Shared Custody support payments

[epinecone]

Further to my posts from ealier in the year.

I have now learned that my former spouse, who has the children for three nights a week, enjoys the following financial benefits:

$1500 / month from me in CS
$1000 / Month from me in SS
$960 / Month in Govt benefits
$1400 / Month from her part time employment

This is $4860 per month and on top of it all she only declares the SS and Employment Income for tax purposes. To make it even more fun, I cannot claim the children as dependents because I pay support for them even though they are with me more than 53% of each week.

Why? Because she chooses to work at a $15/hr job... Even though she has a University degree and a College diploma.

She just bought her third registered chihuahua for $1000. Even though she took the minivan free and clear in the asset split, she just bought a second car because she did'nt like driving the minivan to work.

This system is rotten, and it has to change.

Full visibility on spending on the children. Tax advantage to the payor of support. And a system that actually encourages the lower income parent to do SOMETHING to support their children other than sit back and suckle on the teat of injustice we call the Divorce Act.

[Mess]

The $960 in goverment benefits sounds like she is collecting for the full year. You have the children roughly 50/50, it should be split 6 months each. The amount is not supposed to be counted as income, but she should only be receiving half that amount. You should notify CRA and file for a shared custody situation. Even if you are of a higher income and would receive minimal or no benefits, you should still comply with the law.

She has an obligation to work full time, and if she is working at a job that is less than her capabilities she should display a good reason for it. Have you not sought to have income imputed? At least full time at $15/hour should be around $2400 per month.

The system doesn't allow you to decide what she can spend money on, it doesn't allow her to decide what you spend it on. It's not rotten, it's called being divorced and moving on with your life. She's not your employee. I'm not disputing that you have cause to seek a reduction based on her lack of employment, but lose the attitude, it won't help you .

[epinecone]

Actually the $960 a month is the monthly equivalent of all her quarterly payments.

My income in the past was too high to qualify for any support.

[frustratedwithex]

Why can't you claim the children as dependents?

[epinecone]

I can't claim the children as dependents because Revenue Canada sent me a letter saying that any child for which you pay support cannot be claimed as a dependent.

I was always under the impression that Equal Shared Parenting / Joint Custody meant we could intelligently use the children between us, however Revenue Canada has made it clear that is not the case.

[epinecone]

Mess,

Moving on with life is not that easy... I have a new relationship, I have three young kids who are used to 4 nights with Dad and 3 nights with mom..
I also have my childrens mother, who's continuous attempts at parental alienation, defamation of character, and financial terrorism have made life challenging.

Saying the system is'nt rotten is like saying Colombia is a well run democracy with no corruption and minimal serious crime. Systemic inequity breeds injustice...and every week when I get to divine my grocery budget based on how much I have left after the Childrens mother takes her share... I am not exactly feeling like I have experienced any justice or equitable treatment.

The fact that the issue of how CS is spent is a sacred cow of the femnazi movement, keeps any reasonable guidelines from ever being put in place.

[epinecone]

Not that it's any of my business how she spends her hard earned CS.. But just thought you should know she just about another registered chihuhua!!! I'm so excited for her that she has been able to buy 4 registered dog's while I am debating whether or not the taste of noname mac and cheese is worth the savings...

ROTTEN..