Child support on $35,000 a year in Louisiana (4 children)
Louisiana guidelines effective January 1, 2025. Louisiana overview
If Parent A earns $35,000 a year, Parent B earns $40,000 and the children live mostly with Parent B (52 overnights a year with Parent A), Louisiana's guideline amount is $1,034 a month (Parent A pays Parent B).
Across the table below it ranges from $1,084 paid by Parent B (Parent B earns $100,000, equal time) to $1,185 (Parent B has no income, Parent A has no overnights).
This is the guideline amount, not a court order.
Change the numbers
Guideline child support
Louisiana · 4 children · Parent A $35000 per year · Parent B $40000 per year · children live mostly with Parent B
$1,034 a month
Parent A pays Parent B
- Parent A: 46.7% of combined income
- Parent B: 53.3%
How it adds up
- Combined income
- $6,250 a month
- Basic obligation
- $2,215 a month
- Parent A's share of income
- 46.7%
- Guideline amount
- $1,034 a month
See the worksheet for this example
Louisiana uses the income shares model under La. R.S. 9:315–9:315.47 (Louisiana Child Support Guidelines). Official calculator: dcfs.louisiana.gov. Child support agency: Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, Child Support Enforcement.
Estimate under Louisiana's child support guidelines effective January 1, 2025. Verified against the official Louisiana sources on October 7, 2026. Not legal advice. Courts can deviate from the guidelines. How we calculate →
By parenting time and the other parent's income
| Overnights | $0 | $20,000 | $30,000 | $40,000 | $50,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 | $100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $1,185 A→B | $1,136 A→B | $1,103 A→B | $1,034 A→B | $957 A→B | $912 A→B | $810 A→B | $778 A→B |
| 52 | $1,185 A→B | $1,136 A→B | $1,103 A→B | $1,034 A→B | $957 A→B | $912 A→B | $810 A→B | $778 A→B |
| 104 | $1,185 A→B | $1,136 A→B | $1,103 A→B | $1,034 A→B | $957 A→B | $912 A→B | $810 A→B | $778 A→B |
| 128 | $1,185 A→B | $1,136 A→B | $1,103 A→B | $1,034 A→B | $957 A→B | $912 A→B | $810 A→B | $778 A→B |
| 182 | $889 A→B | $365 A→B | $118 A→B | $111 B→A | $308 B→A | $489 B→A | $781 B→A | $1,084 B→A |
The Louisiana worksheet for this example
| Line | Official label | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monthly Gross Income (Parent A)Parent A's monthly gross income | $2,916.67 a month |
| 1 | Monthly Gross Income (Parent B)Parent B's monthly gross income | $3,333.33 a month |
| 2 | Monthly Adjusted Gross Income (Parent A)Parent A's income after prior orders | $2,916.67 a month |
| 2 | Monthly Adjusted Gross Income (Parent B)Parent B's income after prior orders | $3,333.33 a month |
| 3 | Combined Monthly Adjusted Gross IncomeCombined income | $6,250.00 a month |
| 4 | Percentage Share of Income (Parent A)Parent A's income share | 46.67% |
| 4 | Percentage Share of Income (Parent B)Parent B's income share | 53.33% |
| 5 | Basic Child Support ObligationSchedule amount for both parents | $2,215.00 a month |
| 6 | Total Child Support Obligation (Worksheet A)Basic obligation plus added costs | $2,215.00 a month |
| 7 | Each Party's Child Support Obligation (Parent A, Worksheet A)Parent A's share of the total | $1,033.74 a month |
| 7 | Each Party's Child Support Obligation (Parent B, Worksheet A)Parent B's share of the total | $1,181.26 a month |
| 9 / 14 | Recommended Child Support OrderGuideline amount | $1,033.74 a month |
With child care and health insurance
| Costs | Guideline amount |
|---|---|
| No add-ons | $1,034 a month A→B |
| Child care $500 a month | $1,267 a month A→B |
| Child care $1,000 a month | $1,500 a month A→B |
| Health insurance $150 a month | $1,104 a month A→B |
| Health insurance $300 a month | $1,174 a month A→B |
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.
How Louisiana works it out
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.
Frequently asked questions
How much child support is paid on $35,000 in Louisiana for 4 children?
If Parent A earns $35,000 a year, Parent B earns $40,000 and the children live mostly with Parent B (52 overnights a year with Parent A), Louisiana's guideline amount is about $1,034 a month (Parent A pays Parent B).
How much is that a week?
That is about $239 a week (the monthly amount × 12 ÷ 52).
What if the parents share time equally?
With about equal parenting time and the same incomes, the guideline amount is about $111 a month (Parent B pays Parent A).
What if Parent B has no income?
If Parent B has no income and the children live mostly with Parent B, the guideline amount is about $1,185 a month (Parent A pays 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 →