What this calculator does

Run this scenario in DocketMath using the Pre Post Offer Damages calculator.

DocketMath’s Pre/Post-Offer Damages Split tool helps you separate damages into two time periods for Florida cases where an offer affects potential recovery. The calculator is built for a common modeling need:

• Pre-offer damages: damages attributable to the period before the relevant offer date
• Post-offer damages: damages attributable to the period on/after the relevant offer date

This guide focuses on the timing split, the inputs you should provide, and how the output changes as you adjust those inputs. It does not make a legal determination about entitlement, exclusions, or the final measure of damages.

Florida timing framework used in this guide (default SOL)

Florida’s general statute of limitations (SOL) for many claims is 4 years under:

• Florida Statute § 775.15(2)(d) (general/default 4-year period cited in statute materials)
  Source: https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2004/775.15?utm_source=openai

Because no claim-type-specific sub-rule was identified for this guide, the calculator and examples assume the general default SOL of 4 years when you need to anchor a pre/post timeline.

When to use it

Use DocketMath’s pre/post-offer damages approach when you need a clean damages model around a particular event date—typically:

• You are working with a case timeline that includes an offer date (often tied to a procedural step)
• You calculate accrual-based damages (e.g., periodic amounts) and need them separated by time
• You are preparing a damages chart, settlement analysis, or pretrial damages narrative
• You want to test how changing the offer date changes totals

Below is a practical checklist to decide whether the split is useful.

Checklist: does a time split matter in your damages model?

What the calculator won’t decide

• It won’t determine whether a particular offer is legally “effective” for all purposes.
• It won’t decide whether particular categories of damages are excluded from the model.
• It won’t replace a legal measure of damages calculation for the specific claim.

Step-by-step example

This example shows how to run the split and how the numbers change. You can start from the tool page: /tools/pre-post-offer-damages.

Scenario: recurring monthly damages split around an offer

Assume:

• You want to calculate damages from Jan 1, 2021 through Dec 31, 2023
• The offer date is Jul 15, 2022
• Damages accrue at $2,500 per month
• For SOL modeling, you consider a 4-year general/default lookback anchored to the relevant timing context you’re using for the case

Step 1: Choose your accrual start and end dates

• Accrual start date: Jan 1, 2021
• Accrual end date: Dec 31, 2023

The calculator treats the timeline as a continuous period and then splits it at the offer date.

Step 2: Enter the offer date

• Offer date: Jul 15, 2022

The tool divides the damages into:

• Pre-offer period: from Jan 1, 2021 up to (but not including) Jul 15, 2022
• Post-offer period: from Jul 15, 2022 onward

Step 3: Enter the accrual rate

• Monthly accrual rate: $2,500
• Accrual basis: monthly (the tool converts to the appropriate daily or partial-period math internally based on its method)

Step 4: Apply Florida’s general/default SOL window (if you’re limiting the lookback)

Florida’s general/default SOL period referenced here is 4 years under Florida Statute § 775.15(2)(d).

That means if you need to limit earlier accrual to stay within a 4-year window, you would set the effective accrual start date to the date that is 4 years before your relevant anchor date (commonly the filing context you’re analyzing).

Because this guide is based on a general/default approach (no claim-type-specific sub-rule found), the 4-year assumption is the only SOL timing rule applied here.

Step 5: Read the split output

A typical output structure includes:

Even if the monthly rate stays constant, shifting the offer date changes the bucket totals.

Quick sensitivity: moving the offer date by 1 month

If you move the offer date from Jul 15, 2022 to Aug 15, 2022, then:

• Post-offer period gets ~1 more month
• Pre-offer period gets ~1 less month
• Total over the full accrual range stays the same (assuming no SOL truncation), but the split shifts.

This is the central value of the pre/post split: you can pressure-test settlement posture using only dates, without re-computing every modeling assumption from scratch.

Common scenarios

Below are frequent ways teams use the pre/post-offer split in Florida case modeling. Each scenario highlights what you should capture as inputs.

Scenario 1: Monthly damages + fixed offer date

Best for:

• Rent-like or subscription-like amounts
• Ongoing service costs measured on a monthly cadence
• Reimbursement amounts that accrue in regular intervals

Inputs to confirm:

• Start date and end date for accrual
• Offer date
• Rate and frequency (monthly vs. daily)

Scenario 2: Daily damages + mid-month offer

Best for:

• Per diem damages
• Late fees calculated daily
• Any accrual that naturally tracks to calendar days

Focus areas:

• Whether your offer date splits mid-day or by calendar date
• If your model assumes partial day pro-rating

Scenario 3: A SOL lookback changes the effective accrual start

This occurs when:

• Your desired accrual start predates the 4-year general/default lookback
• Your modeling requires you to limit earlier dates for the purposes of the analysis

Florida’s general/default SOL period cited here is 4 years under Florida Statute § 775.15(2)(d).

Practical approach:

• Set the effective accrual start date to comply with the 4-year window you’re modeling
• Then perform the pre/post split within the truncated period

Scenario 4: Multiple offer dates (staged offers)

If your case has multiple offers, decide how you want to use the calculator:

• Run separate calculations for each offer date, or
• Choose one “primary” offer date for the damages split narrative

Do not mix offer boundaries within a single split without clearly documenting the intended logic.

Tips for accuracy

You’ll get better output (and fewer surprises in presentation) if you treat the calculator like a repeatable worksheet, not a one-off estimate.

Confirm your date inputs before you run

Align the split boundary to your charting

Use the SOL default explicitly (and consistently)

This guide assumes only a general/default 4-year SOL period:

• **Florida Statute § 775.15(2)(d)

Because a claim-type-specific sub-rule was not found for this guide, don’t swap in a different SOL period unless your case research clearly supports it.

Keep a simple assumptions table for auditability

Include something like this in your work file:

Validate with a “sanity check” estimate

Before trusting final totals:

• Estimate total months (or days) in the pre period and multiply by your monthly/daily rate.
• Repeat for the post period.
• Compare to DocketMath output; if the difference is large, re-check:

Related reading

• Pre/Post-Offer Damages Split Guide for Alabama
• Pre/Post-Offer Damages Split Guide for Arizona
• Pre/Post-Offer Damages Split Guide for Colorado