Suffering a personal injury is a traumatic experience at the best of times, but to then lose your income as a result just compounds the level of stress that you may be feeling. If you’re off work for a sustained period of time it can be financially crippling, especially for those who are not entitled to company sick pay.
Can I claim for my loss of earnings?
According to Personal Injury firm First4Lawyers, the good news is that if you suffered a financial loss as a result of a personal injury that wasn’t your fault you can claim for that loss. Most people in this position would be able to claim for their loss of basic income. This is the amount that you would be paid on a regular basis by your employer.
But on top of that there are a raft of other things that you could claim for, depending on your specific circumstances.
For example, if your pension payments were impacted while not working because of your personal injury then you may be able to make a claim for those. In addition, if you were forced to use your holiday as a consequence of your injuries, then it stands to reason that you should be able to be compensated for this. Finally, if you are entitled to a bonus as part of your employment, and you missed out on it because of your personal injury, you may also be able to claim for that too.
How would I prove loss of earnings?
If you are employed you would have a regular wage slip to show your salary as evidence of what you would have lost as a result of being off work. Your employer would also be contacted to verify your position and to confirm how long you had been absent. If you are self-employed you will be asked to provide copies of your self-assessment tax returns, profits and losses to prove your earnings.
What if I can’t return to work?
Unfortunately, sometimes the personal injury you suffer will be so severe that it will mean you aren’t able to return to work. If this was the case then you would be able to make a claim for your future loss of earnings over your lifetime. This would only be the case if you were physically or mentally unable to return to work, not that you chose not to.
In some cases, it may be possible to claim for potential loss of earnings. This is often the case when somebody is at the start of their career, such as an actor or a footballer, who could go on to earn substantially more in the future.
Overall, as long as the personal injury you suffered was not your fault and you lost earnings as a result, then you will be able to make a claim for loss of earnings.
