Louisiana State Income Taxes

The state of Louisiana collects income taxes on May 15th, which gives you an additional month from when your federal return is due.


This page:

  • Lists basic Louisiana state tax information

  • Links to the major Louisiana income tax forms

  • Shows you how you can save time and money by e-filing

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Louisiana state taxes at a glance:

Tax Rate Range: Low - 2.0%; High - 6.0%
Income Brackets*: Lowest - $12,500; Highest - $25,000
Number of Brackets: 3
Personal Exemptions: Single - $4,500; Married - $9,000; Dependents - $1,000; Seniors - $1,000
Standard Deduction: Included in personal exemptions
Medical/Dental Deduction: Federal amount
Federal Income Tax Deduction: Full

* For joint returns, the taxes are twice the tax imposed on half the income.

Filing your Louisiana state tax return

When you begin your Louisiana state tax return, first make sure the filing status you use is the same as the filing status you used on your federal tax return. Even if you are eligible to file under two, you are not allowed to switch your filing status to a different one.

Unlike your federal return, there is no standard deduction allowed on your Louisiana tax return. However, if you itemize, you are allowed to deduct 57.5% of your itemized deductions and your federal income tax paid.

For a complete list of tax credits allowed by Louisiana tax, consult the back of the Louisiana tax form booklet, which can be found on the Louisiana Department of Revenue website.

If you are a resident of Louisiana and receive out of state retirement income, you need to report this income on your state tax return as it is taxable to your state of residence. If you are over 65, you may also be eligible to have $6,000 of annual retirement income be exempt from state taxation.

According to Louisiana tax code, your capital gains are taxed at the same rate as you income.

If you are not a resident of Louisiana but your source of income is located in Louisiana, you still need to file a nonresident Louisiana tax return. If your income is negligible you may not be required to file a Louisiana return. However, you may still want to file, especially is a refund is due.

Sidebar
You can work on your Louisiana tax return online while filing your federal return (you can work on it for free, and pay nothing until you are ready to file).

Note: if you are filing more than one state return, you must file a paper return for each additional state, as TurboTax for The Web only allows one state prep.

Louisiana income tax forms

The main Louisiana tax forms are:

Form IT-540 | 2006 Louisiana Individual Income Tax Return

If you need Lousiana income tax forms that are not listed here, you can download them from the Louisiana tax forms site.


Or, just simply e-file!

Additional LA state taxes help

If you need help with your federal tax return, start with our basic guide to tax filing.

For additional help with filing LA income tax returns, see the official site of the Louisiana Department of Revenue.

State income tax info: