Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elden S. Fox ordered the starlet to continue rehab until Jan. 3.
The 24-year-old actress violated her probation in September when she failed a drug test. She acknowledged the result in postings on Twitter and said she was struggling with addiction.
Fox had ordered her to jail, but her attorney got another judge to grant her bail the very same day. A few days later, Lohan checked herself into the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, where she has been since.
The starlet's probation report states she told an officer last week that she hoped to be released from the Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage, Calif. after one month and cited financial worries. According to the report, she told the officer that "continued inpatient treatment would be a hardship financially, and damaging to her career."
The 20-acre addiction treatment hospital is not cheap - three months of inpatient treatment can cost nearly $50,000.
Lohan cited problems with her clothing line and an upcoming role as porn star Linda Lovelace in a biopic as reasons for wanting to get out.
The movie, however, will wait for Lohan.
"Inferno" writer-director Matthew Wilder says Lohan's rehab won't interfere with the role and that production was already set to begin in mid-January.
The "Mean Girls" star arrived at the courthouse about half an hour before the hearing, accompanied by her attorney and mother and flanked by deputies. She was dressed in jeans, a white T-shirt and a black jacket.
This is Lohan's fifth shot at rehab, and the judge made it clear that there will not be another chance without jail time if she gets in trouble again.
As the judge issued his ruling, Lohan cried and thanked the judge.
If she completes her rehab successfully, she will be back in court Feb. 25, when the judge could grant her unsupervised probation.
In July and August, she spent 14 days in jail and 23 days in rehab as punishment for missing several court-ordered weekly counseling sessions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
