Simple Child Support Calculator
For a simple and easy calculation of child support in Louisiana, we suggest trying the DIY Divorce Review calculator. Louisiana appears to lack an official, government calculator that is easy to use.
The DIY Divorce Review calculator is quite simple and easy to use. But note that the estimator may not always be accurate and up to date for 2024. For a more reliable assessment, you can try the official version.
In the state of Louisiana, the result of an online calculation should be interpreted carefully. You should treat the estimate as just a preliminary indication of the child support amount you could receive or be required to pay.
Louisiana Parenting Time Calculator
While Louisiana child support guidelines focus on which parent is the "custodial parent", parenting time shares have the potential to affect child support. Actual parenting time percentages could influence the order a judge makes or how much parents agree to.
Use this overnights calculator to work out your parenting time percentage. Most states measure parenting time based on overnight stays.
Calculate annual overnight stays
Regular nights
Vacation nights each year*
183 overnight stays per year.
50.0% of parenting time.
* Vacation nights are all nights when the regular schedule does not apply.
How Child Support is Calculated in Louisiana
Child support payments in Louisiana are calculated using the income shares only method. Payments depend on the combined income of the parents as well as the number of children eligible for support. A bigger combined income or extra children typically means higher payments.
The amounts transferred also depend on each parent’s income share or income percentage. Louisianians paying the most support are non-custodial parents with high incomes. The biggest receivers are low-income parents with primary physical custody and a high-earning payer.
We refer to the method as "income shares only" since Louisiana lacks a well-defined way of adjusting payments for the exact amount of parenting time each parent contributes. A parent’s share of care time is not a detailed part of the guidelines, as is usually the case with income sharing models.
Calculating the basic child support obligation in Louisiana is done using a table. Louisiana’s Department of Children and Family Services publishes the table online. The table may look fairly straightforward. However, you need to know what the amount of “combined adjusted monthly gross income” is. To do that, you must first figure out your monthly gross income.
Louisiana uses two child support calculations. The first calculation is used when one parent has sole custody or the parties have joint custody with a designated domiciliary parent. The second calculation is used when the parties have shared custody – each parent has custody for an approximately equal amount of time.
Tracy Shanks
Louisianian child support guidelines apply to the whole state, including the cities of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Metairie, Lafayette and Lake Charles. Variations in support payments may be made by the agreement of parents or at the discretion of a judge presiding over your case.
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