Editorial Policy

Last updated: July 2026

1. Purpose of This Policy

This Editorial Policy describes the standards AKCalc applies when researching, building, verifying, and updating calculator content. Its purpose is to make our process transparent so that users and independent reviewers can evaluate how results are produced and what sources support them.

AKCalc is not a government authority, tax agency, or licensed advisory firm. Every calculator on this site provides informational estimates based on official published rules. Results are not a substitute for a determination by a qualified professional or official authority.

2. What We Publish and Why

AKCalc publishes calculators and educational content focused on one subject area: payroll, employment income, and related tax obligations — for multiple countries. This covers gross-to-net salary calculations, income tax, social insurance contributions, employer tax costs, freelance and self-employment tax, end-of-service entitlements, and cross-border or expat tax situations.

A calculator is selected for publication when two conditions are met:

• There is genuine user need — people are actively trying to calculate this and existing tools do not solve it accurately or specifically enough.
• A verifiable primary source exists — the calculation can be grounded in an official government document, legislative text, or regulatory schedule.

If no identifiable primary source exists for a calculation, the calculator is not published. This is a hard quality gate, not a guideline.

3. Source Authority Standards by Country

Every calculator identifies its primary authority source on the individual calculator page. The authority varies by country and subject, but in every case it is the government body legally responsible for the rule being calculated. The standards we apply by region are:

United States

Primary sources are IRS publications and instructions (for federal income tax and payroll), official state tax authority publications and withholding tables (for state income tax), and U.S. Code or Code of Federal Regulations where legislative text is applicable. For expat and cross-border situations, applicable IRS publications, Treasury regulations, and official tax treaty text are used.

Germany

Primary sources are Bundesministerium der Finanzen (BMF) publications, the official Lohnsteuer Programmablaufplan (withholding algorithm), and relevant provisions of the Einkommensteuergesetz (EStG). Social insurance contribution rates are sourced from official publications of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung and GKV-Spitzenverband.

Romania

Primary sources are the Codul Fiscal (Tax Code) as published by the Romanian government, ANAF (Agentia Nationala de Administrare Fiscala) guidance, and official legislative texts published in the Monitorul Oficial.

Poland

Primary sources are the Ustawa o podatku dochodowym od osób fizycznych (Personal Income Tax Act), ZUS (Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych) publications for social insurance contributions, and official guidance from the Ministerstwo Finansów.

Gulf states (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain)

End-of-service gratuity calculations are sourced from the official labour law of each country — specifically the provisions governing gratuity entitlement and calculation in the relevant Labour Law or its equivalent ministerial decree.

All other countries. The same principle applies: the primary authority is identified on the specific calculator page. It will be the national tax administration, ministry of finance, social insurance institution, or relevant legislative body for that jurisdiction.

What does not qualify as a primary source for formula derivation: third-party financial websites, news articles, unofficial tax guides, accounting firm summaries, or AI-generated content. These may be consulted to identify what to look for, but the formula is always verified against the official original.

4. Quality Gates Before Publication

Every calculator must pass the following checks before it is published. These are requirements, not intentions:

• Primary source identified and recorded. The specific document, issuing authority, and relevant section or table are documented internally before any formula is implemented.
• Formula implemented from the source directly. The calculation logic is derived from the official document — not from another calculator or third-party interpretation of the rule.
• Output tested against at least one official example. The calculator's result is verified against a documented scenario from an official publication, official withholding worksheet, or publicly verified payslip case. If the output does not match the official example, the discrepancy is resolved before publication.
• Scope statement written. A clear description of what the calculator covers and what it excludes is included on the page before publication.
• Source citation added to the page. The specific source document (name, issuing authority, and publication or effective date) and a last-verified date are added to the published page.

5. Source Citation Standard

Every calculator page displays a source block identifying:

• The name of the specific document or publication used
• The issuing authority (e.g., IRS, BMF, ANAF)
• The publication date or tax year of that document
• The last-verified date — reflecting the most recent check against the official source, not merely the page modification date
• A direct link to the official source where publicly available

The purpose of this standard is to make the basis for every result independently verifiable. A user who doubts a result can open the cited document and check the formula themselves.

6. AI Use Policy

AI writing tools are used on AKCalc to assist with drafting and editing the explanatory text that accompanies each calculator. This use is limited to improving readability and clarity of descriptions that have already been researched and verified by a human.

AI is never used to:

• Generate or suggest calculation formulas
• Identify which official document or source applies to a given calculation
• Confirm tax rates, contribution thresholds, or entitlement schedules
• Validate or test calculator outputs against official examples
• Write content that is published without human review of factual accuracy

All formula research, source identification, rate verification, and output testing is performed manually by a human reviewer against official government publications, before any calculator is published or updated. If AI-generated explanatory text is found to conflict with the official source on any factual point, the official source takes precedence and the text is corrected before publication.

7. Update and Monitoring Policy

Payroll tax rates, income tax brackets, social insurance thresholds, and employment law entitlements are subject to change — primarily at the start of each tax year, or following official budget announcements.

AKCalc monitors the jurisdictions it covers by:

• Tracking official government and ministry websites and publications in each covered country
• Monitoring annual budget announcements, legislative gazette publications, and official rate schedule releases
• Checking official agency websites for updated withholding tables and contribution ceilings at the start of each tax year

When a confirmed regulatory change affects a published calculator, the calculator is updated against the new official source document before the change takes effect — not retroactively months later. No calculator is updated based on media reporting, analyst commentary, or unofficial summaries. Updates are made only on confirmed official publication.

The last-verified date on each calculator page reflects the most recent check against its official source. If a date appears outdated relative to a known regulatory change, this should be reported via the Contact page.

8. Corrections Policy

If you believe a calculator contains an error — in its formula, its rates, its methodology description, or its output — please report it using the Contact page or by emailing shyrazhabi@gmail.com.

When a report is received:

• The report is reviewed within 48 hours.
• The reported discrepancy is checked against the cited official source document.
• If the discrepancy is confirmed, the calculator is corrected and republished immediately — not queued for a later update cycle.
• The basis for the correction (the specific official source and the nature of the error) is documented.
• This record is the basis for the updated last-verified date.

If a reported discrepancy cannot be verified against the official source, or if the calculator result matches the official publication, the reporter is informed of the outcome and the source used.

9. Independence and Commercial Policy

AKCalc earns revenue through display advertising (including Google AdSense). This commercial relationship has no influence on calculator content, formula selection, or source choices. Specifically:

• No advertiser has any input into which calculators are built or how formulas are implemented.
• Calculators are never modified to produce results that favour a particular commercial outcome.
• No content on AKCalc is sponsored, paid for, or commissioned by a third party. All content decisions are made independently by the AKCalc founder.
• Calculators are not built to steer users toward specific financial products, services, or providers.
• Where advertising is displayed on calculator pages, it is clearly distinguishable from calculator content and editorial text.

10. Limitations of Calculator Results

Every calculator on AKCalc produces an estimate — not an official determination. Results may differ from your actual tax liability, payslip, or official notice for any of the following reasons:

• Your individual circumstances include exemptions, deductions, or special situations not covered by the calculator's stated scope
• Regional, municipal, or employer-specific rules apply that the calculator does not model
• Tax law has changed after the calculator's last-verified date
• Your situation involves a combination of factors the calculator is not designed to handle simultaneously

Each calculator page describes its scope: what it covers and what it does not. Users should read the scope statement before relying on any result. For decisions involving tax filing, payroll compliance, legal obligations, or financial planning, consult a qualified professional licensed in your jurisdiction.