Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Estimated claim value
$1,512,464
Net to the family after fees
$1,008,813
Economic damages
$1,012,464
Present value of lost support
$803,221
Present value of lost services
$191,243
Attorney fee
$503,650
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How to use this
- 1Enter decedent's annual income ($).
- 2Enter share consumed personally (%).
- 3Enter remaining work years (years).
- 4Enter household services value ($/year).
- 5Enter funeral and final medical ($).
- 6Enter non-economic damages claimed ($).
- 7Enter comparative fault of decedent (%).
- 8Enter attorney contingency fee (%).
- 9Enter discount rate (%).
- 10Read your estimated claim value on the right — it updates as you type.
- 11Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Wrongful death claims are valued on what the family lost rather than on the deceased's suffering, and the economic core is a present-value calculation: the income the decedent would have contributed to the household over their remaining work life, less personal consumption, plus the replacement value of household services they provided, plus funeral and final medical expenses. On top of that sit non-economic damages for loss of companionship, guidance, and consortium, which vary enormously by state — some cap them, a few bar them, and juries in different venues value them very differently. This estimator makes each component visible so families and practitioners can see what drives the number, applies a discount rate to future support, and reduces the total by comparative fault and attorney fees. It is educational only. Statutes of limitation are short, who may bring the claim is fixed by statute, and any real valuation needs counsel licensed in the relevant state.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Decedent's annual income: 72000 $
- Share consumed personally: 30 %
- Remaining work years: 22 years
- Household services value: 12000 $/year
- Funeral and final medical: 18000 $
- Non-economic damages claimed: 500000 $
- Comparative fault of decedent: 0 %
- Attorney contingency fee: 33.3 %
- Discount rate: 3 %
Results
- Estimated claim value: $1,512,464
- Net to the family after fees: $1,008,813
- Economic damages: $1,012,464
- Present value of lost support: $803,221
- Present value of lost services: $191,243
- Attorney fee: $503,650
What each field means
Inputs
- Decedent's annual income ($)
- The decedent's annual income used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 72000 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–2000000 $.
- Share consumed personally (%)
- The share consumed personally used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 30 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–70 %.
- Remaining work years (years)
- The remaining work years used in the calculation, measured in years. Starts at 22 years so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–50 years.
- Household services value ($/year)
- The household services value used in the calculation, measured in $/year. Starts at 12000 $/year so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–200000 $/year.
- Funeral and final medical ($)
- The funeral and final medical used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 18000 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–500000 $.
- Non-economic damages claimed ($)
- The non-economic damages claimed used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 500000 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–20000000 $.
- Comparative fault of decedent (%)
- The comparative fault of decedent used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 0 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–99 %.
- Attorney contingency fee (%)
- The attorney contingency fee used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 33.3 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–45 %.
- Discount rate (%)
- The discount rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 3 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–10 %.
Results
- Estimated claim value
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Net to the family after fees
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Economic damages
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Present value of lost support
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Present value of lost services
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Attorney fee
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Why subtract personal consumption?
The claim compensates the survivors' loss, so the portion of income the decedent would have spent on themselves is excluded. Economists commonly use 20-35% for a married earner with dependants and more for a single person.
Are non-economic damages capped?
In some states, yes — particularly in medical malpractice cases, and a few states restrict them in all wrongful death actions. Check the applicable statute before relying on the figure you enter.
Who can file the claim?
State statutes specify it, usually the personal representative of the estate or a defined class of surviving spouse, children, and parents. Filing by the wrong party can lose the case outright.
Is a wrongful death settlement taxable?
Compensatory damages for physical injury or death are generally excluded from federal income tax, while punitive damages and interest generally are not. Get tax advice before distribution.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Wrongful Death Settlement Estimator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wrongful-death-settlement-estimator
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wrongful-death-settlement-estimator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wrongful Death Settlement Estimator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Wrongful Death Settlement Estimator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wrongful-death-settlement-estimator) (2026).