New York No-Fault Lost Wages Calculator
Last Updated on September 30, 2026 by James Shaffer
New York no-fault insurance pays 80% of your lost earnings after a car accident, up to $2,000 a month, for up to three years. Those payments come out of the same $50,000 basic limit as your medical bills and other covered expenses. Enter your pay below to estimate what basic no-fault would cover.
At a Glance
- Monthly Cap: No-fault pays 80% of lost earnings, up to $2,000 a month, for no more than three years from the accident.
- Shared $50,000 Limit: Lost wages, medical bills and other covered expenses all come out of the same basic no-fault limit per person.
- Other Benefits Count: Workers’ compensation, Social Security disability and New York disability benefits for the same injury are subtracted.
- Tight Deadlines: Give the insurer written notice within 30 days of the accident and send proof of lost earnings within 90 days of the work loss.
No-Fault Lost Wages Calculator
Enter your gross monthly earnings and how long you expect to miss work. The optional fields show how much of the $50,000 basic limit would be left.
No-Fault Lost Wages Calculator
Based on New York’s basic no-fault limits.
Optional: other no-fault costs
Your result
Enter your monthly earnings to see the estimate.
An estimate of basic no-fault benefits before other benefits are subtracted. Your insurer calculates the actual payment from the proof of earnings you send.
How No-Fault Calculates Lost Wages
No-fault pays 80% of the earnings you lose because of the accident, up to $2,000 a month, for no more than three years from the date of the accident. If you earned about $2,500 a month or less, you get 80% of your pay. If you earned more, the $2,000 monthly cap applies.
| Monthly Earnings Lost | 80% of Earnings | Basic No-Fault Pays |
|---|---|---|
| $1,500 | $1,200 | $1,200 a month |
| $2,500 | $2,000 | $2,000 a month |
| $4,000 | $3,200 | $2,000 a month |
These examples are before any other benefits are subtracted. The limits come from Section 5102 of the New York Insurance Law.
What Reduces Your Payment
- Other benefits for the same injury: Amounts you receive or can receive from workers’ compensation, Social Security disability, New York disability benefits or Medicare are subtracted.
- Voluntary pay from your employer: Payments your employer makes on a voluntary basis are subtracted. Using accumulated sick leave, or a wage continuation plan that gets used up as it pays, generally doesn’t reduce your no-fault benefit.
- Deductibles: Any deductible on your policy is subtracted.
- The $50,000 limit: Medical bills and other expenses that no-fault pays use up the same limit as your lost wages.
Other Costs No-Fault Covers
Besides medical bills and lost wages, basic no-fault pays up to $25 a day for other reasonable and necessary expenses, for up to one year after the accident. It also pays a $2,000 death benefit to the estate of a person killed in a covered accident.
Deadlines for a No-Fault Claim
- Give the insurer written notice of the accident within 30 days.
- Send proof of claim for medical treatment within 45 days after the services.
- Send proof of lost earnings and other expenses within 90 days after the work loss or expense.
These time limits are set out in New York’s mandatory personal injury protection endorsement. Our guide to filing a claim after an accident walks through the rest of the process.
Quick tip: Keep pay stubs and anything else that shows what you earned and the work you missed. The insurer needs proof of lost earnings within 90 days.
Who Basic No-Fault Doesn’t Cover
The mandatory endorsement excludes some people, including anyone hurt while riding a motorcycle, a driver hurt while driving intoxicated or impaired by drugs (necessary emergency hospital care is still covered), and a person who intentionally caused their own injury. It also excludes people hurt while racing, committing a felony or fleeing police.
When Your Losses Go Beyond No-Fault
If you lose more than no-fault pays, you may be able to recover some of it from the at-fault driver. Our guide to how long after an accident you can sue in New York covers the time limits, and our overview of New York no-fault laws explains how no-fault fits with lawsuits.
Some policies also include optional additional personal injury protection that raises these limits. Check your declarations page or ask your insurer. For more on wage coverage, see whether car insurance pays for lost wages.