Editorial & Review Policy
City Paycheck Calculator publishes calculators, explainers, and guides to help people understand take-home pay by city and state. This policy explains our standards for accuracy, sourcing, reviews, updates, and how we handle corrections and potential conflicts.
Our Editorial Principles
- Accuracy first: We prioritize current, verifiable numbers over speed or volume.
- Plain English: We explain paycheck math without jargon. When terms are unavoidable, we define them.
- Transparency: We link to official sources and document material changes in our Data Sources & Update Log.
- Independence: Editorial decisions are separate from monetization or partnerships.
- Accessibility: We write for screen readers and non-experts; see our Accessibility Statement.
Sourcing Standards
We rely on primary and high-quality secondary sources:
- Primary: IRS publications and notices; state departments of revenue; official city/school-district tax pages; enacted statutes and regulations.
- Secondary: State employer withholding guides, government FAQs, and authoritative bulletins when primary text is ambiguous.
- What we avoid: Unverified blogs, outdated PDFs, and tertiary summaries without citations.
- Citation practice: Each material update in the calculators or a guide is logged with a source link in our Update Log.
Editorial Review Workflow
Accuracy, Assumptions & Limitations
- Scope: Calculators focus on standard W-2 withholding (Federal + FICA + State + Local). Complex credits and special cases may be simplified unless noted on the page.
- Assumptions disclosed: Any simplifying assumptions (e.g., residency rules, local applicability) are stated near the calculator or in the Methodology.
- Versioning: Each material change is timestamped and described in the Update Log.
- Rollover timing: Annual tax updates are prioritized at calendar year-end and at mid-year when a locality changes rates.
Update Cadence
- Federal & FICA: Reviewed annually and when IRS issues mid-year changes.
- States: Reviewed annually; emergency/extraordinary updates handled as published by the state.
- Localities: Monitored for verified changes; applied as soon as practical.
- Guides/Blog: Re-reviewed when underlying rules change or at least annually.
Independence & Monetization
- Editorial independence: Partners and advertisers do not control calculator logic or conclusions.
- Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission if you purchase through an affiliate link, at no extra cost to you. See our Privacy Policy and Disclaimer.
- Advertising: Any ads are labeled. Ads do not influence our editorial coverage or ranking of content.
Conflicts of Interest
Team members must disclose personal or financial relationships that could reasonably be perceived to influence coverage or calculator logic. When relevant, we reassign work or provide a disclosure note on the page.
Corrections & User Feedback
- How to report: Use our Contact page or email contact@citypaycheckcalculator.com with the page URL, inputs, and a brief summary.
- Turnaround: We triage urgent tax-rate errors first. Substantive corrections are noted in the Update Log.
- Transparency: For significant changes that affect results, we add a visible note on the impacted page(s).
Use of Automation & AI
We may use automation to draft copy, check links, or run test scenarios. All published content and calculation logic are reviewed by humans for accuracy, clarity, and tone before publication.
Attribution & Licensing
- Quotes or excerpts from government sources are attributed and linked where practical.
- Original text and designs are © City Paycheck Calculator unless otherwise noted. See our Copyright & DMCA Policy.