How Louisiana Collects Unpaid Child Support: License Suspension, Wage Garnishment and Passport Denial
If you don’t pay child support in Louisiana, DCFS can certify license suspension once you are more than 90 days in arrears and you miss the 20-day objection window without a written payment agreement. Arrears over $2,500 can also affect a passport.
What happens if you don’t pay child support in Louisiana?
DCFS or the person owed support may enforce by any lawful means (La. R.S. 9:315.24). The best-known tool is license suspension once you are more than 90 days in arrears, and federal law adds income withholding limits and passport certification above $2,500.
When can DCFS suspend a license?
An obligor is in compliance if he is no more than ninety days in arrears in making payments in full for current support or in making periodic payments under a court order, and has kept health insurance if required (9:315.31). If not, DCFS may send a notice of child support delinquency by certified mail, return receipt requested, stating the amount of past-due support, the right to object and what to do to come into compliance (9:315.41).
How long do I have to object?
Twenty days after receipt of the notice, in writing, requesting an administrative hearing on whether you are in compliance. If you neither object in time nor sign a written agreement with DCFS to make periodic payments on the arrearage, and you are not in compliance, DCFS certifies your noncompliance to the licensing authority (9:315.42). Certification can also follow an adverse hearing decision, a final judgment making past-due payments executory that provides for suspension, or a criminal neglect of family finding (9:315.44).
Which licenses are covered?
Any license, certification, registration or permit to engage in a profession, occupation, business or industry, to operate a motor vehicle, or to participate in any sporting activity including fishing and hunting, and the notice can include registrations of vehicles, boats and trailers in your name (9:315.31; 9:315.41).
Can Louisiana garnish wages for unpaid child support?
Support orders are enforced by income assignment under Louisiana law, and federal law sets the outer limits: 50% or 60% of disposable earnings, and 55% or 65% for support more than 12 weeks overdue (15 U.S.C. 1673(b)).
| If the person | Limit | If support is more than 12 weeks overdue |
|---|---|---|
| Supporting a spouse or another child | 50% | 55% |
| Not supporting a spouse or another child | 60% | 65% |
What about passports?
If a state agency certifies that a person owes child support arrearages of more than $2,500, federal law requires refusal of a passport (42 U.S.C. 652(k)). The Louisiana arrears calculator warns when the unpaid principal passes that figure.
Can secreting a child be a defense?
No. If a joint custodial parent intentionally secretes the child, the other parent may ask the court to suspend or modify his obligation, but those circumstances are not a defense to an action for failure to pay court-ordered support or to enforce past-due support (R.S. 9:315.23).
What should you do if you owe?
Respond to every notice inside the 20-day window, ask DCFS for a written payment agreement, add up the balance in the Louisiana child support arrears calculator and, if your circumstances changed, file a rule for modification right away.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if you don’t pay child support in Louisiana?
DCFS can start license suspension after 90 days in arrears, and the court can use other lawful means.
How much of my paycheck can Louisiana take for child support?
Federal law limits it to 50% or 60% of disposable earnings, and 55% or 65% for support more than 12 weeks overdue.
How long do I have to respond to a Louisiana license notice?
Twenty days from receipt to file a written objection.
Can I avoid Louisiana license suspension?
Yes, by objecting in time, getting into compliance or signing a written payment agreement with DCFS.
When can the passport of a Louisiana parent who owes child support be denied?
When arrears above $2,500 are certified under federal law.
Official sources
- La. R.S. 13:4202: rates of judicial interest
- La. R.S. 9:315.31: license suspension definitions
- La. R.S. 9:315.41: notice of child support delinquency
- La. R.S. 9:315.42: objection to suspension
- La. R.S. 9:315.44: certification of noncompliance
- La. R.S. 9:315.24: enforcement; revocatory and oblique actions
- 15 U.S.C. 1673: restriction on garnishment
- 42 U.S.C. 652(k): denial of passports
- La. R.S. 9:315.11: voluntarily unemployed party
A local family law attorney can review your situation — many offer a free consultation.
This is general information, not legal advice. It is based on the cited Louisiana statutes, rules and court opinions, and every case turns on its own facts. Confirm how the law applies to your situation with a licensed Louisiana attorney.