{
  "slug": "lost-wages-claim-calculator",
  "title": "Lost Wages Claim Calculator",
  "heading": "Lost Wages Claim Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/lost-wages-claim-calculator",
  "summary": "Document past and future income loss for an injury or disability claim.",
  "description": "Lost wages are the most winnable part of an injury claim because they are arithmetic rather than argument — but only if you document them the way an adjuster expects. This calculator builds the number in the three pieces claims professionals look for: past lost income from the date of injury to today, the value of used sick and vacation time (a real loss even though you were paid), and future diminished earning capacity where you return to work at reduced hours or a lower-paying role. It handles hourly and salaried pay, overtime you can prove was regularly available, lost benefits and employer retirement match, and applies a present-value discount to future loss because a settlement pays that money today. The output separates past from future loss because insurers treat them differently: past loss needs pay stubs and an employer letter, future loss usually needs a vocational or medical opinion to survive scrutiny.",
  "formula": "Past Loss = (Weekly Pay × Weeks Missed) + PTO Value. Future Loss = Annual Gap × Years, discounted to present value at the chosen rate.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-06",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=lost-wages-claim-calculator",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "weeklyPay",
      "label": "Gross weekly pay",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1200,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 20000
    },
    {
      "id": "weeksMissed",
      "label": "Full weeks missed",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8,
      "unit": "weeks",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 260
    },
    {
      "id": "partialWeeks",
      "label": "Weeks at reduced hours",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6,
      "unit": "weeks",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 260
    },
    {
      "id": "reducedPct",
      "label": "Pay lost during reduced weeks",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 40,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "ptoHours",
      "label": "Sick / vacation hours used",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 40,
      "unit": "hours",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 2000
    },
    {
      "id": "hourlyRate",
      "label": "Hourly rate (for PTO value)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 30,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 500
    },
    {
      "id": "overtimeWeekly",
      "label": "Regular overtime lost",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0,
      "unit": "$/week",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 5000
    },
    {
      "id": "futureGap",
      "label": "Future annual earnings gap",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0,
      "unit": "$/year",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 500000
    },
    {
      "id": "futureYears",
      "label": "Years of future loss",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0,
      "unit": "years",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 40
    },
    {
      "id": "discount",
      "label": "Present-value discount rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 10
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "total",
      "label": "Total documented wage loss",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "pastLoss",
      "label": "Past lost income",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "futureLoss",
      "label": "Future loss (present value)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "partialLoss",
      "label": "Reduced-hours loss",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "ptoValue",
      "label": "Value of PTO used",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Gross weekly pay: 1200 $",
      "Full weeks missed: 8 weeks",
      "Weeks at reduced hours: 6 weeks",
      "Pay lost during reduced weeks: 40 %",
      "Sick / vacation hours used: 40 hours",
      "Hourly rate (for PTO value): 30 $",
      "Regular overtime lost: 0 $/week",
      "Future annual earnings gap: 0 $/year",
      "Years of future loss: 0 years",
      "Present-value discount rate: 3 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Total documented wage loss: $13,680",
      "Past lost income: $13,680",
      "Future loss (present value): $0",
      "Reduced-hours loss: $2,880",
      "Value of PTO used: $1,200"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter gross weekly pay ($).",
      "Enter full weeks missed (weeks).",
      "Enter weeks at reduced hours (weeks).",
      "Enter pay lost during reduced weeks (%).",
      "Enter sick / vacation hours used (hours).",
      "Enter hourly rate (for pto value) ($).",
      "Enter regular overtime lost ($/week).",
      "Enter future annual earnings gap ($/year).",
      "Enter years of future loss (years).",
      "Enter present-value discount rate (%).",
      "Read your total documented wage loss on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "weeklyPay": 725,
        "weeksMissed": 5,
        "partialWeeks": 4,
        "reducedPct": 25,
        "ptoHours": 24,
        "hourlyRate": 18,
        "overtimeWeekly": 0,
        "futureGap": 0,
        "futureYears": 0,
        "discount": 1.7999999999999998
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "weeklyPay": 1200,
        "weeksMissed": 8,
        "partialWeeks": 6,
        "reducedPct": 40,
        "ptoHours": 40,
        "hourlyRate": 30,
        "overtimeWeekly": 0,
        "futureGap": 0,
        "futureYears": 0,
        "discount": 3
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "weeklyPay": 1925,
        "weeksMissed": 13,
        "partialWeeks": 10,
        "reducedPct": 65,
        "ptoHours": 64,
        "hourlyRate": 48,
        "overtimeWeekly": 0,
        "futureGap": 0,
        "futureYears": 0,
        "discount": 4.800000000000001
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Can I claim sick leave I was paid for?",
      "a": "Generally yes. Paid leave you were forced to spend recovering is a benefit you no longer have, and most adjusters will consider it with an employer letter confirming hours used and their value."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is lost income claimed gross or net?",
      "a": "Practice varies. Many claims are presented gross with an employer verification letter, while some jurisdictions and insurers argue for after-tax figures. Present both if the difference is material."
    },
    {
      "q": "How do I prove future earning loss?",
      "a": "Ordinarily with a treating physician's work restrictions plus a vocational expert or economist report. A self-calculated future figure without medical support rarely survives negotiation."
    },
    {
      "q": "Am I self-employed out of luck?",
      "a": "No, but documentation is harder. Use prior-year tax returns, 1099s, cancelled contracts, and a comparison of billing in the affected period against the same period in prior years."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/personal-injury-settlement-estimator",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wrongful-death-settlement-estimator"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Lost Wages Claim Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/lost-wages-claim-calculator)"
}