Are you injured and can no longer work like you used to? You're probably missing out on the money you would normally make. After an accident, whether at work or elsewhere, an attorney can help you figure out how much money you lost by not working and how much you could lose later because of your injuries.
Lost wages refer to the money you have already lost, while future earning capacity refers to the fact that your injury may prevent you from working as you did before. You deserve compensation for both.
If you're not sure where to start, Lawyers from Abels & Annes, PC., can guide you through the process. They will help you understand how to prove your lost wages and earning capacity to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.
Ways to prove your loss of wages and your ability to work
To ensure you receive the compensation you deserve for your lost wages, you must provide solid evidence of how much income you lost due to the injury.
Here is a very detailed breakdown of what you need to do and what evidence you should collect.
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Get your salary documents
The first step is to collect any payroll records you have prior to the injury. This includes pay stubs, W-2 forms, or other official documents showing how much you earned.
The goal is to prove what your regular income was before the injury so that the insurance company or court has a guideline for you lost wages. These records give a clear picture of what you earned weekly, monthly or yearly.
Track the time you missed at work
You also need to keep track of the exact dates and hours that you were unable to work due to the injury. This is important because you will need to prove how long the injury kept you away from your job. Keep a detailed record of these missed days of work (whether you had a few days, weeks, or months off). The more specific you are, the better. Be sure to include the individual hours you missed, not just the days.
Ask for a medical certificate
A doctor's note can be a great help in confirming that your injury was the reason you were unable to work. The note should explain what the injury was, how it affected your ability to do your job, and how long you were unable to work because of the injury.
This note serves as professional validation of your claim that your injury has directly impacted your ability to earn an income.
Calculate your lost wages
Based on your pay stubs and the number of hours missed, you will need to calculate how much money you lost due to the injury.
You can do this by multiplying your hourly wage by the hours missed, or using your regular salary to calculate the loss of income for each day of work missed.
If the injury lasted for a long period of time, you should calculate this loss over the period of weeks, months, or however long it took you to return to work.
Show your tax returns
Tax Returns are another important piece of evidence to support your claim. They show how much you earned 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 income and can provide additional evidence of the financial impact of the injury on your life.
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