loss of earnings

• Look into the past and future loss of earnings if absence from work continues.

• Past wage loss is relatively easy to assess. If the pursuer has already missed work as a result of personal injury then details of the earnings he/she would have achieved can be obtained and the net loss calculated. 

• The assessment of future wage loss is far more complex and technical. Persons making such calculations will often refer to the Ogden Actuarial Tables for assistance.

• Calculations for future wage loss are based on the pursuer's present net annual earnings which is then multiplied by a figure obtained from the Ogden tables to provide an overall figure for future loss of earnings.

• The figure provided by the Ogden tables will be considerably less than the number of years the pursuer would have been expected to work had it not been for the trauma. This is because the pursuer is expected to invest the money to give him/ her some return.

• Often the pursuer will have suffered a loss of his/her pension rights due to an inability to work. An actuarial report will be required to assess pension loss, and it can also be included in the claim.