Knight Law Firm | April 23, 2025 | Child Support
Like other states, Louisiana sets child support guidelines and enforces child support when parents separate. Child support is a financial obligation to make sure children have the monetary support they need to live healthy lives. Support is calculated by reviewing the financial resources of both parents, the amount of time a child spends with either parent, and other factors.
Parents required to pay child support will wonder what their payments actually go toward. Child support is intended to cover food, clothing, and shelter for children. The parent receiving child support is not required to itemize every dollar that child support is spent on. If you are being asked to contribute toward costs such as school supplies, sports uniforms, summer camps, and other miscellaneous items, you might ask what your child support is going toward. However, child support does not usually cover the full costs involved with raising a child.
Here, we’ll explore what child support covers in Louisiana. If you have questions about a child support obligation or need legal help, contact an experienced Monroe, LA, child support lawyer to schedule a consultation.
Child Support Guidelines in Louisiana
Both parents have legal obligations under Louisiana child support law to support their children financially. Who pays child support to the other parent depends partly on the custody arrangement. Physical custody is usually shared in one of the following ways:
- Primary or sole physical custody: The child or children reside mainly with one parent, while the other parent has visitation rights and a parenting time schedule. The noncustodial parent will be required to pay child support to the custodial parent.
- Shared physical custody: When parents have equal or similar amounts of physical custody with a child, one parent can still owe support to the other. Child support in this scenario is calculated by breaking down the total number of overnights the child spends with each parent. The incomes and earning abilities of both parents will also be factored into the equation.
There is a difference between physical custody and legal custody. Even if you have shared and equal legal custody of your child, the other parent could have primary physical custody, or could have more days spent with the child each year. Even if all aspects of custody are split 50/50, you could owe child support based on financial factors. If you owe any child support at all, you want to know the money is going toward your child’s needs.
What To Do if You Feel Your Ex-Partner Is Misusing Child Support
Costs for educational activities, extracurricular activities, uninsured medical expenses, and other expenses are usually not covered by child support. Monthly child support payments aim to cover basic necessities such as food, clothing, and medicine. The costs of raising a child tend to go far beyond what a court orders for child support, however. It helps to keep track of what you are spending on necessary expenses for your child, along with the support you pay to the other parent.
If you think your ex-partner is spending child support money on items unrelated to your child’s basic care, a lawyer can help you investigate. If you find your child is coming to you for help covering basic needs while the other parent is spending freely on non-essential items, it is worth wondering where your child support payment is going. In some situations, you can ask a court to review and modify child support, or even hold the other parent in contempt if child support is not being spent on the child.
Contact a Monroe, Louisiana Child Support Attorney to Schedule a Case Evaluation
If you have been ordered to pay child support in Monroe, Louisiana, it is fair to ask what child support covers. Child support is intended to cover a child’s essential needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter. If child support is being misused and your child suffers as a result, you should seek the help of an experienced child support lawyer.
Contact our North Louisiana Litigation Lawyers at Knight Law Firm for Help Today
For more information, contact our experienced family law attorneys at Knight Law Firm to schedule a consultation.
We proudly serve Shreveport, Monroe, Ruston, and the surrounding areas of North Louisiana.
Knight Law Firm – Shreveport Office
401 Market Street Suite 1006, Shreveport LA 71101
(318) 323-2213
