¢ CentCalc

Editorial Policy

Last updated: June 16, 2026

Mission

CentCalc publishes transparent, accurate personal finance calculators for general educational use. Our editorial standards exist to ensure every calculator is built on peer-reviewed math, current published tax data, and clear methodology — and that any errors are corrected promptly.

1. Sourcing hierarchy

Every formula, tax rate, and assumption on CentCalc is sourced from authoritative references in this priority order:

  1. Primary law / regulation: US Internal Revenue Code, Social Security Act, state revenue codes
  2. Government publications: IRS Publications (15, 15-T, 505, 590, 926, etc.), Revenue Procedures, SSA.gov, BLS.gov, state revenue department websites
  3. Peer-reviewed academic research: e.g., Trinity Study for 4% safe withdrawal rate
  4. Established textbooks: standard finance formulas (compound interest, amortization) from FIN 301-level textbooks

We do not source calculator formulas from blogs, content farms, or AI-generated text without verification.

2. Build process

  1. Implement: Engineer writes the calculator in TypeScript, using the formula directly from the source (not transcribed from another site).
  2. Methodology page: The same engineer writes the methodology section, citing the source publication and explaining the math.
  3. Code review: A second engineer reviews the implementation against the source publication.
  4. Numerical verification: The reviewer runs test cases against authoritative online calculators (IRS Tax Withholding Estimator, investor.gov compound calculator, bank rate calculators).
  5. FAQ authoring: Engineer writes 3–5 FAQ entries specific to the calculator.
  6. Disclaimer & schema: Add financial disclaimer, Schema.org JSON-LD (WebApplication + FAQPage).
  7. Publish: Calculator goes live; methodology and FAQ linked from tool page.

3. Maintenance

Annual review

Federal tax data is reviewed each October–November after the IRS publishes inflation adjustments (typically via Revenue Procedure in mid-November). Updates go live before January 1 of the new tax year.

Quarterly review

State tax rates are reviewed each quarter. State-level rate changes (e.g., North Carolina scheduled rate reductions, Iowa flat-tax transition) are applied as effective dates pass.

As-needed updates

Major tax law changes (e.g., Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expiration in 2026, IRS funding provisions) trigger updates as authoritative guidance becomes available.

4. Accuracy standards

  • Formula accuracy: 100% match against published formula in source publication.
  • Data accuracy: Tax brackets, deductions, rates match published IRS / state values to the dollar.
  • Tolerance: ±$1 per calculation vs authoritative source for the same inputs (differences due to rounding).

We accept that real-world tax/investment results differ from our calculators due to individual circumstances. The accuracy standard applies to the calculator's model, not to its match with your specific real-world outcome.

5. Limitations disclosure

Every calculator page includes:

  • A methodology section explaining what is and isn't modeled
  • A disclaimer at the bottom of every page
  • Internal links to our full methodology and disclaimer

6. Advertising & monetization independence

Advertisers have no influence over calculator content, formulas, or methodology. We do not:

  • Adjust calculator outputs to favor advertisers
  • Recommend specific products within calculator content
  • Accept payment for calculator placement or "preferred" results
  • Allow advertisers to review or approve calculator content

Ad inventory is served by Google AdSense and (at scale) premium networks; we do not control which specific ads appear on which pages.

7. Affiliate disclosure (when added)

If we add affiliate links in the future (e.g., to savings accounts or brokerages), they will be:

  • Clearly disclosed inline next to the link itself
  • Never placed within calculator inputs or results
  • Listed on a dedicated disclosure page with merchant relationships

8. Corrections policy

When we discover an error in a calculator (or a user reports one we confirm):

  1. Fix: Engineer pushes a corrected version within 7 business days of confirmation.
  2. Changelog: The methodology page is updated with a changelog entry noting the date, the error, and the fix.
  3. Affected users: If the error could have materially affected decisions (e.g., wrong tax bracket), we publish a notice on the homepage for 30 days.
  4. Feedback: User who reported the error receives a personal reply and (if requested) credit in the changelog.

9. AI assistance disclosure

Some non-calculator content on this Site (e.g., FAQ answers, explanatory copy) may be drafted with AI assistance (LLMs), then reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by human editors before publication. All calculator formulas and tax data are hand-coded by human engineers from authoritative sources — not generated by AI.

10. Contact

Questions or corrections? Contact us or use the feedback widget.