Editorial Policy

01Our standards

• Useful: every calculator and article must solve a real problem and explain its result.
• Accurate: calculations follow published formulas or official data, and are tested before publishing.
• Transparent: pages show the formula or method, key assumptions, sources and — where figures change over time — the date they apply to.
• Independent: advertising never influences what we publish or what a calculator returns.

02How we build a calculator

1. Define the question the calculator answers and check we don't already have a page for it.
2. Identify the formula or official data source (for example IRS publications, state revenue departments, peer-reviewed equations, manufacturer specifications).
3. Build the calculator with clear labels, units and input validation.
4. Test it with at least three independently worked examples, including edge cases.
5. Write the explanation: what it calculates, the formula, a worked example, how to read the result and its limitations.
6. Review: a second team member checks the formula, test results and text before publishing.

03Health, finance and tax content

Calculators that can affect health or money decisions get extra checks: we cite official or peer-reviewed sources, state the year or date figures apply to, explain who the calculator is and isn't suitable for, and show a 'last reviewed' date.

04Sources we use

We prefer primary sources: government agencies (such as the IRS, state revenue departments, CDC and NIH), standards bodies, peer-reviewed research and official manufacturer data. We link to the sources a page relies on.

05Use of AI tools

We may use AI tools to help with research, outlining and drafting. Every page is checked, edited and approved by a member of our team, and every calculation is verified independently before publishing.

06Updates and reviews

We review calculators when the underlying rules change — for example new tax years, contribution limits or updated guidelines — and update the page's review date. Pages are also reviewed when users report problems.

07Corrections policy

If you think a calculator or article contains an error, email support@tuffsearch.com with the page link, the values you used and what you expected. We will:

• acknowledge your report and investigate it against our sources;
• fix confirmed errors as quickly as possible;
• update the page's review date, and for significant errors affecting results, add a short correction note to the page describing what changed and when.

08Advertising policy

• Tuff Search is funded by ads served by Google AdSense.
• Advertisers have no influence over our calculators, results or editorial content.
• We do not currently publish sponsored content or affiliate links. If this changes, sponsored content and affiliate links will be clearly labelled.
• We design pages so ads do not interfere with calculator inputs and results, and we never ask visitors to click ads.

09Contact

Questions about this policy: support@tuffsearch.com.