Overview

Family court proceedings are conducted in the following courts:

  • the Superior Court of Justice
  • the Family Court branch of the Superior Court of Justice (sometimes called the Unified Family Court)
  • the Ontario Court of Justice

Appeals of family court orders may also be heard in the Divisional Court branch of the Superior Court of Justice or the Court of Appeal.

Depending on the court where your family proceeding is being heard, and the subject matter of your case, you may need to pay court fees for some steps, including:

  • filing an application or notice of appeal
  • filing an answer
  • listing the application for hearing

Court fees are set out in regulations made under the Administration of Justice Act. To be sure that you have the current fee schedules, always refer to the legislation on the Ontario government’s e-Laws website.

Court and enforcement fees are payable in Canadian dollars, and may be paid by:

Find court address and contact information.

If you cannot afford to pay the fees

If you cannot afford to pay court fees in your court proceeding, you may request a fee waiver. If you are granted a fee waiver, it will apply to most fees in your court proceeding from that point forward. 

Find out how to apply for a fee waiver.

Family appeal fees

You must pay fees to appeal an order in a family court proceeding unless you have a fee waiver certificate.

For the purposes of court fees, family appeals are treated like civil court proceedings. .

Superior Court of Justice and Family Court branch fees

Disclaimer

The information in this section is an unofficial presentation of the fees prescribed by two Ontario regulations. For official versions of these regulations, refer to:

The fees in the following table are payable in family proceedings in the Superior Court of Justice, and in some cases in the Family Court branch of the Superior Court of Justice, depending on the subject matter of the case.

There are different fees payable in Family appeal fees.

In addition to the fees in the following table, anyone filing an application or an answer that includes a claim for divorce must add the federal government’s $10 fee. This is set out in the Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings Fee Order, SOR/86-547, a regulation under the Divorce Act (Canada).

Types of payable fees Amount in dollars
1. On the filing of an application[1] $214.00
2. On the filing of an answer, other than an answer referred to in item 3[1] $171.00
3. On the filing of an answer where the answer includes a request for a divorce by a respondent $214.00
4. On the placing of an application on the list for hearing[1] $445.00
5. On the issue of a summons to a witness $33.00
6. On the issue of a certificate with not more than five pages of copies of the Court document annexed $25.00
7. Making copies of documents

i. Not requiring certification (per page)

 $1.00

ii. Requiring certification (per page)

 $4.00
8. For making up and forwarding papers, documents and exhibits (plus any applicable transportation costs) $105.00
9. For a copy on compact disc (CD) of a digital recording of a court hearing in respect of a case, if such a recording exists and a copy is available

i. For a single day’s recording

 $23.00

ii. For each additional day’s recording, if the request is made at the same time

 $11.00

Ontario Court of Justice fees

There are no filing or listing fees in family proceedings in the Ontario Court of Justice. There are only fees for copies of documents and copies of recordings.

Types of payable fees Amount in dollars
1. For copies of documents not requiring certification (per page) $1.00
2. For copies of documents requiring certification (per page) $3.50
3. For a copy on compact disc (CD) of a digital recording of a court hearing in respect of a case, if such a recording exists and a copy is available,

i. For a single day’s recording

 $22.00

ii. For each additional day’s recording, if the request is made at the same time

 $10.50

[1 ^ ]These fees do not apply in proceedings in the Family Court branch under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017, the Children’s Law Reform Act, the Family Law Act (except Parts I and II), the Family Responsibility and Support Arrears Enforcement Act, 1996, the Marriage Act or the Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act, 2002. They also do not apply in proceedings to enforce a parenting order, contact order or order for support made under one of these acts.

Sherriff fees (Enforcement Office)

The sheriff is responsible for enforcing certain court orders and judgments. The duties of the sheriff are carried out by the Enforcement Office.

Fees are paid to the Enforcement Office at the time an enforcement request is filed, either in person or by mail.

Find out more about enforcement fees.

Other fees

There may be other fees that apply to your case depending on the steps you take. For example, if you wish to appeal the judge’s decision at trial, you will need to pay fees listed in the Fees for Court Transcripts regulation for the preparation of a transcript of your case.

Fee to use the Online Child Support Service

The Online Child Support Service can be used in many situations to set up or update child support. It is an alternative to going to court.

There is a non-refundable $80 fee each time you use the service, whether you’re setting up or updating child support. This fee is prescribed under Ontario Regulation 190/15, Administrative Calculation and Recalculation of Child Support.

A fee waiver may be available if you cannot afford to pay the $80 fee.

Learn more about setting up or updating child support online.

Fees and allowances payable to witnesses

Witnesses are the people who help you prove your case by providing evidence to the court if you go to trial.

If you summons a witness to attend your trial, you must pay attendance money to the witness at the time you personally serve them. Attendance money includes:

  • a fee for the witness to attend court each day
  • travel expenses to get to court

In family proceedings, the attendance money payable is set out in Rule 23 of the Family Law Rules.

Fees for court transcripts

A court transcript is a certified written record of a court hearing. Authorized Court Transcriptionists are individuals who are legally authorized to prepare certified court transcripts by the Attorney General. They are specifically trained and qualified to transcribe audio recordings of court hearings.

The fees payable to an Authorized Court Transcriptionist are prescribed in Ontario Regulation 94/14, Fees for Court Transcripts.

Learn how to order a court transcript.

Paying family court fees online

Most family court documents can be filed online through the Family Claims Online and Family Submissions Online portals.

If there is a fee associated with the document you are submitting, you can pay the fee through the online portal or request a fee waiver (through Family Submissions Online only).