Many parents in St. Tammany Parish do not find out what their child support will be until they are already in the middle of a stressful court process. By then, the number can feel like it came out of nowhere and it can be hard to change course. That uncertainty is especially tough when you are trying to plan for rent, groceries, and everything your children need.
We sit with parents in Mandeville and throughout St. Tammany Parish who share the same worries. Some are afraid they will not be able to afford the amount. Others are worried they will not receive enough to cover basic expenses. In almost every conversation, there is relief once we walk through how Louisiana child support guidelines work and how judges in our local courts use them.
Louisiana does not let judges simply guess at a child support number. They must start with a specific guideline formula that looks at both parents’ incomes, the number of children, and certain child-related costs. Because we handle child support matters in St. Tammany Parish on a regular basis, we see how this plays out in real hearings, not just on paper. In this guide, we will break that process into clear steps so you can see what your judge is looking at and how to prepare.
Call (985) 256-3553 to schedule a time to talk with Lindsey S. Olsen, Attorney at Law.
How Child Support Works in St. Tammany Parish Courts
Child support in St. Tammany Parish follows the same basic rules as the rest of Louisiana, because judges must use the state’s child support guidelines. Those guidelines are built around a table that lists a total support amount for different combined income levels and different numbers of children. The court starts by figuring out how much income both parents have together, then uses the table to find the basic support amount for that family.
Next, the court looks at how much of that combined income belongs to each parent. If one parent earns two thirds of the total and the other earns one third, the starting point is often that the higher earner is responsible for about two thirds of the total support and the lower earner for one third. The court then assigns the actual payment based on who has the children in their home most of the time. This is why the court cannot ignore the income of the parent who is receiving support, even if that parent earns less.
In St. Tammany Parish, judges follow this guideline framework, but each courtroom has its own expectations about documentation and how clearly parents need to present their information. Some cases move quickly because both sides come in with organized pay stubs, tax returns, and proof of expenses. Others slow down when the information is incomplete or confusing. When we work with parents here, our focus is always on turning the guideline system into clear numbers they can understand and plan around.
What Counts as Income for Child Support in Louisiana
A common surprise for parents is how broadly Louisiana defines income for child support purposes. It is not just your base hourly wage or salary. The guidelines look at almost any money that comes in on a regular basis, including overtime, commissions, bonuses, tips, and self-employment earnings. For many people in St. Tammany Parish, especially those in construction, oil and gas, healthcare, or service jobs, these additional amounts can be a significant part of their monthly income.
Courts usually do not rely on a single paycheck. Instead, they look at patterns. For a W-2 employee, that might mean several months of pay stubs and the last one or two years of tax returns. For a self-employed parent in Mandeville with a small business or a contractor who is paid on 1099s, it can mean profit and loss statements, bank records, and complete tax returns. Courts often average income over time to smooth out the ups and downs that come with seasonal work or fluctuating shifts.
Certain things are usually not treated as income or are handled differently, such as one-time gifts or some types of public assistance, but you should never assume the court will ignore a source of money without checking the law. Problems often arise when a parent tries to minimize or hide income. St. Tammany Parish judges review documentation closely and they will ask questions if the paperwork and lifestyle do not seem to match. When we prepare a child support case, we sit down with all of the available income documents so the court sees a clear, honest picture instead of a confusing snapshot.
Step-By-Step: How Judges Calculate Child Support
To understand what your child support might look like, it helps to walk through the basic steps that judges in St. Tammany Parish follow. First, the court determines each parent’s gross monthly income using the documents discussed above. Then, if there are any allowable adjustments, such as certain pre-existing child support obligations for other children, those are taken into account to arrive at an adjusted gross income for each parent.
Second, the court adds both parents’ adjusted gross incomes together. For example, if one parent earns $4,000 per month and the other earns $2,000 per month, the combined income is $6,000 per month. The parent earning $4,000 provides two thirds of that total, and the parent earning $2,000 provides one third. Those percentages become important because they are used to split the guideline support amount and many of the add-on expenses.
Third, the court uses the state guideline schedule to find the total basic support amount for a combined income of $6,000 and the number of children in the case. The schedule is a chart the judge or hearing officer uses in court. Once that total number is found, it is allocated between the parents using the same two thirds and one third split from the income calculation. The parent who does not have the children the majority of the time typically pays their share to the other parent as a monthly child support obligation.
This is the base calculation, before health insurance, childcare, and unusual expenses are added in. When we meet with St. Tammany Parish parents, we often run through several versions of this example using their actual income documents. Seeing the math with their own numbers, even in a simplified way, usually lowers anxiety and helps them see whether the numbers they have heard from friends or online calculators are realistic for their situation.
How Custody and Parenting Time Affect Child Support
Many parents assume that if they have joint custody, there will be no child support at all. In Louisiana, and in St. Tammany Parish courts, that is not how the guidelines work. The legal label of joint or sole custody mostly affects decision-making for the child, not the financial calculation. For support, what matters most is how many overnights the children spend in each home over the course of a year.
If one parent has the children most school nights and the other parent has them on alternating weekends and some holidays, the court usually treats that as a primary residence with standard visitation. In that situation, the guideline calculation described earlier is often followed without major changes, because the parent with primary custody is covering more day-to-day expenses like meals, utilities, and school routines. The other parent typically pays their percentage share to help meet those ongoing costs.
In a true shared schedule, such as a week-on, week-off arrangement that some St. Tammany Parish families use, the financial picture is more complicated. When parenting time is close to equal and both parents are directly paying for the children’s needs during their weeks, judges may consider adjustments to the standard guideline outcome. The law allows for this, but it depends heavily on the specific schedule and how expenses are actually handled in each home.
