Child Support FAQs

Child support enforcement services are administered from 12 Regional Offices which serve all 64 parishes. Offices of the District Attorney also provide child support services.

An annual collection fee of $35 will be charged to any case in which the Child Support Enforcement has successfully collected and distributed $550 to families who have never received assistance under FITAP.

Yes, to be eligible for FITAP (Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program) or Medicaid, a person must give information to help identify and locate the non-custodial parent, unless the FITAP or Medicaid agency determines good cause for not cooperating.

If the child receives FITAP (Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program) or Medicaid, the mother is required to cooperate with Child Support Enforcement to name the father, give information to help find the father, and help determine legally who is the father of the child.

In Medicaid cases, the State establishes and enforces medical support orders, but the custodial parent may choose whether or not to receive child support services.

Child Support Enforcement contacts the other parent to obtain information needed to determine the right amount of support to be paid and the availability of medical insurance. The court can then order the non-custodial parent to pay a certain amount of child support and can order one or both parents to provide medical support.

If a child is not receiving any cash assistance, the parents may make their own arrangements for child support. Either parent may apply for help from Child Support Enforcement. Once an acknowledgment is signed, the father may be obligated to support the child.

In any case, in which Child Support Enforcement is providing services, the child support order will require one or both of the parents to provide medical support for the child. Support Enforcement Services contacts the other parent to obtain information needed to determine the right amount of support to be paid and the availability of medical insurance. The court can then order the non-custodial parent to pay a certain amount of child support and order medical support from one or both parents.

Yes. Child Support Enforcement works with all other states and U.S. territories and some foreign countries to help provide child support services.

Child Support Enforcement has no authority in custody and visitation issues. After the alleged father signs an acknowledgment of paternity, he has the right to pursue visitation with the child and the right to petition the court for custody.

Louisiana Law gives parents rights in a paternity determination. Parents can be represented by an attorney. Parents have the right to DNA testing to prove whether the man is the biological father, and the right to a trial to determine paternity.

• Identity: It is important for all of us to know who we are. Children have the right to know both parents.
• Medical: Children may benefit by knowing their medical history, as children sometimes inherit health problems that can be treated better if the doctor knows both parents’ medical histories.
• Support: Children have the right to be supported by both parents. Children who are supported by only one parent often do not have enough money to meet their needs.
• Benefits: Acknowledged children may also have the right to other benefits, including Social Security, Veteran’s benefits, and medical insurance.
• Inheritance: Children should have the right to inherit from both parents.

When someone applies for services or is referred from another agency, DCFS will review the birth record to determine if vital records has paternity information for the child.  If there is no paternity information for the child, DCFS will take action to establish paternity.   

When vital records has paternity information on file, DCFS will ask the court to set a child support amount.  DCFS will not take any action to change paternity information on file with vital records. 

DCFS, CSE establishes paternity by interviewing parents and giving them an opportunity to sign an acknowledgment of paternity or to consent to voluntary genetic testing. If a parent does not consent to either of these, then DCFS, CSE will take court action to ask the court to determine who is the biological father of the child.

Acknowledging paternity is a way to establish who is the biological father when the parents are not married to each other. The parents may sign an acknowledgment of paternity form at the hospital when the child is born. The acknowledgment may also be signed at a later date. The acknowledgment should then be filed with the State Vital Records Registry.

If the unmarried parents sign the acknowledgment at the hospital when the child is born, the child’s last name on the birth certificate may be the last name of the father, if the mother agrees; or the child’s last name may be a combination of the last name of the father and the mother’s maiden name.

If the biological father is under 16 years of age, he cannot execute an acknowledgment of paternity. If he is 16 or 17 years of age, the acknowledgment must be authorized by the court before it may be executed. 

The acknowledgment of paternity can be mailed to a parent anywhere to be signed. Both parents must sign in front of two witnesses and a notary public. The form should then be filed with the State Vital Records Registry.

If the parents are not married to each other when the child is born, the man is not the legal father. Living with the mother or getting married later does not make him the father in the eyes of the law. The child’s rights can be protected only by establishing paternity. Signing the acknowledgment is one way to establish paternity.

The Acknowledgment of Paternity may be mailed to either parent, regardless of location, for signature. Both parents must sign the form in the presence of a notary public. After it has been notarized, the completed form must be filed with the Louisiana State Vital Records Registry. 

A person who signed an acknowledgment can take action revoke an acknowledgement within 60 days of signing the form without a reason.  Details of this process are available at: https://ldh.la.gov/page/paternity-information (opens in a new tab).   

If the parent does not taken action to revoke it in in 60 days, acknowledgment may ask the court to cancel the acknowledgment upon proof of fraud, duress, material mistake of fact or error, or that the person is not the biological parent of the child. An acknowledgment cannot be canceled without a court hearing.

If either parent is unsure who is the father, a paternity test should be requested to determine if the alleged father is the biological father of the child.

The genetic, or DNA, test samples are collected and sent to a laboratory. The test compares many different details of the child’s sample with similar details in the man’s sample and the mother’s sample.

The paternity test will show if a man is NOT the biological father of a child. Or the test can show that it is at least 99.9% certain, that a man is the biological father of the child.

Yes. The parents can then make him the father by signing the acknowledgment of paternity.

The parents may make private arrangements with the hospital or a paternity testing laboratory. If there is a case with CSE, and the parents agree to genetic testing voluntarily before child support is established, the state pays for the test.  If CSE has filed court action to establish child support, the court will order the father to repay the cost of the paternity testing if he is determined to be the child’s biological father. 

Yes. Either parent can request a review, usually if there’s been a significant change in income, employment, or the child’s needs. Reviews are often available every three years regardless of circumstances. 

Not always — it depends on the order and state law. Some orders continue through high school graduation or under specific circumstances like disability.  

Enforcement actions can include income withholding, tax refund interception, license suspension (driver’s, professional, or recreational), passport denial, liens on property, and in serious cases, contempt of court proceedings.

Yes. Louisiana law allows DCFS and the courts  to suspend a variety of licenses if you fall behind on child support payments. The primary laws governing license suspension for unpaid child support are La. R.S. 9:315.30 (opens in a new tab) and La. R.S. 9:315.40 (opens in a new tab). The first one covers what a court can do. The second one covers what DCFS can do through its administrative process. 

• Driver’s license 
• Vehicle license plate and registration for any car, truck, motorcycle, motorboat, sailboat, ATV, or trailer in your name 
• Professional licenses like nursing, contracting, real estate, cosmetology, plumbing, HVAC, accounting, insurance, and many more 
• Hunting and fishing licenses 

Once you owe more than $2,500 in past-due child support, DCFS will mail you a notice of intent (pre-offset notice) listing potential consequences (including passport denial and revocation) before any action is taken. Under Section 452(k) of the Social Security Act (opens in a new tab), the U.S. Department of State can automatically take your passport in past-due child support. If your passport is revoked, you will also get an additional letter from the State Department listing a contact person for any questions you may have.

In cases of willful nonpayment, a court can hold a parent in contempt, which may result in jail time, though this is generally a last resort after other enforcement efforts.