Louisiana child support calculator

Louisiana follows the income-shares model. The idea is that a child should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have if the parents lived together. Both parents’ adjusted monthly gross income is combined, the basic support obligation is read from the schedule, and each parent is responsible for the share that matches their percentage of the combined income. The parent the child does not primarily live with (the non-domiciliary parent) pays their share to the other.

The heart of the calculation is the schedule in R.S. 9:315.19 — a table indexed by combined adjusted monthly gross income (from $1,050 up to $50,000) and the number of children (one to six). This calculator uses the current schedule, which took effect January 1, 2025 (Acts 2024, No. 86). When the combined income falls between two rows, the next higher row is used.

To the basic obligation Louisiana adds net work-related child care (R.S. 9:315.3), the cost of the children’s health-insurance premium (R.S. 9:315.4), and any extraordinary medical or other expenses (R.S. 9:315.5–.6). The combined figure is the total obligation, split by income share. Louisiana also sets a floor: the award may not be less than $100 per month unless the obligor’s only income is means-tested assistance (R.S. 9:315.14).

When the parents share physical custody roughly equally, R.S. 9:315.9 applies a shared-custodial calculation: the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5 to reflect the duplicated cost of two households, then each parent’s share is offset by the time the children spend with the other parent, so the higher earner pays the difference. Because that needs the exact time split, this calculator computes the standard (sole-domiciliary) obligation and flags when a shared arrangement likely applies.

It combines both parents’ income, reads the R.S. 9:315.19 schedule, adds child care and health insurance, and splits the total by income share. It does not compute adjusted gross income from your pay stubs, run the shared- or split-custody offset, add extraordinary medical or travel expenses, or apply a deviation the court may order. For a figure you can file, use the Louisiana obligation worksheet or consult an attorney.