A wrongful death claim is designed to compensate the loved ones of the victim for their losses – and the loss of the deceased’s income and financial support to their family is often a big factor in many claims where a wage-earner is killed.
What happens, however, if the deceased didn’t work outside the home because they were a stay-at-home parent? The absence of a traditional salary doesn’t mean that the services of a stay-at-home parent to their family had no financial value.
Homemakers have huge responsibilities
According to a 2019 estimate by Salary.com, a stay-at-home parent should be paid about $178,000 per year for their work. Why so much? That’s because they:
- Usually do the vast majority of the meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking
- Often do the lion’s share of the household chores, including laundry and cleaning
- Handle the majority of the child-rearing duties, including transportation
To hire someone to replace a stay-at-home parent is impossible, but you may have to start with a full-time nanny or daycare, a tutor for the kids, a chauffeur who can take them everywhere they need to go and a maid. Once you start to calculate the costs of all these services, it’s much easier to see how the stay-at-home parent’s “pecuniary value” can be established for a wrongful death claim.
This is just an example of how the services of a stay-at-home parent can be viewed. Since every situation is different, it’s important to discuss the specifics of your case with someone who can help you understand more.