Updated for 2026 guidelines
Louisiana Child Support Wage Garnishment Calculator 2026
Louisiana writes its paycheck protection as an exemption: half of disposable earnings is off limits for child support withholding, no matter what the federal tiers would allow. Check the ceiling for your pay here.
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Check the Louisiana withholding limit
Maximum weekly withholding for support: $400.00
That is 50% of disposable earnings under the Louisiana cap for this situation (La. R.S. 13:3881(A)(1)), at or below the federal CCPA tier.
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Federal CCPA ceiling: 60% of disposable earnings (15 U.S.C. 1673(b)(2))15 U.S.C. 1673 (CCPA garnishment limits: 50/55/60/65% for support) (U.S. Congress (text via Cornell LII mirror)) | $480.00 |
| State cap: 50% of disposable earnings (La. R.S. 13:3881(A)(1))For child support, 50% of disposable earnings is exempt, so at most 50% is garnishable, at or below every federal CCPA tier. For spousal support alone the exemption is 60% (at most 40% garnishable). A mixed or unallocated child-plus-spousal order enforced by DCFS is treated entirely as child support. The federal CCPA tiers (15 U.S.C. 1673(b)) remain the outer ceiling.La. R.S. 13:3881 (garnishment exemptions: 50% child support / 60% spousal support exemption rules) (Louisiana Legislature) | $400.00 |
| Maximum support withholding: 50% of disposable earnings15 U.S.C. 1673 (CCPA garnishment limits: 50/55/60/65% for support) (U.S. Congress (text via Cornell LII mirror)) | $400.00 |
Assumptions
- Disposable earnings are earnings minus deductions required by law (15 U.S.C. 1672); voluntary deductions are not subtracted.
- Obligor does not support another spouse or dependent child.
- No arrears older than 12 weeks.
Estimate only. The court or state agency calculation controls.
Louisiana cap under La. R.S. 13:3881(A)(1); federal ceiling under 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)(2). Rules last reviewed 2026-08-07.
What Louisiana support withholding can take
Most Louisiana support is collected through income assignment: the order goes to the employer and the support comes out of pay before the parent ever sees it.
Federal law draws the outer boundary. The Consumer Credit Protection Act allows support withholding of 50 to 65 percent of disposable earnings, with the tier depending on whether the parent supports a second family and whether arrears are older than 12 weeks.
Louisiana comes at the question from the opposite direction. R.S. 13:3881(A)(1) lists what is exempt from seizure, and for a current or past-due child support obligation the exemption is 50 percent of disposable earnings. Flip that around and at most half the paycheck can be taken, which sits at or below every federal tier, so the Louisiana number is the one that bites.
Spousal support gets a different exemption: 60 percent of disposable earnings is protected when the garnishment is for spousal support alone, leaving at most 40 percent reachable. And when DCFS enforces an order that combines child and spousal support, or that does not spell out the split, the whole obligation is treated as child support and the 50 percent rule governs.
Disposable earnings means pay left after deductions required by law, like income tax withholding and Social Security. Voluntary deductions such as a retirement contribution do not shrink the base the percentage is measured against.
- Child support limit
- 50% of disposable earnings exempt, so at most 50% garnishablesource
- Spousal support limit
- 60% exempt when the garnishment is for spousal support alone; at most 40% garnishablesource
- Statute
- La. R.S. 13:3881(A)(1)source
- Federal backdrop
- CCPA tiers of 50/55/60/65% remain the outer ceiling (15 U.S.C. 1673(b))source
How to use this estimate
Enter your disposable earnings for one week and answer the two situation questions. The tool works out the federal CCPA tier your answers select, then lays Louisiana’s 50 percent child support cap over it, and the lower number wins.
For ordinary non-support debts Louisiana protects far more: 75 percent of disposable earnings is exempt, with a floor of 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage per week. Support orders are the exception that reaches deeper into the check.
A cap is not a payment amount. What actually comes out is set by your support order and any arrears payback schedule; the cap only trims the total when one paycheck would otherwise give up too much.
What this estimate includes
- The Louisiana 50 percent child support ceiling in dollars for your pay
- The federal CCPA tier your situation selects, shown for comparison
- The lower-number-wins rule that makes the stricter cap control
What it leaves out
- The 40 percent reachable share for spousal-support-only garnishments (noted, not computed)
- Your actual ordered amount and any arrears payback schedule
- The employer mechanics of stacking multiple income assignments
- Non-support garnishments, which use the 75 percent general exemption instead
Louisiana garnishment FAQs
How much of a Louisiana paycheck can be taken for child support?
At most half. R.S. 13:3881(A)(1) exempts 50 percent of disposable earnings when the garnishment enforces a current or past-due child support obligation, so the reachable share tops out at 50 percent. The federal CCPA tiers run from 50 to 65 percent, which means the Louisiana exemption is the binding limit in every scenario.
Is the limit different for spousal support?
Yes. When the garnishment is for spousal support alone, the exemption rises to 60 percent of disposable earnings, leaving at most 40 percent reachable. But if the order bundles child and spousal support together, or does not allocate between them, and DCFS is enforcing it, the entire amount is treated as child support under the 50 percent rule.
What counts as disposable earnings in Louisiana?
Pay remaining after deductions required by law: federal and state tax withholding, Social Security, and Medicare. Optional deductions, like a 401(k) contribution or supplemental insurance you elected, still count as disposable earnings when the exemption is measured.
Does owing old arrears raise the Louisiana limit?
No. Arrears older than 12 weeks raise the federal tier by 5 points, but the Louisiana exemption does not move: 50 percent of disposable earnings stays protected for child support whether the withholding covers current support, arrears, or both.
How does Louisiana treat garnishment for ordinary debts?
Much more protectively. For a non-support judgment, 75 percent of disposable earnings is exempt, and never less than 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage per week. Support obligations are the carve-out: the legislature decided children and former spouses can reach deeper into a paycheck than commercial creditors.
Can more than one withholding hit the same paycheck?
It can, but the exemptions still bound the total that support withholding may take. If orders stack past the ceiling, the employer honors them within the limit and the balance waits. Employers who have questions are pointed to the income assignment paperwork and DCFS employer guidance rather than to any calculator.
Official sources
Official sources last verified: .
- La. R.S. 13:3881 (garnishment exemptions: 50% child support / 60% spousal support exemption rules)
Louisiana Legislature Last checked
- 15 U.S.C. 1673 (CCPA garnishment limits: 50/55/60/65% for support)
U.S. Congress (text via Cornell LII mirror) Last checked
- DOL WHD Fact Sheet #30 (CCPA garnishment; rev. Dec. 2024)
U.S. Dept. of Labor WHD Last checked
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Changelog: page first published with the 50 and 60 percent exemption rules of R.S. 13:3881(A)(1). Material changes are dated in the update log.