Editorial policy

Effective October 31, 2026

Our rules

  1. Primary sources first. Every guide starts from official sources: the IRS, the Small Business Administration, FinCEN, the Federal Register, and state agencies such as Secretaries of State and tax departments. Each factual claim links to its source. Claims we can’t source don’t get published.
  2. Numbers come from one verified place. Tax rates, fees, thresholds and deadlines are stored in a single data file, each with its official source and the date it was last verified. Guides pull numbers from that file, so when a number changes, every guide updates at once.
  3. Clear jurisdiction. Every guide says whether it applies federally or to specific states. Rules differ by state and city.
  4. Proposed is not final. Posts about rule changes are labeled proposed, final rule or in effect, with the effective date when known.
  5. Dates on everything. Every guide shows when it was published and last reviewed. Tax figures are re-checked every January.

How AI is used

Guides are drafted with AI from the primary sources described above. A separate AI pass then matches each claim to a quote from those sources. Before anything is published, the founder checks the claims against the sources, verifies any new figures, and adds first-hand experience where it’s relevant. AI never writes founder notes.

What we aren’t

We aren’t a law firm or accounting firm, and nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice for your specific situation. Guides say when a licensed professional should look at your situation.

Independence

Advertisers, sponsors and affiliate partners never decide what we write, how products are ranked, or what we recommend. Paid content is labeled. See disclosures.

Corrections

If we get something wrong, we fix it, note the correction on the guide, and list it on the corrections page. Use the “Report an error” link at the bottom of any guide.