Maintenance Enforcement Program

Important Notice

Banking Error- January 4, 2010

Thank you for your patience and understanding regarding the banking error that occurred on January 4, 2010.  RBC has made arrangements to reverse the service fees related to this error.  Please review your bank statements. If your account has not been rectified, please fax in a copy of your bank statement with a cover letter to the Complaint Review Process at 780-401-7515.  If you have any further questions regarding your file, please contact MEP at 780-422-5555 (dial 310-000 for toll free access anywhere in Alberta).

The Alberta Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP) is authorized by the Alberta Maintenance Enforcement Act to ensure that individuals meet their obligations to pay spousal and child support under the terms of their court orders and certain agreements. Once an order or agreement has been registered with MEP, maintenance payments that the debtor (payor) would normally pay directly to the creditor (recipient) are sent to MEP. MEP then forwards the payment to the creditor once the funds have cleared through a trust account.

In cases of default (non-payment) by the debtor, MEP has the legislative authority to take steps to enforce the support owed. These enforcement tools include registrations at Land Titles and the Personal Property Registry, wage, non-wage and federal support deduction notices, federal licence (passport) denials, motor vehicle restrictions and driver's licence cancellations. MEP also has access to a variety of databases to assist in locating a debtor or a debtor's assets or income.

There are approximately 100,000 creditors and debtors and more than 65,000 children registered with MEP.

Clients can access the MEP Info Line by calling 780-422-5555 in Edmonton or dial 310-0000 for toll-free access anywhere in Alberta. Clients should have their seven digit MEP account number and Personal Identification Number (PIN) available when using the Internet service or calling.

See also:

Important changes
Mission, vision and values
MEP's responsibilities

Child Support Recalculation Program

Thanks go to all who took the time to provide feedback on Alberta Justice’s proposal to introduce a child support recalculation service! A consultation paper was posted on this site from April 23 to June 20, 2008 to seek input on some of the technical questions on how the service will work. Alberta Justice is pleased by the number of people who responded to the consultation and is currently in the process of carefully considering the responses received.

The new program was initiated in part because of the feedback Maintenance Enforcement Program clients gave in the June 2006 Client Survey. In that survey, clients told us they wanted their support orders to be reviewed annually.

The proposed program would help Albertans keep their court-ordered child support amounts current. It would annually adjust child support payments based on changes in the parties’ incomes, rather than requiring the parties to return to court for a new order. The method of calculation would provide certainty and predictability for program users.

Amendments to the Family Law Act (Bill 15) to establish the program were passed by the Legislature in the fall of 2008. Regulations are now being developed, incorporating feedback from stakeholders and interested individuals

It is hoped that the Child Support Recalculation Program will be open by the summer of 2009. More information will be posted on this site as it becomes available. A mail out to all MEP clients will be sent closer to the program’s opening date to invite registrations for the service.

Maintenance Enforcement Program Newsletter – December 2009

MEP would like you to be aware of some important changes and information about the program.  The newsletter highlights the following topics:

• Child Support Recalculation Program
• Global Orders
• Section 7 Expenses
• Payment Arrangements
• Keeping in contact with MEP

MEP Newsletter - December 2009 - 44 KB  

2006 Client Survey

In June 2006, conducted a client survey of both creditors and debtors. The survey was intended to help us understand our clients better so we could improve client service and collections. Over 7,400 clients responded to the survey, which far exceeded our hopes for 4,000 replies.

We sincerely appreciated everyone who took the time to reply to the survey. Your honest input is helping plan for future initiatives and improvements in our existing services.

An analysis of the client survey data can be viewed at MEP Client Survey 2006 - 1.12 MB   .