In 2014 alone, private industry employers reported that nearly 3 million employees suffered injuries while on the job. If you have been injured while working, you may find that you need to file a workers' compensation claim in order to gain access to the financial compensation you deserve.

To help you plan for the financial burden associated with hiring an attorney, here are three types of costs you should be prepared to pay when working with a workers' compensation attorney in the future.

1. Document Preparation Fees

In order to begin seeking financial compensation for your workers' compensation claim, your attorney will need to file documentation regarding your case with the Labor Commission. These documents can include an application for hearing or an untimely payment complaint form.

Preparing the relevant document required to further your workers' compensation claim can be time consuming. In order to prepare these documents, your attorney will likely charge you a document preparation fee. 

2. Administrative Costs

Working on a workers' compensation claim takes time and energy. In order to ensure that the paralegals and office professionals who work on your case are compensated, your attorney will likely charge you some administrative costs.

These costs include the hourly wage of both paralegals and attorneys, the cost of obtaining your medical reports and other documents pertinent to your injury, and travel expenses for meetings with insurance companies regarding your case. Don't be surprised to receive regular bills for administrative costs during the course of your case.

3. Contingency Fee

Rather than requiring that you pay a retainer up-front, many workers' compensation attorneys work on a contingency fee. This means that the attorney will take a portion of any financial award you receive when winning a workers' compensation case.

The contingency fee charged by most attorneys ranges between 15% and 25% of your total settlement amount. Be sure that you are factoring the contingency fee into your budget when determining how much money you are asking for during the course of your workers' compensation case.

Being able to understand the costs associated with filing a legal workers' compensation claim will help you be prepared to foot the bill for these costs in the future. Working with an attorney can improve your chances of winning your case, but you should be prepared to pay for the document preparation fees, administrative costs, and contingency fee that will be associated with your claim. If you're thinking of fighting for the compensation you deserve, consider contacting a local attorney, such as Hardee and Hardee LLP, to discuss your concerns.