We work closely with parents to map out their real parenting time and day-to-day costs, not just what is written in a proposed schedule. That includes looking at who pays for school clothes, activity fees, and transportation. Presenting a clear picture of how time and expenses are shared helps the court in St. Tammany Parish understand whether the guideline number fits the reality of your family or whether another approach should be considered within what the law allows.
Add-On Expenses That Change the Child Support Number
The base guideline support amount is not the whole story. Louisiana’s child support system also accounts for certain necessary child-related expenses that are added on top of the basic number. Health insurance for the children is one of the most common add-ons. If one parent carries the children on a work health plan, the court usually looks at the extra cost of adding the children to that plan and allocates that cost between the parents based on their income percentages.
Work-related childcare is another significant factor. This includes daycare, before and after school care, or sitters that make it possible for a parent to work or attend job training. It does not usually include occasional babysitting for social events. In St. Tammany Parish, judges regularly review daycare invoices, school program statements, and similar records to see the true monthly cost. That cost is then split in proportion to each parent’s share of the combined income and added to the support calculation.
There can also be extraordinary expenses, such as major ongoing medical needs, therapy, or certain educational costs. Private school tuition is sometimes raised in local cases. Courts generally look at whether there is a history of the child attending that school, whether there are special needs, and whether both parents can realistically share the cost. These decisions are very fact specific, and documentation is critical.
We encourage our clients to keep organized records of premiums, daycare bills, medical co-pays, and any recurring educational or therapy costs. When we prepare a St. Tammany Parish child support matter, we help parents pull these documents together in a way that makes it easy for the judge to see not just a single bill, but the full monthly picture of what it takes to support their children.
When Child Support Can Be Different From the Guideline Amount
Although the guideline calculation is the starting point, Louisiana law allows judges to order a different amount if there is a clear reason to do so. This is sometimes called a deviation from the guidelines. For example, if one child has significant ongoing medical needs that the guideline table does not fully account for, or if the combined income is very high and the guideline number exceeds what is reasonably needed, a court may consider a different approach. Any deviation is typically explained in writing so there is a record of why the guideline number was not used.
Another area where differences arise is unusual expenses related to custody. A parent might have very high travel costs to exercise visitation because they live far from St. Tammany Parish, or a work schedule that requires unusual childcare arrangements. In those kinds of cases, judges look closely at the details. They consider whether those costs are necessary, whether they are likely to continue, and whether adjusting the support amount is the fairest way to handle them under the law.
Modification is a separate concept. Even if the original order followed the guidelines, child support is not frozen forever. If there is a substantial change in circumstances, such as a significant increase or decrease in income, job loss, a promotion, or a major change in the custody schedule, a parent can ask the court to recalculate support. In St. Tammany Parish, judges generally want to see a real, documented change, not a small fluctuation.
When parents come to us with questions about whether their support amount can or should change, we start by reviewing the prior order and their current income and custody situation. That way, we can give a realistic assessment of whether a deviation or modification request has a solid foundation before anyone spends time and money returning to court.
Documents to Gather Before a Child Support Hearing in St. Tammany Parish
One of the most practical steps you can take is to gather the right paperwork before any child support hearing or negotiation. For income, courts in St. Tammany Parish typically look for recent pay stubs, the last one or two years of federal and state tax returns, and, for self-employed parents, business records such as profit and loss statements or 1099s. If you work multiple jobs or have side income, documents for each source matter, because the court is trying to see your full financial picture.
For expenses, you will want proof of any health insurance premiums that cover the children, including documentation that shows how much extra you pay to add them to your plan. Daycare, preschool, and after school program invoices are important to show work-related childcare costs. If your child has ongoing medical, therapy, or educational expenses, keep copies of bills, receipts, and any payment plans that show what you pay each month.
Organizing these documents in a simple folder or binder, grouped by category, can make a real difference in how smoothly your hearing goes. Judges and hearing officers in St. Tammany Parish are trying to make decisions quickly with the information they have in front of them. When we prepare clients, we often start by reviewing exactly these documents so we can estimate likely outcomes under the guidelines and spot any issues that might need extra attention in court.
How We Work With St. Tammany Parents on Child Support
Every family that walks into our office brings a different mix of income, expenses, and custody arrangements. Our first step is always to listen. Then we sit down with your pay stubs, tax returns, and schedules to walk through how the Louisiana child support guidelines would apply to you, not to a hypothetical case. That conversation often uncovers details that online calculators and generic articles never account for.
We focus on clear communication and practical solutions, whether you expect to pay support or receive it. That might mean helping a self-employed parent in Mandeville present business income in a way the court can understand, or working with a parent who has the children the majority of the time to document childcare and medical costs. Because we are based in St. Tammany Parish, we are familiar with the local court’s expectations and procedures, which helps us prepare clients more effectively.
Even if you have already seen a number from a friend, a website, or a prior conversation with the other parent, it is worth having your specific situation reviewed before you sign an agreement or walk into a hearing. Child support affects your monthly budget and your children’s stability for years. Taking the time now to make sure the calculation is accurate and complete can help prevent frustration and conflict later.
Talk With A St. Tammany Parish Child Support Attorney
Understanding how child support is calculated turns a stressful unknown into a set of steps you can prepare for. Once you see how income, custody, and specific child-related expenses fit into the Louisiana guidelines, you can make better decisions about what to agree to and what to challenge, instead of feeling like the number is out of your hands.
If you are facing a new child support case or thinking about changing an existing order in St. Tammany Parish, we invite you to sit down with us, gather your documents, and walk through your numbers together. We can help you understand what the court is likely to look at, where there may be room to address unusual circumstances, and how to present your situation clearly and honestly.
Call (985) 256-3553 to schedule a time to talk with Lindsey S. Olsen, Attorney at Law.