Child Support in Louisiana

Learn how child support is calculated in Louisiana, when a judge may order a different amount, when child support ends, and how to change the amount of support you're paying or receiving.

By , Retired Judge

Like every other state, Louisiana has child support guidelines to give judges and parents a consistent way to calculate the proper amount of support for children when their parents aren't together anymore. The state provides resources to help with the calculations (more on those resources below). But it will help to understand how the guidelines work and what you need to get started.

How Child Custody Affects Who Pays Child Support in Louisiana

Both parents have a legal obligation to support their children financially. When parents get divorced (or split up, if they were never married), the question of who pays child support will largely depend on their custody and parenting time arrangements:

  • Sole or primary physical custody: When the children will live most of the time with one parent (the custodial parent), the noncustodial parent will pay child support.
  • Shared custody: When both parents will have their kids for approximately the same amount of time, they'll use a separate worksheet to calculate the guideline amount of support. That worksheet takes into account the added expenses of maintaining two separate homes for the kids, as well as the exact percentage of time the children spend with each parent. The parent with a higher income will usuallly pay child support.
  • Split custody: When each parent will have primary physical custody of at least one of their children, each parent will complete a separate worksheet to calculate the amount of support for the child or children living with the other parent. The parent with a higher support obligation will then pay the difference to the other parent.

(La. Rev. Stat. §§ 9:315.9, 9:315.10 (2024).)

Just because one parent pays child support doesn't mean the other parent isn't meeting the legal obligation to support their kids. The guidelines assume that parents who receive support are meeting that obligation by paying directly for the children's day-to-day expenses, like housing, clothing, and food.

How Louisiana's Child Support Calculation Works

The basic steps for calculating child support in Louisiana are:

  • Based on both parents' adjusted gross incomes and the number of children they have, a schedule in the guidelines assigns them a total basic support obligation.
  • That basic obligation is adjusted to include certain child-related expenses.
  • Each parent is responsible for a share of the adjusted total support obligation, based on their proportionate share of the combined incomes.

(La. Rev. Stat. § 315.8 (2024).)

There are some additional steps when parents have shared custody. But when you fill in the correct information about your income, children, and custody arrangements, Louisiana's automated worksheets will do the actual calculations for you—including the built-in "self-sufficiency reserve" meant to help ensure that very low-income parents will have enough money left over after paying child support to meet their own basic needs.

What Counts as Income When Calculating Child Support in Louisiana?

Louisiana's child support guidelines use the parents' combined adjusted gross income to determine child support. You'll need to gather information about each parent's gross income, as well as certain allowed deductions.

Gross income includes income from almost any source, such as:

  • salaries, wages, commissions, bonuses, and severance pay
  • income from self-employment or a business (minus the ordinary expenses needed to produce that income)
  • significant employment-related expense reimbursements or in-kind payments that are received through employment, self-employment, or the operation of a business, as long as they reduce a parent's living expenses (such as free housing, a company car, or meal reimbursements)
  • dividends, interest, annuities, and capital gain
  • recurring gifts of money
  • workers' compensation, disability, and unemployment benefits
  • Social Security benefits and pensions, and
  • spousal support (alimony) received from a previous spouse under a preexisting order.

However, gross income doesn't include some money parents may receive, such as:

  • child support received
  • extraordinary overtime, if it would be unfair to include it
  • benefits received from public assistance programs, including SSI, food stamps (SNAP), and general assistance
  • monetary gifts to the custodial parent that are meant to supplement irregular child support payments, and
  • per diem allowances that aren't taxable income under IRS rules.

In the context of child support calculations, adjusted gross income isn't the same as AGI on income tax returns. Instead, it's simply gross income minus any payments parents are making under preexisting orders for child support or spousal support. Also, a judge may (but isn't required to) allow deductions for amounts parents are paying to support their other children—such as children born after a parent remarries.

(La. Rev. Stat. § 9:315(C) (2024).)

When Louisiana Judges May Impute Income to Parents

Unfortunately, some parents try to dodge their child support duty by purposely lowering or hiding their income. Louisiana law gives judges a tool for dealing with that ruse.

When a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, Louisiana judges must calculate child support using potential earning capacity rather than actual income, unless the parent is:

  • physically or mentally incapacitated, or
  • caring for a youngster (under five years old) who is a child of the parents in this case.

When deciding whether to impute income, the judge must consider all of the relevant background circumstances, including the parent's age, health, employment history, job skills, education level, and employment barriers, as well as the local job market and the availability of employers willing to hire the parent.

If the judge finds that there's no evidence of a parent's actual income or earning potential, Louisiana law presumes the parent is able to earn the equivalent of the minimum wage for 32 hours a week, unless the parent can prove otherwise.

(La. Rev. Stat. § 9:315.11 (2024).)

Incarceration doesn't count as voluntary unemployment. Also, as of January 1, 2025, judges won't consider a parent to be voluntarily unemployed or underemployed if that parent has caregiving responsibility for a child who needs close supervision and care because of a serious intellectual or physical disability.

Adjustments for Some Child-Related Expenses

As part of the child support calculation in Louisiana, the following expenses are added to the basic support obligation:

  • the net cost of work-related child care, after applying the Federal Credit for Child and Dependent Care Expenses (IRS Form 2441) to the actual cost, and
  • the cost of health insurance premiums for the child.

Child care costs related to a parent's education or training may also be added if that wouldn't create an unreasonable burden for the parent paying support.

(La. Rev. Stat. §§ 9:315.3, 9:315.4 (2024).)

Other expenses may be added to the basic obligation, but only if the parents agree or the judge orders it:

  • unreimbursed medical expenses over $250 per child per year
  • expenses for transporting the child between the parents
  • tuition and other required expenses for attending special or private school to meet the child's needs, and
  • expenses for activities meant to enhance the child's health and development, such as camp, music and art lessons, and extracurricular activities.

