Got hurt and can’t work like you used to? You’re probably missing out on money you’d normally earn. After an accident, whether it’s on the job or somewhere else, a lawyer can help figure out how much money you’ve lost from not working and how much you could lose later because of your injuries.
Lost wages are for the money you’ve already missed out on, while future earning capacity is for how your injury might stop you from working the way you did before, and you deserve compensation for both.
If you’re unsure where to start, attorneys from Abels & Annes, P.C., can guide you through the process. They’ll help you understand how to prove your lost wages and loss of earning capacity, making sure you get the compensation you deserve.
Ways to Prove Your Lost Wages and Loss of Earning Capacity
To make sure you get the compensation you deserve for your lost wages, you need to provide solid proof of how much income you’ve lost because of the injury.
Here is a very detailed breakdown of what you need to do and what kind of evidence you should gather.
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Get Your Pay Records
The first step is to gather any pay records you have from before the injury. This includes pay stubs, W-2 forms, or any other official document that shows how much you were earning.
The goal is to prove what your regular income looked like before the injury, so the insurance company or court has a benchmark for your lost wages. These records will give a clear picture of what you were earning weekly, monthly, or yearly.
Track the Time You Missed Work
You’ll also need to keep track of the exact dates and hours you couldn’t work due to the injury. This is vital because you’ll need to show how long the injury kept you away from your job. Keep a detailed record of these missed workdays (whether you were off for a few days, weeks, or months). The more accurate you are, the better, so be sure to include the specific hours you missed, not just the days.
Ask for a Doctor’s Note
A doctor’s note can be a huge help in confirming that your injury was the reason you couldn’t work. The note should explain what your injury is, how it affected your ability to perform your job, and how long you were unable to work because of it.
This note acts as professional validation of your claim that your injury directly impacted your ability to earn an income.
Calculate Your Lost Wages
With your pay records and the number of missed work hours, you’ll need to calculate how much money you’ve lost due to the injury.
This can be done by multiplying your hourly wage by the hours missed or using your regular salary to calculate the lost income for each workday you missed.
If the injury lasted for a longer period of time, you should calculate this loss over the span of weeks, months, or however long it took for you to return to work.
Show Your Tax Returns
Tax returns are another important piece of evidence to back up your claim. They show how much you were making before the injury and can highlight any discrepancies between your income before and after the injury.
These documents serve as a financial snapshot of your overall earnings and can provide extra proof of the financial impact the injury had on your life.
