Lost Wages

This is the straightforward category: income you didn't earn because you were unable to work. Documentation usually includes a letter from the employer listing dates missed and rate of pay, plus pay stubs or tax returns to establish baseline earnings. Sick leave and PTO used because of the injury are usually also recoverable — you lost the value of that time even though the paycheck kept coming.

Proving lost income is harder for self-employed people because there isn't a straightforward weekly paycheck. Evidence usually includes prior tax returns, profit-and-loss statements, contracts for work that had to be turned down, and year-over-year revenue comparisons. The more organized the records, the stronger the claim.

This is a separate, future-oriented category. If the injury limits what the person can do for a living — permanently or for years — they can claim the difference between what they could have earned and what they can realistically earn now. Proving this usually requires medical evidence of the permanent limitation plus a vocational expert's analysis of how that limitation affects the person's earning potential.

Variable compensation is recoverable but requires proof. If you typically earned $1,500 a month in commissions and missed three months, historical records from prior years showing a consistent pattern are usually needed. Insurers won't credit hypothetical income without documentation.