Pre/Post-Offer Damages Split Guide for Wisconsin

What this calculator does

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

DocketMath’s Pre/Post-Offer Damages Split tool for Wisconsin (US-WI) helps you calculate damages up to and after the time your offer was made—because Wisconsin uses a 6-year limitations period for certain claims.

At a high level, the calculator splits damages into two buckets:

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

This is designed for scenarios where you need a time-based division tied to the offer, not just a single total number.

Key Wisconsin rule you’ll see behind the calculator timing

Wisconsin generally sets a 6-year limitations period under:

• Wis. Stat. § 939.74(1) — 6 years
  Source: https://codes.findlaw.com/wi/crimes-ch-938-to-951/wi-st-939-74/

So, when you’re splitting damages, the calculator’s timeline logic typically matters because the damages you can support in a claim may be constrained by the applicable lookback window associated with that 6-year period.

When to use it

Use the Pre/Post-Offer Damages Split Guide for Wisconsin when all (or most) of the following are true:

• You have an offer date you want to use as the dividing line between damages.
• Damages accrue over time (for example, recurring payments, continuing losses, or damages that can be dated in increments).
• You are working within a Wisconsin context where Wis. Stat. § 939.74(1)’s 6-year timeframe is relevant to your analysis.

Practical triggers

Check the boxes that match your situation:

Step-by-step example

Below is a concrete example using realistic dates and showing how the output changes as you adjust inputs in DocketMath.

Example fact pattern (for illustration)

Assume:

• Offer date: March 15, 2021
• You’re compiling losses from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2021
• Total damages across the whole period (for convenience): $120,000
• Losses accrue evenly at $20,000 per year over that date range

You want the split:

• Pre-offer: from January 1, 2017 to March 14, 2021
• Post-offer: from March 15, 2021 to December 31, 2021

Step 1: Confirm the timeline inputs

You’ll enter values such as:

• Start date (beginning of your damages compilation)
• Offer date
• End date (end of your damages compilation)
• Either:

  • total damages with an accrual method (like even accrual), or
  • period-by-period figures (if your data supports it)

If you’re aligning to Wisconsin’s 6-year window under Wis. Stat. § 939.74(1) (6 years), your start date should not reach back further than the applicable limitation framework for the portion you want to include.

Step 2: Compute the pre-offer portion

From January 1, 2017 to March 14, 2021 is a little over 4.2 years.

Using the “even accrual” rate:

• Annual accrual rate: $120,000 / 6.0 years = $20,000/year
• Pre-offer accrual ≈ 4.2 years × $20,000/year ≈ $84,000

Step 3: Compute the post-offer portion

From March 15, 2021 to December 31, 2021 is about 0.8 years.

• Post-offer accrual ≈ 0.8 years × $20,000/year ≈ $16,000

But because our example total period ends in 2021 and began in 2017, the remaining portion after the pre-offer calculation should match the total:

• Pre-offer (≈ $84,000) + Post-offer (≈ $16,000) = $100,000
• That doesn’t match the stated $120,000 because the “even accrual” assumption depends on precise year fractions and the exact total period length.

In practice, DocketMath calculates based on the exact date intervals you provide, not on approximate year counts. The key takeaway for you is this:

• Precision comes from your date boundaries
• If your total damages are based on different period math, ensure the method matches your inputs

Step 4: Check the output against your expectations

When you run the tool, you’ll receive:

• Pre-offer damages (sum for time before the offer date)
• Post-offer damages (sum for time after the offer date)
• Often a combined total and/or timing breakdown, depending on your selected input method

If the tool output feels off, adjust:

• the start date
• the offer date (exact day matters)
• the end date
• the accrual method (even accrual vs. custom schedule)

Common scenarios

Wisconsin offers and damage calculations show up in recurring patterns. Here are scenarios where the split guide is especially useful.

1) Recurring payments or periodic losses

Examples (conceptual):

• monthly payments
• periodic fees
• continuing costs that start before the offer and continue after

How the split works:

• Every dated payment before the offer date goes to pre-offer
• Every payment on/after the offer date goes to post-offer

Checklist:

2) A damages timeline that changes after a certain date

Sometimes the rate of loss changes midstream:

• increased costs after an event
• reduced loss after remediation

How the split works:

• Pre-offer uses the first-rate schedule
• Post-offer uses the second-rate schedule

Tip:

• If DocketMath supports custom schedules, input the change point(s) explicitly rather than averaging.

3) Multiple offers

If there are more than one offer date, the split can differ materially.

Approach:

• Run the split using one offer date at a time
• Compare outputs to see how much time-sensitive exposure shifts

Checklist:

4) Lookback alignment with Wisconsin’s 6-year rule

If your calculations go back more than 6 years, you may need to adjust your start date for the damages period you’re attempting to include.

Relevant statutory timing:

• Wis. Stat. § 939.74(1) — 6 years
  Source: https://codes.findlaw.com/wi/crimes-ch-938-to-951/wi-st-939-74/

In that case, your split should be recalculated with a start date that respects the 6-year lookback framework tied to the scenario you’re modeling.

Tips for accuracy

These practices will reduce avoidable errors and help the split match your underlying records.

1) Use exact calendar days, not rounded months

Because the offer split turns on the offer date boundary, day-level precision matters.

Quick rule of thumb:

• If you only have “month-level” totals, convert carefully (or use consistent assumptions).
• If you have payment-level data, input the actual dates.

2) Be consistent about what counts as “post-offer”

Many splits treat:

• Offer date included in post-offer, or
• Offer date excluded from post-offer

DocketMath will follow its own split convention based on the tool’s logic. What you should do is:

• Use the tool’s output as the controlling convention
• Apply that convention consistently across your documentation

3) Validate totals before comparing pre vs. post

A practical workflow:

1. Run the tool for your full period and verify the combined total matches your source totals (or your intended accrual logic).
2. Then compare pre vs. post distributions.

If pre + post doesn’t match your expected total:

• the dates likely don’t match the basis of your “total damages” number, or
• your accrual method differs from how the total was originally computed.

4) Keep a small audit table of inputs

Use this table to track what you changed between runs:

5) Tie timeline logic to the 6-year limitation period when applicable

Wisconsin statute reference for timing framework:

• Wis. Stat. § 939.74(1) — 6 years

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 California