Louisiana child support calculator (2026 guidelines)
Louisiana guidelines effective January 1, 2025. Change state
For 2 children, with Parent A earning $60,000 and Parent B $40,000, Louisiana's guideline amount is $1,128 a month (Parent A pays Parent B).
Louisiana uses the income shares model; its current guidelines took effect January 1, 2025.
This is the guideline amount, not a court order.
Calculate your Louisiana guideline amount
Guideline child support
Choose your state and enter both incomes to see the guideline amount.
Louisiana child support at a glance
| Children | $30,000 | $50,000 | $75,000 | $100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 child | $444 | $648 | $859 | $1,085 |
| 2 children | $679 | $983 | $1,296 | $1,639 |
| 3 children | $823 | $1,186 | $1,554 | $1,968 |
| 4 children | $920 | $1,325 | $1,735 | $2,198 |
| 5 children | $1,012 | $1,457 | $1,909 | $2,417 |
How Louisiana calculates child support
Louisiana uses the income shares model: the schedule gives the basic child support obligation for the parents’ combined monthly adjusted gross income and number of children, and each parent is responsible for their share.
Gross income from almost all sources counts, before taxes; the schedule already allows for taxes. Child support received and public assistance don’t count. Child support and spousal support a parent already owes under an order to someone outside this case are deducted. A court may impute income to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed; with no evidence at all, it presumes 32 hours a week at the minimum wage ($7.25 an hour).
When the children spend about equal time with each parent (shared custody), the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5, divided by income, and each parent’s share is multiplied by the percentage of time the children spend with the other parent; the parent who owes more pays the difference, but never more than without shared custody. The overnights you enter set those percentages. Otherwise the worksheet has no parenting-time adjustment; in joint custody a court may give a credit for substantial time.
The schedule has a self-support reserve for low-income paying parents built in, and there is no minimum order. Below $1,050 of combined income a month the court sets the amount from actual income and ability to pay; this estimate follows the state’s online estimator, which scales the first row down to zero.
Net work-related child care (after the federal child care tax credit), the children’s health insurance premium and uninsured medical costs above $250 per child a year are added to the basic obligation and shared by income. The paying parent gets credit for costs they pay directly. Enter child care after the tax credit; this estimate doesn’t compute the credit.
Child support and spousal support a parent owes under an existing order to someone outside this case are deducted from that parent’s income. Other children living with a parent are not deducted by formula, though a court may consider them.
The schedule runs to $50,000 of combined income a month. Above that the court decides, but support can’t be less than the top row, which this estimate uses.
Income shares are rounded to two decimal places of a percent and every amount to the cent, as in the state’s online estimator. Between schedule rows the amount is interpolated.
Parenting time in Louisiana
When the children spend about equal time with each parent (shared custody), the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5, divided by income, and each parent’s share is multiplied by the percentage of time the children spend with the other parent; the parent who owes more pays the difference, but never more than without shared custody. The overnights you enter set those percentages. Otherwise the worksheet has no parenting-time adjustment; in joint custody a court may give a credit for substantial time.
| Overnights with Parent A | Guideline amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | $1,128 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
| 52 | $1,128 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
| 104 | $1,128 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
| 128 | $1,128 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
| 182 (about equal) | $282 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
Low and high incomes in Louisiana
For 2 children with Parent B earning $40,000, the guideline amount is about $475 a month when Parent A earns $20,000 a year and about $3,006 a month when Parent A earns $250,000.
The schedule has a self-support reserve for low-income paying parents built in, and there is no minimum order. Below $1,050 of combined income a month the court sets the amount from actual income and ability to pay; this estimate follows the state’s online estimator, which scales the first row down to zero.
The schedule runs to $50,000 of combined income a month. Above that the court decides, but support can’t be less than the top row, which this estimate uses.
Child support by number of children in Louisiana
- 1 child$740 a month
- 2 children$1,128 a month
- 3 children$1,364 a month
- 4 children$1,524 a month
- 5 children$1,677 a month
Parent A earns $60,000, Parent B $40,000; the children live mostly with Parent B.
Official sources and verification
- Law: La. R.S. 9:315–9:315.47 (Louisiana Child Support Guidelines)
- Louisiana child support guidelines
- Obligation Worksheet A (R.S. 9:315.8, 315.10) and Obligation Worksheet B (R.S. 9:315.9)
- Official Louisiana child support calculator
- Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, Child Support Enforcement
- Changing a Louisiana child support order
Guidelines effective January 1, 2025. Verified against the official Louisiana sources on October 7, 2026. How we calculate →
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in Louisiana?
Louisiana uses the income shares model: the schedule gives the basic child support obligation for the parents’ combined monthly adjusted gross income and number of children, and each parent is responsible for their share. Gross income from almost all sources counts, before taxes; the schedule already allows for taxes. Child support received and public assistance don’t count. Child support and spousal support a parent already owes under an order to someone outside this case are deducted. A court may impute income to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed; with no evidence at all, it presumes 32 hours a week at the minimum wage ($7.25 an hour).
What is the child support for one child in Louisiana on $50,000?
If Parent A earns $50,000 a year, Parent B earns $40,000 and the child lives mostly with Parent B, Louisiana's guideline amount for one child is about $648 a month (Parent A pays Parent B). Courts can deviate from the guideline amount.
Does 50/50 custody mean no child support in Louisiana?
Not necessarily. With about equal parenting time, 2 children, Parent A earning $60,000 and Parent B $40,000, the guideline amount is about $282 a month (Parent A pays Parent B). When the children spend about equal time with each parent (shared custody), the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5, divided by income, and each parent’s share is multiplied by the percentage of time the children spend with the other parent; the parent who owes more pays the difference, but never more than without shared custody. The overnights you enter set those percentages. Otherwise the worksheet has no parenting-time adjustment; in joint custody a court may give a credit for substantial time.
What is the minimum child support in Louisiana?
The schedule has a self-support reserve for low-income paying parents built in, and there is no minimum order. Below $1,050 of combined income a month the court sets the amount from actual income and ability to pay; this estimate follows the state’s online estimator, which scales the first row down to zero.
When does child support end in Louisiana?
Support ends automatically when a child reaches the age of majority or is emancipated. It continues for an unmarried child who is a full-time high school student in good standing and depends on a parent, until age 19. A court can continue support until 22 for a child with a developmental disability who is a full-time high school student, and support continues for a child of any age who can't support themselves because of a disability that began before adulthood. We didn't locate an official source on support for college.