InjuryCalcToolsPersonal Injury Settlement Tools
Home / Lost Wages Calculator

Lost Wages Calculator

Wages lost during recovery, plus any reduction in what you can earn going forward.

Details

Results

Total lost wages -
Wages while out -
Future capacity loss -

Rough estimate only. Not legal advice - consult an attorney.

Good to know

FAQs

What actually counts as lost wages in a claim?

Any income you couldn't earn because your injury kept you from working, including regular pay, tips, commissions and bonuses you can show a pattern of earning, plus a reasonable estimate of reduced future earning capacity if the injury has lasting effects.

What paperwork proves lost wages to an insurer?

Pay stubs from before and after the injury, a letter from your employer confirming missed dates and normal pay rate, and tax returns for self-employed claimants. The more consistent the paper trail, the less an adjuster can argue with the number.

What is lost earning capacity, and how is it different?

It's the long-term reduction in what you're able to earn because of a lasting injury, separate from the paychecks you missed during recovery. A warehouse worker who can no longer lift, for example, may need a lower-paying desk role permanently.

Do I need an expert to claim future lost earning capacity?

For a serious claim, yes, usually a vocational or economic expert. Insurers are far more willing to pay a future-loss figure that's backed by a professional projection than a guess typed into a calculator.

Is self-employment income harder to claim?

It takes more documentation, not less legitimacy. Tax returns, 1099s, and a ledger of missed contracts or clients typically stand in for the pay stubs a W-2 employee would use.

Priya Raman
By Priya Raman, Contributing Writer, Policy & Regulation
Updated July 2, 2026

Two kinds of lost income

This tool separates your loss into two pieces. The first is wages while out: your daily rate, worked out from an hourly or daily figure, multiplied by the workdays you actually missed. The second is future lost earning capacity, a number you supply, for any lasting reduction in what you can earn once you're back at work. Add them together and you have the total this field is meant to represent.

Don't skip the future piece: on a serious injury, reduced earning capacity going forward often dwarfs the paychecks missed during recovery.

Proving what you actually lost

The wages-out figure is usually the easy part to document: pay stubs, an employer letter confirming the dates you were out, and tax returns for anyone self-employed. The future-capacity number is harder. Insurers want more than a guess, they want a vocational or economic expert's projection tied to your occupation, your restrictions, and the local job market. Enter a conservative placeholder here and treat the real number as something to build with professional help if the injury is lasting.

More tools that might fit