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Louisiana state tax

3 min read


3 min read


Editor’s Note: Looking for information on the Louisiana state tax? Read here to learn about Louisiana income tax, who pays, how to pay, and more!

Similar to federal taxes, Louisiana (LA) state tax is self-assessed and based on a percentage of your income.

Who pays LA tax?

Louisiana tax information

Similar to residency at the federal tax level, states impose LA income taxes on your earnings if you have a sufficient connection to the state. The following people must pay Louisiana income tax, according to the Louisiana Department of Revenue.

  1. Residents or part-year residents, and nonresidents with income from Louisiana sources who are required to file a federal income tax return
  2. Taxpayers who have overpaid their tax through withholding or declaration of estimated tax
  3. Military personnel whose home of record is in Louisiana

These rules may change if you are working from home due to COVID.

How do you pay Louisiana income taxes?

As a W-2 employee, your Louisiana income tax should be drawn from your paycheck. This deduction will appear on your paystub.

To pay LA tax, you can pay online or mail your return to the Louisiana Department of Revenue (with a payment, if you owe) to:

Post Office Box 201
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0201

OR

617 North Third Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

View more contact information for the Louisiana Department of Revenue.

When are Louisiana tax returns due?

Louisiana tax returns are due on or before May 15th. For fiscal year taxpayers, returns and payments are due on the 15th day of the fifth month after the close of the fiscal year.

Deducting LA income tax

If you pay LA income tax, the IRS allows you to claim a deduction on your federal tax return for them. You can claim a state income tax deduction if you itemize deductions on your federal return.

To determine if you should itemize your deductions, add your deductible expenses, including state income taxes, to determine if they’re greater than the standard deduction amount for your filing status. If you pay Louisiana income tax and other itemized deductions greater than the deduction, consider itemizing your taxes.

Due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, state and local tax deductions are limited to $10,000 per year ($5,000 for married filing separately).

More help with LA state tax

Understanding your tax obligation can be confusing. What’s even more confusing is how to deduct LA state income tax from your taxes as an itemized deduction.

So, get help with H&R Block Virtual! With this service, we’ll match you with a tax pro with Louisiana tax expertise. Then, you will upload your tax documents, and our tax pros will do the rest! We can help with your LA taxes, including federal deductions for paying state taxes.

Prefer a different way to file? No problem – you can find Louisiana state tax expertise with all of our ways to file taxes.

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