Last Updated 24th October 2025. Any loss of earnings following a personal injury is a financial setback but if your injuries require you to be off work for a long time, this can be a serious blow to your personal finances. Personal expenses such as your mortgage, utility bills, and transport costs still need to be paid if you are unable to work, resulting in significant stress and difficulty. Everyone at Public Interest Lawyers understands how hard being out of work can be for you and your family so we want to provide some clear guidance on how to claim back these losses.
We work with a highly experienced panel of legal professionals with a strong back catalogue of successful claims and big wins for clients. These solicitors understand that your injuries only tell part of the story, and that the knock-on impacts on your daily life and personal finances can often be much greater. You can learn more by speaking to our advisors today.
Common Questions
- Can I claim for a loss of income? Yes, you can. Any lost pay can be reimbursed as part of your special damages payout, which we will look at further down this page.
- What about other costs I’ve incurred? Expenses such as medical bills, travel, care and any home adaptations can also make up a special damages payout.
- How is a claim for a loss of earnings calculated? Solicitors will examine your payslips, the hours worked prior to injury and the hours lost during your recovery to determine an overall figure for the claim.
- So I can claim for future losses as well? Definitely. If you cannot return to work for a while, or need to take on reduced hours, this loss of future earnings can be compensated.
- What if I have questions about making a claim? Then give us a call! Our advisors are available around the clock to address your queries and provide a free eligibility assessment.
Jump To A Section
- When Can I Claim For Loss of Earnings?
- How Is Loss of Earnings Calculated?
- What Else Can Contribute To Your Personal Injury Compensation?
- What Evidence Can Help You Claim Loss of Earnings?
- How Could We Help You Claim Personal Injury Compensation?
- More Resources About Making A Personal Injury Claim
When Can I Claim For Loss of Earnings?
As aforementioned, if you have been injured in an accident, you may have experienced a loss of earnings. This may be a reduced income due to needing to take time off of work to recover, or, depending on the severity of your injuries, you may be unable to return to work.
This compensation would be awarded to you under the head of loss known as special damages. This head awards compensation to claimants for the financial losses they have experienced due to their injuries.
However, to be able to seek compensation for your lost wages, your case will need to meet the personal injury claims criteria. This is:
- You were owed a care duty by someone.
- This person failed to adhere to their duty of care.
- As a result of this you have suffered an injury.
Together, these points define negligence and, if met, can form the basis of a valid personal injury claim.
There are various situations where you could suffer an accident if the duty of care owed to you was not adhered to. These include:
- An accident at work: Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, your employer owes you a duty of care to take reasonable steps to prevent you from coming to harm while working. For example, you could suffer a back injury if your employer failed to provide you with sufficient manual handling training before asking you to carry a load. Likewise, you could suffer a groin injury, such as a strain or muscle tear, if you slipped on oil that should have been cleaned up.
- A road traffic accident: Everyone who uses the road owes a duty of care to one another. This means doing everything they can to avoid harming each other. They must also adhere to the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code. You could suffer multiple serious injuries, such as a neck injury and broken leg, if you were to be hit by a drunk driver, for example.
- An accident in a public place: Whoever is in control of a public space owes members of the public a duty of care under the Occupier’s Liability Act 1957. They must take necessary measures to maintain the reasonable safety of all persons visiting that space. As an example, if a supermarket is aware of a spillafge, they must either signpost the spillage or clean it within a timely manner. If they fail to do so, this could cause someone to suffer an ankle injury in a slip and fall accident.
What Could I Claim For In A Loss Of Earnings Claim?
When claiming for a loss of earnings, this doesn’t just involve the reduced income you received from taking time off work to recover. You could also potentially claim compensation for:
- Bonuses, as well as any possible overtime you would have been entitled to if you could have worked.
- The financial impact of limitations put on your career progression as a result of the injury.
- Any lost pension contributions depending on how long you have been unable to work.
- A future loss of earnings. We will explain this in more depth later on in this guide.
To discuss your particular case and receive a free eligibility claim check, you can contact our advisors.
How Is Loss of Earnings Calculated?
Calculating loss of earnings can be quite straightforward for people who work the same hours and days each week.
For others who work overtime or unfixed hours, the process differs, and an average is used to calculate their losses. The last three months of your salary amounts prior to suffering your injury are combined to calculate this average. The average is then multiplied by the number of months you were unable to earn because of the injury. This amount is used to value your loss of earnings.
A collection of statistical tables and additional data called the Ogden Tables are also consulted in UK court cases to help simplify the calculation of future damages in personal injury claims.