(La. Rev. Stat. §§ 9:315.5, 315.6 (2024).)

Although these expenses are divided between the parents as part of the total support obligation, the parent who actually pays the costs will receive a credit.

When children have income that could reduce their needs—not including income from summer jobs or other employment while they're full-time students—a judge may consider that income as a deduction from the parents' support obligation. (La. Rev. Stat. § 315.7 (2024).)

How Is the Total Support Obligation Divided Between the Parents?

The parents will be responsible for a percentage of the total support obligation, based on each one's proportionate share of their combined adjusted gross income. For example, if the noncustodial parent earns $3,600 per month, while the custodial parent earns $2,500, the noncustodial parent's share of their combined income is 60% ($3,600 divided by $6,000). That means the noncustodial parent would owe child support equivalent to 60% of their total support obligation.

When Child Support May Differ From the Guideline Calculation

Louisiana law presumes that the amount of child support calculated under the guidelines is the proper amount, but parents may try to overcome that presumption. Judges may order a different amount (known as a "deviation") if using the guideline calculation would be unfair to the parents or not in the child's best interests. When making that decision, judges will consider the specific circumstances, including whether a parent:

  • has a legal obligation to support dependents who are living with that parent (but aren't part of this case)
  • is responsible for extraordinary medical expenses that weren't included in the guideline calculation
  • is totally disabled (temporarily or permanently), or
  • along with the other parent, has extraordinary community debt (under Louisiana's community property law).

(La. Rev. Stat. § 9:315.1 (2024).)

Also, it's up to the judge to decide on the appropriate amount of child support when the parents' combined adjusted gross income falls outside of the ranges shown in Louisiana's schedule of basic support obligations.

Can Parents Agree on a Child Support Amount?

You always have the option of agreeing with your co-parent on child support, either as a stand-alone agreement or as part of an overall divorce settlement agreement. But you'll need to submit your agreement to the court, so that a judge can review it and see how it compares to Louisiana's child support guidelines.

If you've agreed on an amount that's less than the calculated support amount, the judge will have to decide whether a deviation from the guidelines is warranted (as discussed above).

When Does Child Support End in Louisiana?

Under Louisiana law, child support usually ends when the child turns 18 or is otherwise emancipated, unless the child:

  • is a full-time high school student in good standing
  • hasn't turned 19, and
  • is dependent on either parent.

Unlike some other states, Louisiana doesn't require a parent to take any special action to continue child support for an 18-year-old who's still in school. Beginning in 2025, however, parents will have to file a motion to continue child support for certain disabled children. The rules for granting these requests are different, depending on the nature of the disability.

  • If the child has a developmental disability, the judge will continue support as long as the child is under age 22 and is still a full-time student in secondary school.
  • The judge will continue support for a child with an intellectual or physical disability that prevents self-support and requires substantial care and personal supervision, as long as that disability existed (and the parent filed the request) before the child turned 18. There's no upper age limit for support of these adult children.

(La. Rev. Stat. §§ 315.14, 315.22, 315.22.1, as added and amended by La. Act. No. 448, H.B. 770 (2024).

Beyond these legal limits, you usually have the option of agreeing with your co-parent to continue child support for other reasons, such as when you want to support a child who's attending college. If you do this, it's wise to put the details in writing and submit your signed agreement to the court, so that a judge can approve it and make it part of an enforceable court order.

How to Apply for Child Support

When parents are getting divorced, child support is handled as part of the divorce process. You can request child support when you file your divorce papers in Louisiana.

Outside of the divorce context, you can request support by applying for services from the Louisiana Child Support Enforcement program (CSE). CSE will work with both parents to calculate the proposed support amount under the state's guidelines. If needed, the agency can also help establish paternity and try to locate a missing parent.

How to Change Child Support

If you think the amount of child support you're paying or receiving is no longer appropriate, you may ask Louisiana's CSE to review your existing order. (If the agency isn't already handling your case, you'll need to apply for services first.)

After conducting the review, CSE will file a modification request with the court if:

  • the existing support order was issued or last modified at least three years ago, and a new guideline calculation based on your current circumstances results in a different amount than what you're paying or receiving now
  • a new calculation results in a support amount that's at least 25% different than the existing order (unless that order was a deviation from the guidelines, and the circumstances justifying a deviation still exist), or
  • since the existing order took effect, there's been a substantial, continuing change in circumstances that affects the child's needs or either parent's ability to pay support.

You also have the option of filing a modification request directly with the court, but you'll need to prove that you've experienced a qualifying change of circumstances. Whether you take this route or go through the CSE, the judge will hold a hearing, review all of the evidence (including your current financial information), and decide whether to grant the modification request based on the child's best interests.

(La. Rev. Stat. § 9:311 (2024).)

Resources and Help With Child Support

Louisiana provides an official, online Child Support Estimator in the form of an automated worksheet (either the standard one for most parents or the worksheet for shared custody). Once you fill in the correct information about your finances and custody arrangements, the worksheet will calculate the guideline amount of support. This will be the worksheet that you'll need to submit when you apply for child support or request a modification in your existing support order.

In addition to providing help with establishing or modifying a child support order, CSE may also help collect and distribute support payments, as well as enforce child support orders when parents aren't paying what they owe.

Despite these helpful resources, there are some situations when it makes sense to speak with a lawyer. This is especially true if you and your co-parent can't agree on a requested deviation from the guidelines, or if CSE isn't handling your contested modification request. Also, if you haven't already agreed on a parenting plan, an experienced family law attorney can walk you through the consequences of different custody arrangements on child support—and represent you in negotiations on both issues (or in court, if it comes to that).

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