Child Support

The judge will use the Louisiana child support guidelines to decide how much child support you should receive. The guidelines are based on the income of both parents and the number of children who need support. The amount suggested by the guidelines is known as the “basic child support obligation.”¹ You can read the guidelines on the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services page.

However, in Louisiana, judges don’t have to use the basic child support obligation that the guidelines suggest. They can choose to order a higher or lower basic obligation if the amount the guidelines suggest:

• is not in the best interests of the child; or
• would not be fair to the parents.²

The child support order will also include the following costs:

• reasonable child care costs, minus the federal income tax credit for child care;
• the cost of health insurance premiums;
• unusual (extraordinary) medical expenses; and
• other unusual expenses.³

The judge will come up with the “total child support obligation” by adding all of these costs to the basic child support obligation.³

The Department of Children and Family Services has a child support estimator to help you figure out how much support a judge might order in your situation. If you’d like to talk to an attorney for advice, please visit our Louisiana Finding a Lawyer page.

¹ La. Rev. Stat. § 9:315.2(D)
² La. Rev. Stat. § 9:315.1(B)
³ La. Rev. Stat. §§ 9:315.8(A); 9:315(7)