Accident Claim Lawyers
CompensationUpdated September 2026

Housekeeping loss

In plain English: housekeeping loss is compensation for the household jobs you can't do, or can only do with difficulty, because of your injury. Cleaning, cooking, laundry, shopping, gardening, DIY, car maintenance and childcare all count.

It's a real loss, even when nobody sends a bill

Most people don't think of housework as something with a value until they can't do it. Then someone has to: a paid cleaner, a partner who now does two people's share, a parent who comes round to help, or the jobs just don't get done. Courts in the US, UK and Canada recognise this, though they call it different things and treat it in slightly different ways.

  • US: usually called loss of household services. It's commonly treated as an economic loss and valued at what it would cost to hire someone to do the work.
  • England, Wales and Scotland: covered as care and assistance, and as a claim for DIY, gardening and decorating you can no longer manage. Care given free by family or friends can be claimed, and the money is meant to go to the person who gave it. In Scotland there's also a specific statutory basis for claiming services you can no longer provide to your relatives.
  • Canada: courts recognise loss of housekeeping capacity, and can award it even if nobody was hired and the work was simply left undone or done by family.

How it's valued

The usual starting point is hours multiplied by a rate. How many hours a week did you spend on these tasks before the accident, how many can you manage now, and what would it cost to pay someone for the difference? Where family help for free, the rate is often discounted from commercial agency rates. In larger claims, a care expert or occupational therapist may assess your needs.

Example

A father of two who did the cooking, school runs and weekend DIY injures his shoulder at work. For five months his mother comes over most evenings and his partner takes over the garden. A log of those hours, written as it happened, lets him claim for that help rather than trying to reconstruct it from memory a year later.

How to back up your claim

  1. Write down what you did around the home before the accident, roughly how often and for how long.
  2. Keep a weekly log of who helped, with what and for how many hours.
  3. Save receipts for any paid help: cleaners, gardeners, handymen, extra childcare.
  4. Tell your doctor or physio which household tasks you're struggling with so it's in your medical notes.
  5. Include future needs if your injury is long-term, such as help with heavy jobs for years to come.
Often left out

Many people never mention it, and insurers rarely raise it themselves. If family members have been doing your share, say so early.

Next: activities of daily living · economic damages · claim value workbook.

Related terms

Non-Economic DamagesNon-economic damages are compensation for the human cost of an injury, the parts that don't come with a bill.Out-of-Pocket ExpensesOut-of-pocket expenses are the everyday costs you've paid yourself because of your accident.Pain and SufferingPain and suffering is compensation for the physical pain and emotional strain an injury causes you, from the day of the accident through recovery and, if it lasts, beyond.Present ValuePresent value is what a stream of future money is worth today.

General information, not legal or medical advice. Rules differ between US states, the UK and Canadian provinces, so check the law where your accident happened. How we write and check · Legal disclaimer