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Louisiana child support: the 2025 schedule, domiciliary parents, and shared custody

Louisiana writes its whole child support guideline into Title 9 of the Revised Statutes, including a schedule that was rewritten for orders from January 1, 2025. Both parents' adjusted gross incomes are pooled, and the nondomiciliary parent pays a percentage share. Here is how the math runs, step by step.

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At a glance

ModelIncome shares on combined adjusted gross income (La. R.S. 9:315, 9:315.2)
ScheduleR.S. 9:315.19, in force since January 1, 2025: $1,050 to $50,000 combined a month, one to six children
Above the scheduleCourt discretion, never less than the highest schedule amount; part may go into a trust for the child
Shared custodyApproximately equal time: Worksheet B, 1.5x the basic obligation, cross-multiplied by time
Joint custody creditCourt may give a credit when the paying parent has the child more than 73 days a year
Support endsAge 18; continues for a full-time secondary student who is under 19
AgencyChild Support Enforcement, Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)

How Louisiana calculates child support

The statute says plainly that Louisiana adopts the Income Shares Model, and that its schedule uses national data adjusted for Louisiana's status as a low-income state, with a self-sufficiency reserve built in for low-income obligors. Gross income is broad: wages, bonuses, self-employment profit, Social Security, unemployment, and even military housing and subsistence allowances count. Public assistance and child support received do not.

Adjusted gross income is gross income minus support the parent already owes under an order to someone outside the case, and, if the judge allows it, amounts paid for the parent's other minor children. The parents add their adjusted gross incomes, each takes a percentage of the total, and the court reads the basic obligation from the 9:315.19 schedule. Between two rows, the statute calls for extrapolation.

Net child care, the child's health insurance premium, extraordinary medical costs and, by agreement or order, other extraordinary expenses are added to reach the total obligation. Each parent owes a percentage share of that total. The nondomiciliary parent pays it as a money judgment, minus any court-ordered direct payments that parent makes for those add-ons. Worksheet A in R.S. 9:315.20 lays out these lines.

Worked example: Louisiana

  1. The nondomiciliary parent (Parent A) earns $5,000 a month in adjusted gross income. The domiciliary parent (Parent B) earns $3,000. Together that is $8,000.
  2. The $8,000 row of the 9:315.19 schedule lists $1,845 for two children. For scale, the first row ($1,050) lists $43 for two children and the last row ($50,000) lists $5,563.
  3. Parent A brings in 62.5% of the combined income and Parent B 37.5%, so their shares of the basic obligation are $1,153 and $692.
  4. On Worksheet A, Parent A owes $1,153 a month to Parent B, about $13,836 a year, before child care, insurance premiums or extraordinary costs are added and before any credit a judge allows for parenting time.

This is an estimate, not legal advice. Figures are rounded to the dollar and leave out the insurance, childcare, and other adjustments your case may have. Try your own numbers in CoreParent's calculator, then confirm with the state's official calculator.

Joint custody, the 73-day credit, and shared custody

Louisiana separates two situations. Under a joint custody order that is not shared custody, the court must consider the child's time with the nondomiciliary parent, and if that parent has physical custody for more than 73 days a year, the court may order a credit. There is no formula: the judge weighs the time, the domiciliary parent's continuing expenses, the shift in financial burden, and the child's best interest. A day can never be less than four hours, and the parent asking for the credit must prove it.

Shared custody means each parent has physical custody for an approximately equal amount of time. Then Worksheet B applies: the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5, split by income, and each parent's figure is cross-multiplied by the other parent's percentage of time. The parent owing more pays the difference, never more than that parent would owe as a nondomiciliary parent. In the example, an even split leaves Parent A paying about $346 a month instead of $1,153. When each parent is domiciliary parent of at least one child, split custody rules offset two Worksheet A results.

Child care, insurance and medical costs

Child care is added net of the federal child and dependent care credit from IRS Form 2441, and care during job training or education can be added unless it unreasonably burdens the paying parent. The schedule already covers ordinary medical costs up to $250 per child per year. Uninsured costs above $250 per child in a calendar year are extraordinary and are added to the obligation, and the premium paid for the child's health insurance is added too. Tuition for a special or private school, transportation between homes, and enrichment such as camp or lessons may be added by agreement or order.

Low incomes, high incomes and imputed income

The schedule starts at $1,050 of combined income, where the amount for one child is $43. Below that row, the court sets support from actual earnings, earning potential and any other evidence of ability to pay. Above $50,000 the judge uses discretion but cannot go below the top schedule amount, and can place part of the award in a spendthrift trust for the child's education or medical needs that ends at age 24 unless the parents agree otherwise.

A parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed is assigned income based on earning potential, considering factors like work history, skills, health and the local job market. If there is no evidence at all, the presumption is 32 hours a week at the higher of state or federal minimum wage. A parent caring for the parties' child under five, or one incarcerated, is not treated as voluntarily unemployed.

Other children and tax dependency

Support owed under an earlier order for children outside the case comes off adjusted gross income. Children living in a parent's home who are not part of the case are a reason the court may consider for a deviation. The schedule assumes the domiciliary parent claims the child for taxes, but a nondomiciliary parent paying at least half of the total obligation and owing no arrears can ask the court for the right to claim the child.

When support ends and how orders change

Majority in Louisiana is 18. Support continues automatically for an unmarried child who is a full-time student in good standing in secondary school, under 19, and dependent on a parent. An order covering several children in one lump sum runs until the youngest reaches majority. On a motion filed before majority, support continues to age 22 for a child with a developmental disability who is still a full-time secondary student.

To modify an order, a parent must show a material change in circumstances that is substantial and continuing. In DCFS cases, a guideline result at least 25% different from the current order is presumed to be one, and DCFS can seek a review every three years without that showing. A modification reaches back to the date of judicial demand at the earliest, so file instead of waiting.

Collection and enforcement

Child Support Enforcement, a division of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, locates parents, establishes paternity, and establishes, enforces and manages orders statewide. Parents can apply online or by mail. Enforcement tools include income withholding, interception of tax refunds, and suspension of driver's, professional, hunting and fishing licenses.

Documents you will need

Louisiana child support FAQ

Did Louisiana change its child support schedule?

Yes. Acts 2024, No. 86 replaced the schedule in R.S. 9:315.19 for orders from January 1, 2025. It now begins at $1,050 of combined adjusted gross income and runs to $50,000 a month. A new schedule alone is not a material change in circumstances for modifying an existing order.

How is child support calculated in Louisiana?

Add both parents' adjusted gross incomes, read the basic obligation from the 9:315.19 schedule, add net child care, health insurance and extraordinary costs, and multiply the total by each parent's percentage of income. The nondomiciliary parent pays that share, minus court-ordered direct payments.

How much is child support for 2 kids in Louisiana?

It depends on combined income. At $8,000 a month the schedule lists $1,845 for two children, so a nondomiciliary parent earning 62.5% of the income owes about $1,153 a month before add-ons.

Does 50/50 custody cancel child support in Louisiana?

Not when incomes differ. With approximately equal time, Worksheet B still leaves the higher earner owing the difference. In our example with a 62.5% to 37.5% income split, that is about $346 a month.

Does child support stop at 18 in Louisiana?

Usually, but it continues for an unmarried full-time high school student in good standing until graduation or age 19, whichever comes first, and a court can extend it to 22 for a child with a developmental disability still in secondary school.

Next steps

Sources

Verified against these official sources in October 2026:

Child support in every other state

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This is general educational information, not legal advice, and official figures change. Last verified: October 2026. Consult a licensed family-law attorney in Louisiana.