Laravel Eloquent limit and offset is being added automatically to count query

You are: when calling the ->skip() it will add the OFFSET and when calling the ->take() it will add the LIMIT.

The confusion might be because the query builder mutates itself instead of returning new instances.

I commented what happens

// creates a new query builder
$query_records = User::select($fields)
    ->Where('first_name', 'like', '%' .$s. '%');

// not a copy but a reference to same instance
$query_records_trashed=$query_records;

// this will run the query and would not be affected by
// the subsequent calls
$total_records=$query_records->count();

// as you call skip and take before the get method
// it mutates the query object
$records=$query_records->orderBy($sort_column, $sort_order)
    ->skip($page*$rows_per_page)
    ->take($rows_per_page)
    ->get();


// $query_records_trashed is already muted from
// the above statement skip, take, ...
$total_trashed_records=$query_records_trashed->onlyTrashed()->count();

One solution is to clone the query before adding new scopes:

$query_records = User::select($fields)
    ->Where('first_name', 'like', '%' .$s. '%');

$query_records_trashed=$query_records;

$total_records=$query_records->count();


// there is no clone method to chain
// so we use the cloneWithout 
$records=$query_records
    ->cloneWithout([]) // clones the query builder so we don't mutate the original
    ->orderBy($sort_column, $sort_order)
    ->skip($page*$rows_per_page)
    ->take($rows_per_page)
    ->get();

$total_trashed_records=$query_records_trashed
    ->cloneWithout([]) // optional if it won't be used later in the code
    ->onlyTrashed()
    ->count();

@RODRIGO.PEDRA - I have tried this but same result.

$records=$query_records
    ->cloneWithout([]) // clones the query builder so we don't mutate the original
    ->orderBy($sort_column, $sort_order)
    ->skip($page*$rows_per_page)
    ->take($rows_per_page)
    ->get();

$total_trashed_records=$query_records_trashed
    ->cloneWithout([]) // optional if it won't be used later in the code
    ->onlyTrashed()
    ->count();

Hmm, it clones the outer Eloquent\Query but keeps the same inner Query\Builder

Well you could try cloning the Builder directly:

$records = (clone $query_records)
    ->orderBy($sort_column, $sort_order)
    ->withoutTrashed()
    ->skip($page*$rows_per_page)
    ->take($rows_per_page)
    ->get();

$total_trashed_records = (clone $query_records)->onlyTrashed()->count();

Or initiate a new query in the total count:

$records = $query_records
    ->orderBy($sort_column, $sort_order)
    ->withoutTrashed()
    ->skip($page*$rows_per_page)
    ->take($rows_per_page)
    ->get();

$total_trashed_records = User::onlyTrashed()->count();

Check to do:

$total_records = $query_records->getQuery()->getCountForPagination();