What the Family Responsibility Office Is

The Family Responsibility Office (FRO) is an Ontario government program responsible for enforcing court-ordered child and spousal support. See our broader guide to enforcing support in Ontario for how enforcement fits into the bigger picture; this page focuses specifically on the FRO as an institution and how it generally operates.

How an Order Generally Gets Filed With the FRO

Support orders made by an Ontario court are generally filed with the FRO automatically, so enforcement is generally available without a separate application. A separation agreement with properly drafted support terms can also generally be filed with the FRO for enforcement purposes, provided it meets the applicable formal requirements, giving it similar enforcement backing to a court order.

Enforcement Tools It Generally Has

Where payments fall behind, the FRO generally has a range of enforcement tools available, which can include garnishing wages directly from an employer, garnishing bank accounts, reporting defaults that can affect a payor's driver's licence, and reporting defaults that can affect a Canadian passport. The specific tools used, and when, can generally depend on the circumstances and how far behind payments are.

What This Generally Means If You Owe Support

If support obligations become difficult to meet, the better general path is generally to address the underlying support amount directly — see our guide to changing support — rather than simply falling behind and allowing enforcement action to escalate. See also our guide to what happens if you fall behind on support payments for a closer look at that situation specifically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is every Ontario support order automatically enforced by the FRO?

Court-ordered support is generally filed with the FRO automatically; a support term in a separation agreement can also generally be filed if it meets the formal requirements.

Can the FRO take money directly from my paycheque?

Generally, yes — wage garnishment is one of the enforcement tools generally available to the FRO where support payments fall behind.

Can the FRO affect my driver's licence or passport?

Generally, yes, in cases of default — these are among the enforcement tools the FRO can generally use to encourage compliance with support obligations.

What should I do if I can't afford my current support payments?

Generally, it's better to formally address the support amount, through agreement or a court process, than to simply fall behind and let enforcement action escalate.

Do I need to apply separately to have the FRO enforce my support order?

Generally not — Ontario court-ordered support is generally filed with the FRO automatically as part of the support order process.