A rough SSAG range for Canadian spousal support. Not a quote, a ballpark you can use to plan, before we run the real numbers together.
SSAG Range Estimator
Estimate your spousal support range
Based on the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (SSAG), Canada's advisory framework used by judges and lawyers. This tool gives you a range, not a precise number, because SSAG is advisory and judges have discretion.
The Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines are advisory, not binding. Judges can and do deviate based on the facts of a case. This tool uses the Without Child Support Formula (gross-income method) for a rough range; the With Child Support Formula uses individual net disposable income and requires tax modeling we can't do in a browser.
This estimate is not legal advice and does not create a solicitor-client relationship with Lexaltico LLP. Your actual entitlement depends on entitlement first (compensatory, non-compensatory, or contractual), length of marriage, age, roles during marriage, self-sufficiency potential, and many other factors. Ceiling and floor rules apply for very high and very low incomes.
For a reliable number, we use DivorceMate software and run the numbers against your specific tax situation, book a 15-minute initial assessment.
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Next Step
Have a lawyer review your support position
An estimate tells you the shape of the answer. Whether it applies to your situation depends on documents and facts a calculator cannot see. Most matters qualify for a complimentary 15-minute initial assessment.
This calculator produces a range. Where the marriage was long, the harder question is duration rather than amount, and the answer is frequently indefinite. Duration after a long marriage sets out how that is decided and when it can be varied.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines binding?
No. Unlike the child support tables, they are advisory. Courts refer to them constantly, but they produce ranges rather than answers and can be departed from.
Does this tool decide whether support is owed?
No, and that is the more important question. Entitlement must be established first, on compensatory, needs-based or contractual grounds. If there is no entitlement, the ranges do not apply.
Why is the range so wide?
The Guidelines produce a range for both amount and duration. Where a case sits within that range depends on the circumstances, which is what negotiation and, if necessary, a court decides.
How is duration worked out?
Generally by reference to the length of the relationship, with longer relationships producing longer support and, at the far end, support of indefinite duration. Dependent children change the analysis.
Is spousal support taxable?
Periodic spousal support is generally deductible to the payor and taxable to the recipient, which is the opposite of child support. Lump sums are treated differently.
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How Lexaltico LLP handles personal information, under PIPEDA and Ontario law.
What we collect
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Purpose
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Past results depend on their own facts and do not predict yours.
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The difference is practical rather than technical. A page explaining that spousal support is
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wrong about you, because of a domestic contract you signed, a period of separation you have
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Why you should not send us documents yet
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What they do and do not tell you
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specific to their own facts. A settlement at three times the original offer happened because of
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matter is worth.
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Calculators on this site produce estimates from the figures you enter. They apply published
formulas and they cannot know about the facts that most often change the answer.
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use of, or reliance on, anything published on this website.
Governing law
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Ontario. Lawyers and licensed professionals at the firm are regulated by the Law Society of
Ontario, and marketing on this site is intended to comply with the
Rules of Professional Conduct.
Every limit on what this website tells you, and every thing it does not do, in one
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Before you rely on anything here
Four limits, and they matter in this order.
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Everything published on this website is general information. It is not legal
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speaking to a lawyer licensed in your jurisdiction about your own circumstances.
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These pages describe the law of Ontario, and of Alberta only
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Each page states the law as at the review date shown on it. Legislation is amended and case law
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These pages describe how a rule usually works. That is not the same as how it applies to your
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If you contact us
If you are in danger
If you or a child are in immediate danger, call 911.
This website is not an emergency service. Enquiries sent through a form here are read during
business hours and a reply may take up to one business day.
Using this website, submitting a form, sending an email or speaking to us on the telephone does
not make us your lawyers. That relationship arises only when the firm has
confirmed in writing that it has agreed to act, a conflict search has been completed, and a
retainer has been signed.
Confidentiality of enquiries
Do not send confidential or sensitive information through this website or by email until we have
confirmed in writing that we can act for you. Information sent before that point is
not treated as confidential and may prevent us from acting for you, or for
someone else, in a connected matter.
Response times
We aim to reply within one business day. Contacting us does not guarantee a reply within any
particular period, does not oblige the firm to act, and does not stop, extend or satisfy
any limitation period, filing date or court deadline.
Our telephone line
Our line is answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Outside office hours calls are taken
by our intake service, who record your details and pass them to the firm. A lawyer responds during
the next business day, or sooner if the matter is urgent. Answering the telephone is not the same
as giving legal advice, and no relationship arises from that call.
Who we are and how we are regulated
Law Society of Ontario
Lexaltico LLP is regulated by the Law Society of Ontario under the
Law Society Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. L.8. All lawyers practising in
Ontario through the firm are members in good standing.
Law Society of Alberta
Alberta matters are handled by lawyers licensed with, and in good standing with, the
Law Society of Alberta. A lawyer licensed in Ontario is not thereby licensed in
Alberta, and the reverse is also true.
Immigration regulation
Immigration consulting is provided by Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants
in good standing with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants under the
College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act, S.C. 2019, c. 29,
s. 292.
Lawyers, paralegals and consultants
Not everyone at the firm is a lawyer.
Licensed paralegals in Ontario may act only within the scope the Law Society
permits, which does not include most family, estate or criminal matters.
Immigration consultants are regulated by the College, not by a law society,
and are not lawyers.
Law clerks and managers support files but do not give legal advice.
Each page and biography states which applies. Ask at the outset who will handle your matter and
under which licence.
Languages
We serve clients in thirteen languages. Every page of this website is written and published in
English. Where anything is provided in another language, the English
version governs in the event of a difference. If you need an interpreter, tell us when
you book and we will arrange one.
Fees
The initial assessment
The complimentary 15 minute initial assessment is a brief introductory
conversation. It does not include a review of your documents and does not constitute
legal advice.
The firm charges a fee for substantive consultations, including in civil litigation,
criminal defence and immigration matters. The firm may waive that fee at its discretion.
Any fee is disclosed in advance and credited in full toward your account if you retain the
firm.
Referral fees
All referral fee arrangements, including through LexKonnect, comply with
Rule 3.6-6 of the Law Society of Ontario’s
Rules of Professional Conduct. Fees are disclosed to and consented
to by the client, and no arrangement impairs the independent professional judgment of any lawyer
at the firm.
What is published on this site
Calculators and estimators
They produce estimates from what you type and cannot know the rest. They do not
account for the terms of your contract, statutory exceptions, or the discretion a court will
apply. Do not make a decision on a number produced by a calculator.
Past results
Any outcome described happened on its own facts, before its own decision maker,
under the law as it stood at the time. Past results do not predict or guarantee the result of any
other case.
Reviews and testimonials
Reviews shown here are written by third parties and published on platforms we do not control. Each
describes one person’s experience of one matter. They are not a promise, a
prediction or a guarantee about any other matter.
Links to other websites
This site links to regulators, courts, government sources, professional associations and social
platforms, all operated by others. We do not control them, we are not responsible for
their content or accuracy, and a link is not an endorsement.
Other notices
Limitation periods
Failure to start a proceeding within the applicable limitation period may permanently bar
your claim. In Ontario the general period is two years from discovery
under the Limitations Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 24, Sched. B.
Shorter periods apply to many claims. Seek advice promptly. Nothing on this website extends a
limitation period.
Accessibility
We aim to meet the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
and WCAG 2.1 Level AA. If any part of this site prevents you from reaching us, telephone
+1 416 333 6200 or write to
hello@lexaltico.com and we will provide the information
in another format, at no charge.
