or agreement, such as pocket money or gifts that you sent directly to your children.

Enter on line 220 of your tax return the deductible part of the support payments that you paid.

Complete both line 230 and line 220 correctly to avoid your claim being delayed or disallowed.

You also have to register your court order or written agreement with us. For more information, see Registering your court order or written agreement.

Example – How to report support payments on your tax return

Diane and Gene recently divorced. In their court order made in December 2015, Gene was ordered to pay Diane $1,000 per month for their two children, and $500 per month for spousal support.

Gene started making monthly support payments of $1,500 in January, and paid a total of $18,000 for 2016.

Gene enters the total support payments amount of $18,000 on line 230 of his 2016 tax return. On line 220, he enters the deductible part of his support payments, which is the spousal support amount of $6,000.

Note

If your court order or written agreement acknowledges support paid for your spouse or common-law partner in a year for which you have already filed a tax return, you can ask for an adjustment. For more information, see How to change your return.

Year of change in marital status

If you had to make support payments for a child and you were separated from your spouse or common-law partner for only part of that year because of a breakdown in your relationship, you have a choice. You may claim, whichever of the following is more beneficial to you:

  • any deductible support amounts paid for that year
  • if you qualify, any applicable non-refundable tax credit

However, if you only had to make spousal support payments and you were separated from your spouse or common-law partner for only part of that year because of a breakdown in your relationship, you may be able to claim the total spousal support amounts paid for that year and, if you qualify, any applicable non-refundable tax credit for your children.

If you reconciled before the end of that year and you choose to claim the spouse or common-law partner amount, you may also qualify to claim the non-refundable tax credit amounts transferred from your spouse or common-law partner on line 326 of Schedule 1.

For more information on non-refundable tax credits, see lines 303 , 305, 306, 315, 318, and 367.

If you are claiming non-refundable tax credit amounts instead of the support payments, enter the total support paid on line 230, and zero on line 220. Otherwise, we will have no record of your payments.

Note

If you have more than one recipient to whom you are making support payments, your tax situation may vary. For more information, see Income Tax Folio S1-F3-C3, Support Payments.

Example – How to report support payments on your tax return

Roger and Mary separated on September 1, 2016. Under the terms of the written agreement, beginning on that date Roger pays $300 monthly in spousal support. Mary had no other income in 2016.

When filing his 2016 tax return, Roger could deduct either:

  • the support he paid ($300 × 4 months = $1,200)
  • the spouse or common-law partner amount for Mary (line 303 of Schedule 1)

Since Mary had no other income, Roger would be entitled to the full spouse or common-law partner amount. Therefore, Roger decides to claim the spouse or common-law partner amount at line 303 of Schedule 1 since it is the most beneficial. He should enter the amount of support he paid on line 230 and enter zero on line 220 on his tax return.

Mary has to report the $1,200 she received in support payments on her 2016 tax return.

Retroactive lump-sum payments

If you made one lump-sum payment of at least $3,000 (that you can deduct and that the recipient has to report as income) to bring your requirements for previous years up to date, give the recipient of the support payments a filled out Form T1198, Statement of Qualifying Retroactive Lump-Sum Payment.

Reimbursement of support payments

A reimbursement of support payments received under a court order must be included in income on lines 156 and 128 of your tax return for the year it is received. This applies if you deduct the amount on that tax return, or if you deducted it in a previous year.

Legal and accounting fees

A payer cannot claim legal and accounting fees (at line 220, 221 or 232) incurred to:

  • get a separation or divorce
  • establish, negotiate, or contest the amount of support payments
  • establish child custody or visitation rights

Supporting documents

When you file your tax return, do not send any documents. Keep them in case we ask to see them.

However, if we ask for receipts, acceptable receipts must indicate your name, the date of payment, and the amount you paid.

Any of the following receipts may be accepted to support your claim:

  • cancelled cheques or cheque images (copies of both sides of the cheque have to be legible)
  • bank and employer statements if they indicate a transfer of funds from the payer's account or paycheque to either the recipient's account or to a provincial agency and the amounts are equal or less than the amounts specified in the court order or written agreement
  • statement or letter from the maintenance enforcement program (for example, provincial agency) supporting the actual amount of support paid under the court order or written agreement
  • signed receipts from the recipient showing the total amount paid in the year

Forms and publications

Related links

Date modified:
2017-01-03