Calculating lost wages is a pivotal component in a personal injury claim, particularly in situations like car accidents where physical injury has hindered one’s ability to work. Lost wages signify the amount of income you’ve missed out on due to the time taken off from work because of your injury.

Understanding how to calculate these accurately and fairly is crucial to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve. This guide will take you through the steps and considerations needed to calculate lost wages in your injury claim.

What are Lost Wages?

Lost wages refer to the amount of income you could not earn due to your injury. If you were involved in a car accident and had to miss work, those are considered lost wages. This might include days missed immediately after the accident, days taken off for medical appointments or therapy, or even an extended absence for recovery. In the personal injury claims process, you can seek compensation for these lost wages to mitigate the financial impact of your injury.

Items to Collect Before Calculating Lost Wages

Before diving into the exact process of calculating lost wages, gather the necessary documentation. This documentation serves as proof of your lost income and substantiates your claim. Here’s a list of important documents and items you need to gather:

• Documents Showing You Could Not Work:  These can include a disability slip (i.e., note from your doctor stating you were unable to work during that time period) that confirms the period you were unable to work due to your injuries sustained from the car accident.
• Pay Stubs:  These provide evidence of your regular income before the accident and serve as a benchmark for calculating the income lost.
• Tax Returns or W-2:  These documents provide a more comprehensive picture of your annual income, which can be crucial if your income varies throughout the year.
• Letter from Employer:  A letter from your employer that verifies your employment status, the wages lost, and the time you had to take off work due to the injury.
• Post-Accident Journal:  Maintain a journal, noting down all the days you missed work due to the car accident and any related medical treatments. This can be a helpful reference when calculating your lost wages.

Having these documents and information on hand will simplify the process of calculating and substantiating your claim for lost wages.

How to Calculate Lost Wages by Employment Status

The process of calculating lost wages varies somewhat depending on your employment status. Whether you’re a full-time employee, part-time, self-employed, or a contract worker, there is a specific method to accurately determine the amount of compensation you should claim.

Each category has unique factors to consider, and understanding these nuances is key to ensuring a fair and accurate calculation of your lost wages. We’ll break down the calculation process for each employment status, providing you with a comprehensive tool to determine your rightful compensation.

Calculating Lost Wages for Hourly Workers

Calculating lost wages for hourly workers is relatively straightforward. The first step is to determine your average hourly wage. If you have a consistent hourly rate, this will be simple. However, if your rate varies, you can calculate your average hourly wage by adding up the totals from your pay stubs and dividing by the total number of hours worked.

Next, multiply your average hourly wage by the total number of hours you missed due to your injuries. This includes not only full days missed but also any partial days or hours missed due to medical appointments or therapy sessions.

For example, if your average hourly wage is $20, and you had to miss 50 hours of work due to your injury, your claim for lost wages would be $20 x 50 hours = $1,000 in lost wages.

Calculating Lost Wages for Salaried Workers

Calculating lost wages for salaried workers may require a more nuanced approach. The key here is determining your average daily wage, which can be obtained by dividing your annual salary by the number of working days in a year.

To do this, you’ll first need to know your annual salary and the number of workdays per year. The typical number of working days in the US is 260 (52 weeks * 5 days), but this can vary depending on your specific work schedule. Once you have these figures, you can calculate your daily wage by dividing your annual salary by the number of workdays. For example, if your annual salary is $52,000, your daily wage would be $52,000 ÷ 260 days = $200 per day.

Next, multiply the daily wage by the number of days you’ve missed due to your injury. This should include complete and partial days missed due to the injury itself, medical appointments, and recovery time. Using the above scenario, if you missed 10 days of work because of your injury, your lost wages would be $200 x 10 days = $2,000.

Remember, if your salary includes bonuses or commissions that you would have earned during your time off, these should also be included in your lost wages calculation. For instance, if you were likely to earn a $500 bonus during the time you couldn’t work, this amount should be added to your lost wages, making the total $2,500 in this example.

Calculating Lost Wages for Self-Employed Workers

Calculating lost wages for self-employed workers can be a complex task due to the variability in income and the lack of a standard salary or hourly rate. However, it is entirely possible and crucial to determine a fair compensation claim.

Firstly, you’ll need to determine your average daily income. You can do this by adding up your income for a certain period (ideally a full year) and dividing by the number of days in that period. This will give you a fair estimate of your daily earnings. For example, if your income for the past year was $80,000, your average daily income would be $80,000 ÷ 365 days = approximately $219 per day.

Next, you’ll need to calculate the number of days you were unable to work because of your injury. This includes full days, partial days, and any time spent attending medical appointments or undergoing treatment related to the injury. Now, multiply your average daily income by the number of days you missed. In the above example, if you missed 15 days of work due to your injury, your lost wages claim would be $219 x 15 days = $3,285.

In addition to lost income, self-employed individuals can also include lost business opportunities in their claim. For instance, if you had to turn down a lucrative project or missed out on a potential client meeting due to your injury, these lost opportunities can be calculated into your lost wages. This would require a reasonable estimate of the income you would have generated from these opportunities.

