Editorial Policy

Last updated: April 24, 2026

honestcalculator is a finance-calculator site that shows its work. This page documents how we write, source, review, and correct content. It exists so readers, search engines, and AI assistants know what standard we hold the site to.

Who writes the content

Every calculator and accompanying explainer on this site is authored by Teodor-Cristian Lutoiu, a software engineer with an IT background. He is not a licensed financial advisor, CPA, CFP, attorney, or tax preparer. Content on this site is informational, never advisory. See the disclaimer for the full scope statement.

Sourcing rules

Before any calculator or article ships:

• Formulas are traced back to a primary source: a federal statute (e.g. 12 U.S.C. §§ 4901–4910 for PMI), a federal agency publication (IRS, CFPB, SBA, SSA, DOL), a state revenue or labor department, or a widely cited textbook derivation.
• Numbers that change annually — tax brackets, standard deductions, FICA wage bases, SBA guarantee fees, FDIC limits, Social Security parameters — are dated on the page and link back to the issuing agency.
• Claims about law or regulation link to the underlying statute, rule, or agency guidance, not a secondary commentary.
• "Worked example" numbers use real-looking inputs and are hand-computed against the formula before publishing.

Review cadence

• Tax calculators (take-home pay, capital gains, overtime) are reviewed quarterly, with a mandatory pass when a new tax year's brackets publish (typically October–November for the following year).
• Loan and mortgage calculators are reviewed at least annually, or sooner when a relevant federal rule changes (e.g. SBA 7(a) fee updates).
• Retirement and real-estate calculators are reviewed at least annually.
• Every page shows its Last updated date so readers can verify the cadence matches the policy.

Corrections process

If you find a formula error, a miscited statute, a broken link, or a worked example that doesn't add up, email contact@teodorlutoiu.com with:

• the URL of the page
• the specific claim or input you're flagging
• (ideally) a link to the authoritative source we should match

Confirmed errors are fixed within 7 business days and the page's Last updated date is bumped. Material corrections — anything that changes a calculator's output by more than the display rounding — are also logged inline on the affected page under "Corrections" for 90 days after the fix.

Generative-AI content policy

First drafts of explanatory prose may be generated with large language models (Claude, GPT). Every line of shipping copy is read, fact-checked, and edited by a human before publishing. Formulas are never left in whatever state an AI produced them: they're ported to pure TypeScript, unit-tested against hand-computed reference cases, and the test file ships with the source.

Conflicts of interest

• Monetization: this site carries display advertising through Google AdSense. Ad content is selected by Google's ad system; we do not pick advertisers and do not take direct sponsorships.
• No affiliate revenue: we do not earn commissions for clicks or signups to any lender, brokerage, insurer, or financial product.
• No paid placements: calculators and their recommendations are not influenced by any commercial relationship.
• No lead capture: we do not collect, buy, or sell personal finance data. See the privacy policy for the full data-handling statement.

Accessibility

We aim for WCAG 2.2 AA on every page. If you hit a barrier — contrast, keyboard navigation, screen-reader issues — email the address above and we'll fix it in the same turnaround as a content error.