Lost Income Claims For The Self-Employed
You work for yourself and have no payslip to show what the accident cost you.
Proving lost income without a payslip means building the same picture from different pieces. Bank statements, invoices, till or e-wallet records, and past tax filings each show what you normally earn.
No single document has to carry the whole claim. What matters is a consistent pattern that a drop after the accident clearly interrupts.
Building your own version of a payslip
Several records can show your normal earning pattern. Bank statements with regular deposits are one. So are e-wallet history, invoices you issued, and income declared in a recent tax filing.
Gather what exists rather than waiting for one perfect document. A set of ordinary records is usually more convincing than a summary written after the fact.
Showing a real drop, not just a bad month
Self-employed income varies. Compare the same period across different years, not one month against the next.
If your business has a slow season, say so. It makes the comparison more credible because nothing unrelated is hidden inside the claim.
When you paid someone else to keep things running
You may have hired help to keep a stall, shop or service running while you recovered. That cost is a loss worth recording, on top of any income that still fell.
Note who you paid, for what period, and why. This applies even to an informal cash arrangement with a family member.
When you kept working anyway
Many self-employed people work through an injury because they cannot afford to stop. They take fewer clients or work shorter hours.
This reduced output is still a provable loss. Document it honestly instead of assuming only a full stop counts.
For the specific records needed, see proving income loss when self-employed. How to prove your lost income covers the wider evidence.
When an insurer disputes your earnings, an independent lawyer can gather your records and take the claim on. Send the accident date, where it happened, whether anyone was injured (yes/no), what you do for work, and the police report status.
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
Common questions
I do not have payslips. What can I use instead?
Bank statements, e-wallet or till records, invoices issued, and prior tax filings can together show your normal earning pattern. No single document needs to carry the whole claim, since a combination is usually more convincing than any one record alone.
My income already goes up and down month to month. How do I show a real drop?
Comparing the same months across two or three years, rather than one month against another, helps separate a genuine accident-related drop from your usual ups and downs. Mentioning any seasonal pattern honestly makes the comparison more credible, not less.
Can I claim if I hired someone to cover my work while I recovered?
Yes, the cost of paying someone else to keep your business running can itself be a loss worth including, alongside any income that still dropped despite the cover. Keep records of what you paid and why.
What if I kept working through the pain because I could not afford to stop?
This is common and worth mentioning rather than hiding. Reduced hours, slower output, or fewer clients taken on while still working through an injury can still represent a real, provable loss, even without a full stop in income.
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.