Creating an Economic Loss Analysis

Open the Economic Loss tab from your case. Navigate to your case detail page and click the Economic Loss tab. Click New Analysis to create a new analysis. The Economic Loss Analyser will open with a blank canvas.

Set up claimant earnings first. In the right-hand panel under Add/Edit Earnings Periods, select Claimant Dataset from the Dataset dropdown. Click Add Earnings Period and set the financial year range covering the claimant's earnings history. Choose Upload / Manual Entry as the data source to import the claimant's actual earnings from their ATO data.

Import the claimant's ATO earnings data. Download the Excel template, fill it with the claimant's ATO data (financial year, gross earnings, and tax paid for each year), then drag and drop the completed file into the upload area. Verify that the columns are mapped correctly (Financial Year, Gross Yearly Income, Tax) in the preview, then click Import Data to load the earnings. See Working with Earnings Periods for detailed instructions on the upload process.

Add comparison earnings. Switch the Dataset dropdown to Comparison Dataset. Click Add Earnings Period, set the financial year range, and choose ABS Average Weekly Earnings as the data source. Configure the parameters -- for example, Male, All Industries, Full Time Ordinary Earnings. The chart immediately populates and shows where the injury occurred and the deviation between the two earnings trajectories.

Review the chart. Once both datasets have data, the Economic Loss Comparison chart shows the blue Claimant line and orange Comparison line. The point where the lines diverge indicates when the injury began to affect earnings. The shaded area between them represents the economic loss. If a line does not appear, expand the relevant earnings table to verify data has been loaded.

Check superannuation. Superannuation auto-populates with the historical statutory rates for each financial year in both datasets. You can adjust individual year rates if needed by expanding the Superannuation section in the right-hand panel.

Add modifiers and annotations (optional). If you need to model promotions, career breaks, or other adjustments, add modifiers to the relevant dataset. For each modifier, set the period, the percentage increase or decrease, and an annotation label. Enable Add as Note on Graph to display the modifier on the chart. You can also add pure annotation labels (such as an "Injury" marker at the relevant financial year) without modifying any data. See Using Modifiers for details.

Set the loss period. Scroll down to the Economic Loss Calculations section. Under Loss Period, set the start financial year to the year the injury occurred (e.g. 2004/05) and the end financial year to the last year of available data. The loss period appears as a dotted outline on the chart, and only earnings within this period are included in the calculations.

Configure the impairment estimate. Claim Cal shows the empirical impairment derived from the data -- the percentage by which the claimant's actual earnings fall below the comparison. Turn on the Loss Line toggle, then set an Impairment % (e.g. 15% or 19%). The Loss Line (red dashed line on the chart) smooths out non-injury-related fluctuations in the claimant's earnings, giving a more stable measure of loss. See Using Modifiers for more detail.

Review results. The result cards show two sets of figures:

• Comparison v Claimant -- the straightforward difference between comparison and claimant earnings
• Comparison v Loss Line -- the difference adjusted for the impairment percentage

Each set shows Total Loss, Past Loss, Future Loss, and Future Loss Average per Week for Income (Gross), Income (Net), and Superannuation. Toggle between Gross and Net using the dropdown.

Set the settlement or judgement date. To split the loss into past and future components, enter a forecasted Settlement/Judgement Date. Losses up to this date are classified as Past Economic Loss; losses after it are Future Economic Loss. This is particularly useful for preparing mediation or settlement submissions.

Export your analysis. Click the Export button to generate a comprehensive Word document containing the full analysis -- charts, earnings tables, loss calculations with past/future split, superannuation rate tables, and detailed methodology notes. The report is formatted and ready for use in submissions and correspondence. See Importing Data and Exporting Results for full details on the report structure.