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Freelancer RightsKnow what you are owed, and why

Statutory Damages Calculator

Answer a few plain questions about what happened. The calculator applies the New York City Freelance Isn’t Free Act (§§ 20-928–20-933) and shows why each amount is added. It only applies if the NYC law covers your situation.

Your Pay

How were you supposed to be paid?

One total price for the job, or a rate for your time?

Enter 0 if you've been paid in full.

$

Written Contract

Did you have a written contract?

§ 20-928

An email or document listing the work, price and payment date can count.

Getting Paid

Did the agreement say when you had to be paid?

§ 20-929

A specific date, or a way to figure it out (e.g. “net 15 after invoice”).

After you started, did the client say you'd only get paid on time if you accepted less?

§ 20-929

Retaliation

Did you stand up for your rights under this law?

§ 20-930

For example: asking for a written contract, demanding on-time payment, or filing a complaint.

What Courts Have Actually Awarded

Real outcomes from the case library, shown exactly as ordered in the court opinion.

  • September 14, 2021

    St. Clair V. Sansal

    $6,500 plus interest

    The court entered judgment against the hiring company, Homepeople, and doubled the damages. Claims against the individual, Sansal, personally were dismissed.

    Read the case

  • August 4, 2025

    Whitfield V. LEEBA

    $21,827.46 plus taxed costs and disbursements

    Judgment on the website payment and written-contract claims. A separate paralegal-services claim was severed and continued.

    Read the case

  • March 16, 2023

    Wark V. Cameron Engineering

    $53,500 total principal, plus interest and costs; fees reserved

    The Act applied to the 2018 contract but not to 2016 contracts — the date of the agreement mattered. The total combines contract and FIFA recovery.

    Read the case

  • September 4, 2024

    E.R. V. Genie Quest

    $18,333.32 contract damages — no FIFA damages

    Doubled damages were denied because the March 2017 agreement predated the law's May 15, 2017 effective date.

    Read the case

  • December 10, 2024

    Provenzano V. Orwel

    $5,917 plus interest — not FIFA damages

    FIFA damages were denied for failure to establish an enforceable contract and the required written-contract request; recovery came on unjust enrichment instead.

    Read the case

Deadlines to sue: two years for a missing-contract claim, six years for payment and retaliation claims (§ 20-933(a)(2)–(3)).

This is an estimate from the statute text, not a prediction. Courts decide whether the law applies, what was owed, and how awards combine. See recent decisions and the legal disclaimer. This is not legal advice.