Editorial process — how our UK tax content is reviewed

Q: How calculators specifically are maintained?

Each calculator on the site has: A fixture file ( data/calculator-fixtures.json ) with test cases — input → expected output. An automated verification step in the build pipeline that runs every fixture on every build. A methodology snippet on the methodology page explaining inputs, formulas, and assumptions.

Q: What this process specifically does NOT include?

External peer review by paid auditors. Our reviews are internal; we'd add external auditor review for high-stakes content if/when scale justifies it. Conflict-of-interest disclosure beyond Maze Tax Services. No other commercial relationships currently exist requiring disclosure. If that changes, the editorial standards page is updated first. Quarterly reviews. Annual review is the floor; major events trigger reviews mid-cycle.

Last reviewed by the UK Tax Drag editorial team · 12 May 2026 · How we review · Next review due 12 May 2027 · See what changed · Report an error

5-minute read

The UK Tax Drag editorial process is a six-stage workflow: (1) research from primary sources, (2) editorial drafting with embedded citations, (3) calculation verification against HMRC tools or worked examples, (4) peer review by a second editor, (5) publication with visible review date, and (6) annual review with each Spring Budget. The process is the same whether the output is a 300-word explainer, a 3,000-word deep-dive, or a calculator with embedded JavaScript logic.

Stage 1 — Research from primary sources

Every page starts with primary-source research. Secondary commentary (Money Marketing, FT Adviser, mainstream personal finance sites) is read for context but never cited as authority. Primary sources we use:

HMRC manuals (Cryptoassets Manual, Pensions Tax Manual, SDLT Manual, Capital Gains Manual, etc.) for tax position.
GOV.UK guidance pages for current rates, thresholds, deadlines.
Primary legislation (Finance Acts, Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act, Income Tax Act, Pension Schemes Act) for definitive position.
OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook for forecast data.
ONS for wage, inflation, and demographic data.
FCA Handbook for regulated-product rules.
The Pensions Regulator for occupational pension rules.
NS&I for National Savings products.
HMRC's CSV/JSON data for taxpayer statistics where applicable.
First-tier Tax Tribunal and Upper Tribunal decisions for case-law on contested positions.

Each fact, rate, threshold, or allowance in the eventual page is annotated in the research draft with the primary source URL. If a claim can't be sourced to a primary, it's either reworded or removed.

Stage 2 — Editorial drafting

The page is drafted with the following structure (varies slightly by content type):

Headline answer — the single-paragraph version of the page, designed for readers who only have 30 seconds.
Worked example or specific scenario — concrete numbers showing the mechanic in action.
Mechanics section — the rules in plain English, with the relevant edge cases.
Common traps or mistakes — what real readers get wrong.
Sources and methodology — primary-source links, methodology reference.
Related guides — internal links to adjacent pages.

Tone: direct, opinionated where warranted, technical where necessary but never gratuitously jargon-heavy. We don't pad word count for SEO. If a topic can be covered in 800 words, we cover it in 800 words.

Stage 3 — Calculation verification

For pages with numbers (which is most pages):

Tax bands and allowances are cross-checked against the current GOV.UK pages.
Worked examples are recomputed by hand from the published bands.
Calculator outputs are tested against HMRC's published calculators (where available) or against academic/professional sources (where HMRC doesn't publish a tool).
Test cases — every calculator has a published set of test cases in the data/calculator-fixtures.json file. The build pipeline runs these on every build via verify-calculator-fixtures.js.
Edge cases — boundary cases (£0, £12,570, £50,270, £100,000, £125,140) are explicitly tested.

If a calculation differs from HMRC's tool, we investigate and either fix our calculation or document the deliberate methodological choice with rationale.

Stage 4 — Peer review

A second editor reviews the draft before publication. The review covers:

Accuracy of every quantitative claim against the cited source.
Completeness — are obvious edge cases or counter-examples covered?
Tone and clarity — does the page read clearly for the target audience?
Internal linking — are appropriate related pages linked?
Schema markup — is FAQPage, HowTo, Article schema correctly applied?
Disclaimer language — is the not-financial-advice position clear?

Currently, peer review is done within the UK Tax Drag editorial team. As named specialist experts come on board, content in their speciality area (regulated pensions, complex tax planning, IHT) will be specifically reviewed by the relevant expert before publication.

Stage 5 — Publication

On publication:

The page is added to the sitemap and submitted to IndexNow.
The "Last reviewed" date is set to today's date.
Schema markup (Article, Breadcrumb, FAQPage where applicable) is verified to match.
OG image is generated for social sharing.
Internal links from related pages are added (via the mega-nav or related-articles injector).
The page is included in the next monthly newsletter (when newsletter is live).

Stage 6 — Post-publication maintenance

Pages are reviewed and updated on this cycle:

Each Spring Budget (March/April): All tax-figure pages are reviewed and updated for the new tax year. Affected pages: take-home pay landings, all calculators, all rate-quoting deep-dives.
Each Autumn Statement (October/November): Pages on threshold changes, allowance changes, and pension reform are reviewed.
Annual review: Every page reviewed at least once per year, regardless of whether figures changed. Review date refreshed on publication.
Triggered review: Pages are re-reviewed when (a) a reader correction is filed, (b) the topic is covered by major HMRC guidance changes, or (c) the linked primary source URL changes.

The "Last reviewed" date on each page reflects the most recent of these. If you see a page with a review date older than 12 months from your current date, the page is overdue and we'd appreciate a flag via the corrections policy.

How calculators specifically are maintained

Each calculator on the site has:

A fixture file (data/calculator-fixtures.json) with test cases — input → expected output.
An automated verification step in the build pipeline that runs every fixture on every build.
A methodology snippet on the methodology page explaining inputs, formulas, and assumptions.
A version log for material changes to the calculation logic.

If HMRC changes a rate mid-year (e.g. via an Autumn Statement), the fixture file is updated and the build pipeline catches any calculator that produces an outdated answer.

What this process specifically does NOT include

External peer review by paid auditors. Our reviews are internal; we'd add external auditor review for high-stakes content if/when scale justifies it.
Conflict-of-interest disclosure beyond Maze Tax Services. No other commercial relationships currently exist requiring disclosure. If that changes, the editorial standards page is updated first.
Quarterly reviews. Annual review is the floor; major events trigger reviews mid-cycle.