Glossary of Terms

Access
The time a child spends with the parent who doesn’t have custody. Also known as contact.

Account Statement

BCFMA's record of the financial transactions for the support order or agreement

Action against a Corporation

Applying to court to hold the payor’s corporation responsible for paying the support and arrears, where a payor owns all or part of a corporation.

Administrative Action

Any non-court action BCFMA takes to collect the support payments

Agreement

A written agreement setting out support payments, signed by both the payor and recipient, and filed with a court.

Application to Change or Vary

An application made to the court to change the terms of a support order or agreement.

Arrears

Unpaid support payments.

Attachee
An individual, a company or financial institution named in a Notice of Attachment.

Attachment

Requiring anyone who owes the payor money to send all or part of it directly to the BCFMA for the recipient. See Notice of Attachment.

BCFMA Case ID

Number used to track a particular case; it appears on all correspondence.

Child Support
Money a non-custodial parent (the parent who does not have custody or primary parenting responsibility for the child) pays to other parent to support a child. Child support is also called maintenance.

Child Support Guidelines
Federal rules for calculating the amount one parent must pay to the other parent to support a child.

Committal Hearing

Requiring the payor to appear in court to explain why they are not complying with an enforcement order made by the court.

Contact Time
Another term for access. The time a child spends with a person who is not the child’s guardian.

Contracting State

A state/country that is bound by the Hague Convention because it has completed the ratification, acceptance, or approval process.

Court Enforcement

Taking the payor to court for non-payment of support.

Credit Report

Reporting arrears to a credit reporting agency so potential credit grantors are aware the payor owes unpaid support.

Custody
Used to describe who will live with the children and be responsible for providing daily care. Also known as parenting time.

Default

A missed or late support payment.

Default Fee

A penalty charged if the payor misses or is late on two payments within the same calendar year; the fee is equal to one month's support, to a maximum of $400.

Default Hearing
Requiring the payor to attend court to explain why payments are in arrears. The court will decide how the arrears will be paid.

Direct Payment

A payment made directly by the payor to the recipient, instead of through the BCFMA.

Driver’s Licence Cancellation

Instructing ICBC to refuse to issue a new licence to the payor or to cancel their current licence.

Enrolment Application

An application to enrol a support order or agreement in BCFMA. Sometimes called a Filing Kit.

Family Support
Another term for maintenance.

Federal Interception
Intercepting money the federal government owes the payor such as income tax refunds, EI or GST.

Federal Licence/Passport Denial
Requesting the federal government suspend, refuse to issue or renew the payor’s passport and/or federal aviation or marine licence.

Garnishment

Requiring anyone who owes the payor money to send all or part of it directly to BCFMA for the recipient. Another term for Attachment.

Guardian
The person responsible of a child’s care and upbringing.

Guardianship
The responsibility of a child’s care and upbringing.

Hague Convention

Refers to the Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance.

InfoLine

BCFMA's automated telephone system available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Land Registration

A lien against property owned by the payor. It secures all amounts due under a support order.

List of Payments Received Form

A form completed by the recipient during the enrolment process to establish if arrears are owing prior to enrolling in the BCFMA.

Maintenance

Amount owed under a support order for a child or spouse, also called family support.

Maintenance Lien
A lien against personal property owned by the payor, such as a car, boat, trailer or manufactured home.

Maintenance Order
A court order stating one parent must pay child support and/or spousal support payments to the other parent.

Motor Vehicle Licence Restriction
Instructing ICBC to refuse to issue or renew the annual licence for the payor’s vehicle or trailer – without a vehicle licence, the payor cannot purchase insurance.

NOA
Notice of Attachment

Notice of Attachment

A legal document requiring an individual, a company or financial institution who owes the payor money to send all or a part of that money to the BCFMA.

Notice of Enrolment

A letter confirming the support order or agreement is now enrolled in the BCFMA. The letter outlines the support payment schedule and amount of arrears owing, if any.

Notice of Intention
A notice sent to the payor who misses a payment, see Default Fee.

Parenting arrangements
Arrangements the parents make about how they will parent their child together.

Parenting Time
The time a child spends with the parent who makes the day-to-day decision and is responsible for the care of the child. Also known as custody.

Payor

The person paying support, also known as the debtor.

Personal Identification Number (PIN)

Private and confidential number given to each recipient and payor for security purposes when accessing BCFMA services.

Recipient

The person receiving support, also known as the creditor.

Reciprocating Jurisdiction

Another province, state or country having an agreement with BC to take collection action against a payor for BCFMA, and the reverse, BCFMA can take collection action for them if the payor lives in BC.

Section 7 Expenses
Additional payments for a child, such as education, medical, dental, childcare or extracurricular activities expenses.

Special or Extraordinary Expenses
Additional payments for a child, such as education, medical, dental, childcare or extracurricular activities expenses. Also known as Section 7 expenses.

Spousal Support
Sometimes called alimony, spousal support is financial support paid to a former spouse.

Statement of Finance
A legal document completed by the payor listing the payor's assets, income sources and expenses.

Statement of Payments Disbursed

BCFMA’s record of financial transactions for the support order or agreement.

Subrogated Arrears

Unpaid support is owed to a provincial or state government, rather than the recipient, because at the time it should have been paid, the recipient was also receiving income assistance.

Summons
Court document requiring the payor to appear in court at a specific date and time.

Support Order

A court order stating one parent must pay child support and/or spousal support payments to the other parent. Also know as a Maintenance Order.

Support Payments Due Form

A form completed by the recipient during the enrolment process to establish if arrears are owing and how much to collect for ongoing support.

Voluntary Payment Arrangement

A plan developed between the payor and BCFMA in which the payor agrees to pay a set amount for a period of time towards ongoing support payment and/or any arrears.

Warrant of Execution
Applying to court to authorize the sheriff or bailiff to seize the payor's personal property, such as a car or boat, and selling it to help pay off the arrears.