A clear, court-ready framework for identifying and documenting uncompensated household labor in claims involving loss of household services.
Why Definitions Matter
“Household services” encompass the unpaid tasks a person performs to maintain a home and support its members. In personal injury and wrongful death matters, accurately identifying these tasks is the first step toward a defensible valuation.
Clear definitions prevent double counting, reduce disputes, and streamline expert analysis. (Standards vary by jurisdiction; this article is informational, not legal advice.)
Core Categories of Household Services
Domestic Chores
- Cleaning (rooms, bathrooms, appliances), tidying, decluttering
- Laundry (wash/dry, folding, ironing), linens
- Meal planning, grocery shopping, meal prep, cooking, dishwashing
- Trash and recycling management
Household Management
- Budgeting and bill payment; financial record-keeping for the household
- Scheduling (medical, school, tradespeople), calendar management
- Transportation and errands (pharmacy, post office, pickups/drop-offs)
- Vendor coordination (repairs, deliveries, inspections)
Childcare & Dependent Care
- Supervision, feeding, bathing, diapering/toileting
- Homework help, school transportation, activities
- Special-needs care and IEP coordination (where applicable)
- Nighttime monitoring (infants, medically complex dependents)
Eldercare & Personal Care Support
- Medication reminders/organization (non-clinical)
- Transfers, mobility assistance, cueing for ADLs/IADLs
- Appointment accompaniment and advocacy
- Safety monitoring, fall prevention
Home & Yard Upkeep
- Routine maintenance, minor repairs, painting, seasonal tasks
- Snow removal, lawn mowing, gardening, leaf cleanup
- Vehicle care tied to household benefit (basic maintenance, cleaning)
Other Household Contributions
- Pet care (feeding, walking, grooming coordination)
- Event/holiday planning, hosting, family logistics and communication
- Technology setup/maintenance when performed for household functioning
Tip: Focus on tasks that benefit the household unit, not personal hobbies unless they substitute for a market service (e.g., gardening that replaces paid landscaping).
What Typically Doesn’t Count (or Requires Caution)
- Purely personal leisure (unless it substitutes for a paid service)
- Overlapping time (e.g., watching TV while “supervising” older teens—clarify actual supervision needs)
- Simultaneous tasks: Avoid double counting when one period covers two activities (e.g., laundry cycles and meal prep; attribute time to the task requiring active effort).
- Business-related tasks (separate from household services)
- Highly specialized clinical care (outside scope unless performed and reasonable as non-licensed tasks; consult experts regarding boundaries)
Building a Defensible Task Inventory
Step 1: Establish the Pre-Injury Baseline
- Who did what? Identify the person’s typical responsibilities.
- Frequency & duration: Daily/weekly/monthly; estimate average minutes/hours.
- Seasonality: Snow removal, leaf cleanup, spring planting, school-year logistics.
Step 2: Identify Post-Injury Changes
- Which tasks ceased, reduced, or now require assistance?
- Efficiency loss: Tasks still done but taking longer or split across multiple days.
- Substitutions: Paid services hired post-injury (housekeeping, childcare).
Step 3: Corroborate with Evidence
- Interviews: Individual and household members; align narratives.
- Records: Calendars, chore lists, school/activity schedules, therapy/OT notes.
- Receipts/Invoices: New expenses for replacement services.
- Digital traces: Grocery delivery logs, rideshare history, task apps.
Step 4: Time Accounting Best Practices
- Use ranges where variability is normal (e.g., “laundry 2–3 hrs/wk”).
- Separate setup vs. passive time (active folding vs. machine cycles).
- Account for bundled tasks (meal planning + shopping + cooking).
Special Contexts & Household Diversity
Nontraditional or Shared Roles
Many households share tasks dynamically. Capture who actually did what, not stereotypes. Record how responsibilities shifted pre-injury (e.g., during business travel).
Multigenerational & Cultural Considerations
Extended-family caregiving, language support, community liaison tasks can be substantial. If they reduce the need for paid services, they are relevant.
Young or Elder Contributors
Contributions by teens or elders can be meaningful. Note limits (safety, capacity) and whether tasks are age-appropriate and regularly performed.
Remote/Hybrid Work Effects
Pre-injury availability may have increased household services (e.g., midday caregiving). Document schedule realities to avoid overstating.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
- Vagueness: “Helps around the house” is insufficient. Specify tasks, frequency, and average time.
- Role inflation: Confirm the person actually performed the task regularly.
- Double counting: Distinguish childcare from housekeeping during childcare.
- Ignoring supervision intensity: Infant vs. independent teen supervision differs markedly.
- Overreliance on recall: Use logs and corroborating documents, not memory alone.
Practical Examples
The following examples are non-exhaustive.
- Domestic chores: “Meal prep (5 dinners/wk, ~60–75 min/meal incl. cleanup)”; “Laundry (2 loads/wk, ~45 min active time total).”
- Childcare: “Homework support (4 nights/wk, ~30–45 min)”; “Morning routine + school drop-off (5 days/wk, ~50 min).”
- Eldercare: “Medication reminders (2x/day, ~10 min)”; “Bathing assistance (3x/wk, ~30–40 min).”
- Yard care: “Mowing (weekly May–Oct, ~45–60 min)”; “Snow removal (event-based, ~30–90 min/event).”
- Management: “Bill pay & budgeting (monthly, ~90–120 min)”; “Vendor coordination (as needed, avg. ~60 min/mo).”
Documentation Toolkit
For Attorneys and Paralegals:
- Intake worksheet: Task list by category with frequency/duration fields.
- Two-week time log: Real-time entries to validate estimates (captures variability).
- Seasonal checklist: Prompts for weather-dependent tasks and school-year cycles.
- Evidence folder: Receipts, invoices, delivery histories, activity calendars.
- Change tracker: Notes on tasks now paid out, performed by others, or discontinued.
How Experts Use the Inventory
Vocational Expert
- Translates the inventory into functional capacity and time requirements, distinguishing between inability and efficiency loss.
- Identifies reasonable accommodations (tools, pacing), without advocacy.
Economic Expert
- Maps tasks to market replacement rates (e.g., housekeeper, childcare provider, personal care aide) appropriate to the locality and skill required.
- Applies duration assumptions (temporary vs. permanent) and, when needed, present-value calculations.
- Keeping vocational scope (capacity/time) distinct from economics (dollars) enhances clarity and defensibility.
Equity, Respect, and Neutrality
A credible analysis reflects the real division of labor—traditional or not. It values unpaid labor without overstatement, relies on documentation, and remains objective about capacity, time, and necessary replacement services.
Related Reading
Need a neutral, defensible household services inventory for a case?
KWVRS can conduct objective vocational evaluations and coordinate with forensic economists for valuation.
Contact us to discuss scope and timelines.
