Resolve Enforcement Issues

If your situation has changed

Sometimes people stop paying support because things have changed. If there are important changes in your life, such as a new family to support or an illness that made it hard for you to continue working to earn income, you may be able to change your support order or agreement.

The federal government and Maintenance Enforcement Programs do not have the power to change a support order or agreement in any way.

Only a judge can change a support order. As a general rule, you must ask a judge to decide whether or not the amount of support set out in an order should be changed based on your new circumstances. You can also agree with your former spouse and ask the judge to give you a consent order.

In some cases, a recalculation service can change a support amount set out in an order if income changes. If so, you would not have to go to court to change the order. Only a few provinces have recalculations services. Check the Inventory of Government-based Family Justice Services to find out if there is a recalculation service in your province or territory.

If you have a written agreement with your former spouse, you can also both agree to change the amount of support.

If your support order or agreement is registered with a Maintenance Enforcement Program or a court, it is important to notify the program or the court of any changes that are made to the order or agreement. Otherwise, the program may continue to enforce the old amount.

Garnishment and pension diversion issues

Change the amount being garnisheed

To discuss the amount taken from your federal salary or federal pension, contact the court or the Maintenance Enforcement Program that issued the garnishee summons. The Department of Justice cannot stop or change the garnishment or diversion of federal funds until it receives a request to do so from the court or from the Maintenance Enforcement Program.

If more money is taken than you owe

Sometimes there is a slight delay between the time that a Maintenance Enforcement Program decides that interception of federal funds may stop and the time it notifies the government of this. As a result, the federal government may seize more money than you owe. If this happens to you, contact the Maintenance Enforcement Program to sort out how to have any money returned to you.

Get details about a garnishment

To get details on a garnishment under the federal Family Orders and Agreements Enforcement Assistance Act, call the Department of Justice's automated system at 1-800-267-7777 (or 1-800-267-7676 if you are hearing impaired). You need to have your social insurance number and the Department of Justice reference number at hand when you call. You can find the reference number on the notice you received from the Department of Justice.

By calling this number, you can find out:

  • status of the garnishment
  • financial terms of the garnishment
  • details of the garnishment
  • name, address and telephone number of the enforcement program
  • a statement of payments garnisheed.

Contact your compensation advisor if you need details on the garnishment of your wages under the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act.

Get details about a pension diversion

To get information on the diversion of pension benefits under the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act, contact the pension centre administering your plan.

If your passport or federal licence is being suspended

Only a Maintenance Enforcement Program can apply to have your Canadian passport or federal licence suspended. This is often a last resort when other enforcement measures have failed. Usually, warning notices will be sent before a federal licence or passport is suspended. If you receive such a notice, you should contact the Maintenance Enforcement Program that sent you the notice. Program officials may agree not to suspend your licence or passport if you make arrangements to pay the amount you owe.

If your passport is suspended while you are travelling

If you are abroad when your passport is suspended, you have two choices:

  • make arrangements to pay your support debt with the Maintenance Enforcement Program that asked for the suspension; or
  • ask the closest Canadian government office, such as a Canadian embassy or consulate, to give you an emergency travel document. This document will let you return to Canada but it will not allow you to travel anywhere else. For more information, contact Passport Canada.