Lost Wages Assistance Calculator — Missed Income Estimator
Calculate how much income you have lost — or stand to lose — due to time off work from injury, illness or disability. Enter your wage, the weeks missed, and any replacement benefit rate to get your net out-of-pocket wage loss.
Wage type
h/week
weeks
%
Total gross lost wages minus any replacement benefits received
- 1
Weekly gross wages
25 × 40 h = 1,000 - 2
Total gross lost wages
1,000 × 8 weeks = 8,000 - 3
Total replacement benefits
1,000 × 60% × 8 = 4,800Benefits from workers' comp, disability insurance, or similar programmes. - 4
Net lost wages
8,000 − 4,800 = 3,200
How does this calculator work?
Net lost wages = (weekly gross × weeks off) − replacement benefits. Weekly gross = hourly rate × hours/week (or annual salary ÷ 52). Workers' comp replaces roughly 60–70% of wages; disability insurance 50–70%. The remainder is your out-of-pocket income loss during the missed period.
Formula
How this is calculated
Lost wages are the gross earnings a worker would have received if they had not been unable to work. The calculator converts any wage format (hourly, weekly, bi-weekly, or annual) to a weekly gross figure, multiplies by the number of weeks missed, and computes the gross lost wages.
Most workers are partially covered during disability or work-injury periods: workers' compensation typically replaces 60–70% of pre-injury wages (capped by state maximums in the US); short-term and long-term disability insurance commonly replaces 50–70%; and various government programmes (such as state-paid family and medical leave) may apply. Enter the combined replacement rate that applies to your situation to see the net out-of-pocket loss.
This calculator uses gross (pre-tax) wages throughout. In practice, replacement benefits are often partially or fully tax-exempt (workers' comp is tax-free under US federal law; disability benefits depend on whether premiums were paid pre-tax), so your after-tax net loss may differ. For insurance claims, legal disputes, or personal injury matters, the documented wage loss figure is typically based on gross earnings per the employer's records and pay stubs.
Frequently asked questions
Multiply your average weekly gross earnings by the number of weeks you were unable to work. Insurers typically require pay stubs or employer verification for this period. If you are self-employed, use average weekly profit (net of business expenses) from the prior year's tax return.
It depends on the source. Workers' compensation benefits are generally tax-free in the US. Disability insurance benefits are taxable if your employer paid the premiums; tax-free if you paid them with after-tax dollars. Personal injury lawsuit settlements for lost wages are typically taxable as ordinary income. Always confirm with a tax professional.
The FEMA Lost Wages Assistance program was a temporary supplemental unemployment benefit introduced in August 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing an extra $300–$400/week to eligible unemployment claimants. That federal program has ended, but state-level lost-wages programmes and workers' compensation exist on an ongoing basis.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Lost Wages Assistance Calculator — Missed Income Estimator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/lost-wages-assistance-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Lost Wages Assistance Calculator — Missed Income Estimator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/lost-wages-assistance-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Lost Wages Assistance Calculator — Missed Income Estimator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/lost-wages-assistance-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_lost_wages_assistance_calculator, title = {Lost Wages Assistance Calculator — Missed Income Estimator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/lost-wages-assistance-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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