Editorial standards
What we publish is about money people depend on, so every figure has to be traceable to an official source and right on the day you read it. This page explains how we choose topics, check numbers and fix mistakes.
What we cover
We write for people paid by the hour and for anyone comparing an hourly wage with a salary: what a job pays after taxes, how overtime and time off work, when a minimum wage changes and what a new law does to a paycheck. Topics come from the questions people actually search for and ask, and from official announcements that change pay: a state minimum wage, a tax table, a payroll deduction. If a story doesn't change what lands in someone's paycheck or what they are owed, we usually leave it out.
Sources
We rely on primary sources: laws and regulations, and the agencies that apply them, such as the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Labor, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and each state's labor and revenue departments. Every article lists the sources it uses, with links. News reports and social media can point us to a story, but a figure is published only once we have read it in the official source. When an official figure doesn't exist yet, we say so and say when it is expected, instead of printing an estimate as if it were final.
How we check the numbers
Every worked example is recomputed before it is published, with the same engine and 2026 tax data that power the take-home pay calculator. The formulas and the tax sources for all 50 states and DC are on Formulas and sources. Calculators are tested against hand-checked cases every time they change.
Updates and corrections
When an official figure arrives after we publish, we add it and mark the article as updated. When we get something wrong, we fix it and say so. Either way, a note at the end of the article, under "Updates", explains what changed and when: Update for new information, Correction when an earlier version was wrong. We don't add notes for typos, wording or new links. You can see an example in DC Paid Family Leave cut: $1,100 a week, 6 weeks for family care.
If you spot a mistake, please tell us through the contact page with the page and the sentence. We read every message and correct confirmed errors as fast as we can.
Independence
No advertiser, employer or sponsor decides what we cover or what a calculator shows, and we don't accept payment for articles or links. If we ever carry ads, they will be clearly labeled and kept apart from the content.
What this is not
Our calculators and guides are careful estimates for planning, not tax or legal advice. For a decision that depends on your exact situation, check with your employer's payroll office, a tax professional or your state's labor department.