How to Include Lost Benefits in Your Lost Wages Claim

When compiling your lost wages claim, it’s important not to overlook the value of lost benefits. These benefits can significantly contribute to your total compensation and may include performance bonuses, vacation and sick days, paid time off (PTO), fringe benefits, and more. If your injury caused you to miss out on these benefits, they should be factored into your claim.

Performance Bonus Pay

Calculating lost performance bonuses can be a bit more complicated as they often depend on various factors such as work performance, quotas, or sales. However, if you regularly receive performance bonuses and your injury has caused you to miss out on them, it’s crucial to include these in your lost wages claim.

First, determine your average performance bonus. You can do this by adding up the total bonus amount you received in a given period (preferably a full year) and dividing it by the number of bonuses received. This will result in an average bonus amount.

For example, let’s say you received four bonuses last year totaling $6,000. Your average bonus would be $6,000 ÷ 4 = $1,500. Next, add this bonus amount to your lost wages calculation. So, if in our previous example of a salaried worker who had calculated lost wages of $2,500, including the missed bonus would increase the total lost wages claim to $4,000 ($2,500 + $1,500).

Fringe Benefits

Fringe benefits, such as health insurance, mobile phones, gym memberships, or employer-provided transportation, represent a significant portion of an employee’s total compensation package. If your injury has caused you to miss out on these benefits, it’s crucial to factor them into your lost wages claim.

To calculate the value of lost fringe benefits, you’ll need to determine the monetary value of each benefit lost during your time off due to the injury. For instance, let’s consider health insurance. If your employer contributes $200 per month towards your health insurance and you were off work for three months due to your injury, you would have lost $600 in health insurance benefits ($200 x 3 months).

Vacation Days, Paid Time Off (PTO), and Sick Days

Calculating your lost vacation days, paid time off (PTO), and sick days is another vital aspect of your lost wages calculations. These benefits are part of your compensation, and if you were unable to use them due to your injury, they should be included in your claim.

First, you’ll need to calculate the value of a day off. This can be done by dividing your annual salary by the total number of workdays in a year. For example, if your annual salary is $60,000 and you work 240 days a year (considering weekends and holidays off), each day off would be worth $250 ($60,000 ÷ 240 days).

Next, count the number of vacation, PTO, and sick days you were unable to use because of your injury. Let’s say you were unable to use 5 vacation days due to your injury. The value of these lost vacation days would be $1,250 (5 days x $250 per day).

401(k) Benefits

401(k) benefits represent a key part of many employees’ compensation and retirement plans. If your injury forced you to miss out on contributions to your 401(k), this should be factored into your lost wages claim.

First, determine the typical contribution that you and your employer make to your 401(k) each pay period. For instance, if you contribute 3% of your salary each pay period and your employer matches this contribution, you’ll need to calculate the total lost 401(k) contributions.

Let’s assume your bi-weekly salary is $2,000. This means each pay period, you and your employer would typically contribute $60 each (3% of $2,000) to your 401(k), totaling $120. If you were out of work for three months (or approximately six pay periods) due to your injury, you would have missed $720 in 401(k) contributions ($120 x 6 pay periods).

Calculating Future Lost Wages

Calculating future lost wages, also known as loss of earning capacity, can be challenging but is an essential aspect of your personal injury claim. This calculation is especially crucial if your injury has long-term implications that will affect your ability to work and earn at the same capacity as before the injury. Here are some critical examples of future lost wages:

• Future Lost Income:  This represents the income you would have earned had the accident not occurred. For example, if your injury has caused a long-term disability preventing you from working as you used to, you can claim for future lost income. The calculation usually involves an estimate of your future earnings based on your past income records and projected career growth.
• Lost Earning Capacity:  This is the decrease in a person’s ability to earn income due to the injuries sustained. To calculate this, you will need to establish the difference between what you were capable of earning before the accident and what you can earn after the accident.
• Lost Promotions:  If your injury has caused you to miss out on an imminent promotion or hindered your career progression, you can include the value of the lost promotions in your claim. This can be calculated by comparing your current income with the potential income had you received the promotion.
• Lost Pension Benefits:  Injury can affect not only your present income but also your future pension benefits. If your injury leads to early retirement or reduced working hours, your contribution to pension plans may decrease. The potential decline in pension benefits should be reflected in your claim.
• Early Retirement:  If you’re forced to retire early due to your injury, you can claim for the lost wages that you would have earned had you continued working until your planned retirement age. This calculation should take into account the remaining years of your career and the potential annual income during those years.

Remember, future lost wages can be complex to calculate and may require the expertise of economic experts or vocational rehabilitation experts. Always consult with a legal professional to ensure all future lost wages are accurately calculated and included in your personal injury claim.

Get Help from the Team at Thompson Law

When you’re dealing with the aftermath of an injury, calculating your lost wages can be overwhelming. You don’t have to do it alone. The dedicated team of personal injury attorneys at Thompson Law is here to guide you through the process, ensuring that the full extent of your monetary losses is accounted for in your claim.

We offer FREE CONSULTATIONS to discuss your situation and evaluate your options. Remember, you don’t pay us a dime unless we win your case. Contact us today, and let’s get you the compensation you deserve.