If you work for an employer

The goal is to show what you normally earned and what changed after the injury. Most of this already exists in your employer's records and your own files.

  • Pay stubs from several months before the injury and every one since
  • Last year's W-2 or tax return
  • Work schedules showing the hours you were expected to work
  • Written notes from providers about work restrictions
  • Any letter from your employer about leave, light duty, or a change in role

Track each change as it happens

Keep a simple log of days missed, hours cut, and tasks you could not do. Include time off for appointments and recovery, not just the first weeks. If you used sick leave or vacation to cover time off, note that too, since that time had value.

If you returned to work in a different role, or at lower pay, write down when that started and what the difference is.

If you are self-employed or work seasonally

Self-employed people, contractors, commercial fishers, guides, and seasonal workers often have the hardest time showing lost income because there is no single pay stub. The records below help build the picture.

Seasonal work is common in Alaska. If the injury cost you a season, keep anything that shows what the season would normally have brought in.

  • Tax returns and profit and loss statements for recent years
  • Invoices, contracts, or bookings you had to cancel or turn down
  • Bank deposits that show your normal income pattern
  • Messages with customers about work you could not complete
  • Costs you paid to have someone else do your work

Keep receipts for mileage to appointments, parking, help with childcare or household tasks, and anything else you paid for only because of the injury. A small envelope or phone folder is enough.

Talk with the office

How lost income is handled depends on the facts of each case, and the office can explain what applies to yours. The consultation is free, and there is no attorney fee unless we recover compensation. Call (907) 569-6633, Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 Alaska time, or send a short note through the site.