Free tool
Back Pay & Lost Wages Calculator
If you lost your job for an unlawful reason, one measure of your harm is the pay you lost. Estimate your back pay below, factoring in what you have earned since. This is a factual estimate of lost wages, not a prediction of what a case is worth.
Reviewed by Justin Silverman, California employment attorney (State Bar #292036). Current for 2026.
Optional. Health insurance, 401(k) match, and similar benefits are recoverable too.
What you have earned elsewhere (this reduces back pay). Leave this at 0 for a WARN Act estimate — see the note below.
Estimated back pay so far
$12,000
That is $12,000 in pay and benefits you would have earned, less $0 you earned elsewhere. Back pay keeps growing until the case resolves, and it is only one part of what a wrongful termination case can recover.
If this is a WARN Act layoff
WARN works differently in three ways, so use this only as a rough starting point. What you earn at a new job does not reduce it — set the field above to 0. The daily rate is the higher of your average regular rate over your last three years or your final regular rate, and tips, overtime and holiday pay that you would have earned count. And the award is capped at 60 days, and at no more than half the number of days you worked for that employer, so a recent hire recovers less. Courts in California measure that award period in work days. The 60-day notice requirement itself is counted in calendar days — the work-day rule is about what the award is worth, not about when notice was due.
Not included here: front pay (future lost earnings), emotional distress, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees, which can far exceed the back pay itself.
This is a factual estimate of lost wages, not a prediction of a settlement or verdict, and not the value of your case. You have a duty to mitigate by looking for comparable work. This is not legal advice.
Back pay is one part of a case, not the whole
Lost wages are often where an employment case starts, but they are not the ceiling. Depending on the facts, a case can also recover future lost earnings, compensation for emotional distress, penalties, and attorney’s fees. Whether your firing was unlawful in the first place is the threshold question. Our guide to wrongful termination in California explains when a firing crosses the line.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is back pay in an employment case?
Back pay is the wages and benefits you lost from the time you were unlawfully fired or forced out until now. It is usually reduced by what you earned, or reasonably could have earned, from other work in the meantime, which is called mitigation.
Is back pay the same as my case value?
No. Back pay is just one component. A wrongful termination or discrimination case can also seek front pay for future lost earnings, emotional distress damages, and, in some cases, punitive damages and attorney's fees. No calculator can tell you what a case is worth, because that depends on the facts.
Do I have to look for another job to recover lost wages?
Generally yes. California expects you to make reasonable efforts to find comparable work, and what you earn or could have earned reduces the back pay. Keeping records of your job search helps establish that you tried to mitigate.
Does back pay include lost benefits and bonuses?
It can. Back pay is not just base wages. The value of lost health insurance, a 401(k) match, bonuses, and commissions you would have earned is generally recoverable too. This calculator lets you add a weekly benefits value so the estimate is closer to your real loss.
Is there interest on back pay?
Often yes. Prejudgment interest, commonly around ten percent per year in California, can be added to back pay awards, which increases the total the longer a case takes to resolve.
What is front pay, and is it included here?
Front pay is compensation for future lost earnings when returning to the job is not realistic. It is separate from back pay and is not included in this estimate. In some cases it can exceed the back pay, especially for a long-tenured worker.
How far back can I claim lost wages?
It depends on the claim and its deadline. Wrongful termination and discrimination claims have their own filing deadlines, and back pay generally runs from the date you lost the job through resolution. Because the clock is running, it is worth getting an assessment sooner rather than later.
Think you're owed money? Get a free case review.
Lost wages may be only part of what you can recover after an unlawful firing. A consultation with our office is free, and we can look at the specifics.
Prefer to talk? Call 818-585-1267Wrongful termination help
This page and calculator are general information, not legal advice, and do not create an attorney-client relationship.