When someone breaks a promise in a contract, it can cost you time, money and missed opportunities. Whether it’s a contractor walking off the job or a business deal falling through, you deserve to know what you can get back.
That’s where this calculator comes in. It gives you an estimate of what you may be able to get under Illinois breach of contract law. Let’s go through the different pieces of information you’ll need to get a result—and why they matter.
Total Contract Price
This is the full amount the contract promised you. If you agreed to pay $25,000 for a home renovation, that’s your total contract price—even if you haven’t paid it all yet.
Value of Services or Goods Already Received
Sometimes you get part of what was promised before the deal falls apart. This input is where you list the value of what you did get. For example, if the contractor only finished part of the job, enter the fair value of the work they did.
Cost to Cover or Replace
This is what it will cost you to fix the problem. If you have to hire someone else to finish the job or buy the promised items elsewhere, this input helps account for that.
Incidental Damages
These are extra costs that popped up because of the breach. Things like paying for storage, rush shipping or time off work to deal with the issue. These should be reasonable and directly related to the problem.
Consequential Damages
These are ripple effect losses you experienced because the contract was broken. Lost profits, missed deadlines or other harm that was reasonably foreseeable when the contract was made.
The total shown at the end is an estimate of the damages you can claim. This includes:
Keep in mind this is an estimate based on what you enter. A real case might also involve proving the breach happened, showing your costs were reasonable and demonstrating you did your part under the contract.
In Illinois, the goal of a breach of contract case is to put the injured party in the position they would have been in if the contract had been performed. Courts generally allow:* Expectation damages (what you were promised minus what you got)
But you can’t double dip or recover damages you could have avoided. That’s why mitigation—trying to reduce the harm—is also important under Illinois law.
This calculator gives you a starting point—but real cases are often more complicated. If you’re dealing with a broken contract in Illinois, the team at O’Flaherty Law can help you understand your rights, gather evidence and take the next step.
Call us today to schedule a consultation. Let’s talk about how we can help you get moving.
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