Detailed answer: step-by-step method to calculate lost wages

If you missed time from work for an emergency room visit and follow-up physical therapy for a minor neck or back injury, you can base a lost-wage claim on the income you actually lost because of treatment and recovery. Below are practical steps to calculate and document those losses so you can present a clear claim to an insurer or the other party.

1. Identify what counts as lost wages

Common elements you may recover (if the injury was caused by someone else and you have a valid claim) include:

• Hours you normally would have worked but did not because of ER visits, medical treatment, travel to treatment, or rehabilitation appointments.
• Overtime, shift differentials, or other regularly-earned pay you lost because you missed work.
• Self-employment income or lost profits if you are an independent contractor or business owner.
• Reasonable value of benefits or bonuses you lost if they were directly tied to work you missed (document carefully).

2. Collect primary evidence

Insurers and courts expect objective proof. Gather as many of these as you can:

• Pay stubs or payroll records showing pay rate, hours worked, and recent earnings.
• An employer statement or letter confirming dates and hours missed and whether you were paid (PTO, sick leave) for those times. The employer should state your normal pay rate and whether overtime or bonuses were affected.
• Timecards, work schedules, or punch-in/out records showing shifts you missed.
• If self-employed: recent tax returns, 1099s, profit-and-loss statements, invoices, client cancellations, and bank deposits showing reduced income.
• Medical records and appointment notes showing date, time, and duration of ER and PT visits (including arrival and discharge times when possible).
• Proof of travel time to medical appointments if that time caused you to miss work (map estimates, appointment confirmations).

3. Compute lost wages — simple formulas

Hourly employee:

Hours missed × hourly rate = gross lost wages.

Salaried employee (straight salary):

(Annual salary / number of regularly scheduled work hours per year) × hours missed = gross lost wages. A common shortcut is: weekly salary / scheduled workdays = daily rate; then prorate for partial days.

Self-employed / contractor:

Use documented average earnings for a comparable period (monthly or weekly) minus what you actually earned during the period you were disabled. Back this up with invoices, deposits, and tax returns.

Example (hypothetical)

Maria is an hourly worker paid $25/hour. She missed 4 hours for an ER visit and 6 hours total for three PT visits (including travel). Calculation: (4 + 6) × $25 = 10 × $25 = $250 gross lost wages. If she would have earned overtime or a shift premium she can document and include that amount.

4. Gross wages vs. net wages and taxes

Most lost-wage claims seek gross wages (the pre-tax amount you would have earned). Use your gross rate unless you have a specific reason to calculate net (after-tax) losses — discuss that with an attorney. For self-employed people, calculate lost profit rather than gross revenue.

5. Paid leave, sick time, and mitigation

If your employer paid you while you missed work using paid time off (PTO) or sick leave, you generally did not lose cash income for that period. Some insurers or courts view that as no wage loss for those hours. However:

• You should still document that you used PTO or sick time. If using PTO reduced your available leave for future medical recovery, you may be able to claim the value of that lost benefit.
• If you were paid but later had to make up hours or lost bonuses because you used leave, document the downstream effects and include them in your claim.

6. Time in treatment and travel time

Time reasonably spent traveling to and from medical appointments and time actually spent receiving treatment is typically recoverable as lost time. Track appointment start/end times, travel duration, and whether you had to miss work to attend.

7. Future lost wages and diminished earning capacity

If the injury causes ongoing restrictions that reduce your future earning potential (rare for a minor neck/back injury but possible if symptoms persist), you can claim future lost earnings. This requires medical proof and often an economist or vocational expert to calculate projected losses.

8. Presenting the claim

1. Create a clear spreadsheet that lists: date, reason (ER or PT), hours missed, pay rate, and computed lost wages. Attach supporting documents for each line item.
2. Include copies of pay stubs, employer letters, appointment confirmations, and medical records in a single packet for the insurer or attorney.
3. If negotiating a settlement, demand a specific dollar amount with the backup documents and be ready to explain your computation.

9. Minnesota-specific procedural notes

Minnesota law governs how claims are filed, when they must be filed, and what evidence a court will accept. For statutory text and state resources, start with the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes and the Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry:

• Minnesota Statutes (Revisor of Statutes): https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/
• Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry (pay and wage resources): https://www.dli.mn.gov/
• Minnesota Judicial Branch overview (court procedures): https://www.mncourts.gov/

Because different rules can apply to workers compensation claims, no-fault automobile claims, or third-party tort claims, consult the specific statutes or an attorney about which rules govern your situation.

Helpful Hints

• Start documenting immediately: keep appointment confirmations, ER discharge papers, and screenshots of medical bills and dates/times.
• Ask your employer for a written verification of missed time and whether you were paid. Employers often comply with a simple signed letter.
• Keep copies of pay stubs for the months before and after the injury to show your normal earnings pattern.
• If you are self-employed, keep contemporaneous records (invoices, calendar notes) linking missed work to income loss.
• Include travel time and reasonable wait time in your lost-hours calculation; document with appointment arrival/departure times and mileage logs if you claim travel costs.
• Be careful when using PTO: note whether you were paid and whether losing that PTO harms your future leave balance; document any long-term consequences.
• Keep a simple spreadsheet that totals dates, hours, rate, and source documents. This makes settlement negotiations much smoother.
• If insurers dispute your calculation, ask for a written explanation and consider consulting an attorney experienced in Minnesota personal injury practice.