Can You Claim For Future Lost Earnings?
As we have previously mentioned, you could also receive compensation for a loss of future earnings. For example, if you work in construction and suffer a crushed hand injury, you may be unable to return to your job for a long time.
Some examples of future losses you could potentially be compensated for include:
- Potential overtime missed out on.
- Any lost bonuses you would have been eligible to receive.
- Future pension contributions.
Your age, current salary, and job prospects will be considered when calculating your future loss of earnings value.
Contact our team of advisors today to discuss your potential personal injury claim. They may also connect you with a solicitor on our panel who could help you with your case.
What Else Can Contribute To Your Personal Injury Compensation?
As well as seeking compensation for a loss of earnings, you will need to claim for the injuries that caused you to be off work. Lost pay comes under a head of claim called special damages as it is a financial loss. Special damages cannot be claimed independently of general damages for physical and psychiatric injury.
When calculating a potential general damages figure, reference can be made to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This document contains compensation guidelines for various injuries, some of which we have used here
Compensation Table
Please be advised that the top entry is not a JCG figure and that this information is intended as guidance only.
| Area of Harm | Severity | Award Brackets |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries With Loss of Earning And Other Special Damages | Severe | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Brain Injury | (a) Very Severe | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Brain Injury | (c) Moderate (i) | £183,190 to £267,340 |
| Back | (a) Severe (i) | £111,150 to £196,450 |
| Arm Amputations | (b) Loss of One Arm (i) | Not less than £167,380 |
| Hand | (a) Total Or Effective Loss Of One Hand | £117,360 to £133,810 |
| Foot | (b) Amputation Of One Foot | £102,470 to £133,810 |
| Knee | (a) Severe (iii) | £31,960 to £53,030 |
| Leg | (c) Less Serious (i) | £21,920 to £33,880 |
| Toes | (c) Severe | £16,770 to £25,710 |
Other financial losses you could claim for under special damages include:
- Medical expenses, such as prescription fees.
- Travel costs to essential appointments.
- Cost for at-home care.
- Home modifications.
Remember to hold onto your payslips as well as other documents such as travel tickets, prescription letters and care invoices as proof of the costs you have incurred.
For a free valuation of your potential personal injury claim, you can contact our advisors.
What Evidence Can Help You Claim Loss of Earnings
It’s essential to collect evidence to support your loss of earnings claim. Here are some examples of the evidence that may come in useful to claim compensation for loss of earnings:
- Financial documents like your payslips, invoices or bank statements.
- Video recordings like CCTV or dashcam footage.
- Photographs of the accident site and your injuries.
- Medical records
- Contact information of eyewitnesses so they can be contacted for witness statements.
It’s recommended that you seek assistance from a personal injury solicitor to collect evidence. You can contact us, and if your claim is eligible, we’ll connect you to the solicitors on our panel.
How Could We Help You Claim Personal Injury Compensation?
It may not be compulsory to engage a solicitor to claim a loss of earnings. However, seeking expert advice will only aid your case and simplify the personal injury claims process. If you choose to make your claim with a solicitor from our panel, they will assist you in the following:
- Gathering evidence
- Being careful about the time limit
- Valuing your claim
- Handling official communications
- Explaining difficult legal jargon
The solicitors on our panel also offer No Win No Fee services in the form of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which has the following benefits:
- No upfront solicitor fees to start your claim.
- No solicitor fees during your claim.
- No payment for your solicitor’s services if your claim is unsuccessful.
- In the event of a successful outcome, your solicitor will deduct a success fee as a fixed percentage of your compensation.
- There is a legal cap on the above percentage so will keep the majority of the compensation.
Contact Us Today
If you’d like to find out more about how a solicitor from our panel could help calculate your loss of earnings in your personal injury claim, get in touch today:
- Call our advisors on 0800 073 8803
- Contact us via our website.
- Use the live chat to ask a question.
More Resources About Making A Personal Injury Claim
Additional personal injury claims guides by us:
- If you suffered an injury due to poor lighting in the workplace this guide discusses when you could make a claim.
- This guide discusses when you could claim compensation following an accident in a supermarket.
- Guidance on claiming against uninsured and untraced drivers following a road traffic accident.
You may find these resources helpful:
- Here is a guide to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from Gov.UK
- Information on the national minimum wage from Gov.UK.
- Guidance on when you need a fit note when taking time off work from the NHS.
If you have any more questions about claiming for a loss of earnings as part of your personal injury claim, you can contact our advisors.