How Do Pay Stubs Prove Wage Loss?
When you suffer an injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for lost wages. This is important because income recovery allows injured individuals to access funds they would have earned if they had not been hurt. A Bucks County personal injury attorney can inform you of your rights and talk to you about ways to prove wage loss. For example, pay stubs are an effective form of evidence.
Income Loss and Compensation Packages
In both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, lost wages can be a critical component of a personal injury claim. If your injury prevents you from working temporarily or permanently, your compensation package may include lost income and reduced earning capacity.
Lost income refers to wages you would have earned had you not been injured. And if your injury limits your ability to perform your job at full capacity or forces you to take a lower-paying job, that is referred to as a reduction in earning capacity. Additionally, any benefits or bonuses that have been lost could be included in a compensation package. To recover lost wages, you must provide clear proof of your income before and after the injury.
Pay stubs serve as primary evidence of your earnings and employment history. They help establish:
- Your base income. Demonstrating what you were regularly earning before the injury.
- Deductions and benefits. Showing additional compensation like overtime, bonuses, or employer contributions to benefits.
- Work schedule and pay period. Confirming how often you were paid and your expected hours.
Both printed and digital pay stubs are acceptable forms of evidence. Many employers now provide electronic pay stubs, which can be accessed through an employee portal or emailed directly. Regardless of format, your attorney can use them to calculate lost wages and present a strong claim for compensation.
In addition to pay stubs, other documents can support your wage loss claim, too. Claims can be fortified by a letter from an employer and with tax documents, such as tax returns and W-2s. Also, bank statements can verify income consistency and medical records can connect harm sustained to an individual’s inability to work.
Consult a Bucks County Injury Attorney Today
Proving lost wages requires thorough documentation and legal expertise. If you were injured due to another recklessness and need to recover lost income, contact a Bucks County personal injury attorney to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.
An attorney can help gather necessary evidence, negotiate with insurance companies, and fight for your financial recovery. Seasoned legal professionals can even access expert testimony, when needed. In some cases an economist or vocational expert is valuable because they can project long-term lost earnings.
How has time off of work impacted your household budget? Following a doctor’s treatment plan after an accident injury is essential, even if that means missing work. Including wage loss in your recovery claim could be possible. Share the specifics of your situation with the legal team at Kevin L. Hand, P.C. to learn more. To book a confidential meeting, call 215-515-2604.
