How we check our figures

Accuracy is the whole point of this site. This page explains where the figures come from, how they're kept current, and what you can check for yourself.

Official sources first

Figures are taken from the organisation that sets or publishes them: government departments, tax authorities and public bodies. Each fact links to the exact page it came from. The figures on this site currently come from:

• GOV.UK — HMRC 63 figures
• Scottish Government 18 figures
• GOV.UK — DWP 12 figures
• GOV.UK 8 figures
• HMRC 8 figures
• GOV.UK — Student Loans Company 7 figures
• Welsh Revenue Authority 7 figures
• NS&I 5 figures
• Bank of England 4 figures
• The Pensions Regulator 3 figures
• Moneyfacts 2 figures
• Bank of England — Money and Credit 1 figures
• HMRC Capital Gains Manual 1 figures

Every figure has its own review schedule

How often a figure is checked depends on how often it can change. Savings rates such as the Premium Bonds prize fund rate are checked monthly. Tax rates and allowances, which normally change once a year, are checked at least twice a year, including after each Budget.

Each figure shows the date it was last checked against its source. Where a figure has a known start date, such as the start of a tax year, that is shown too.

Changes are recorded, not overwritten

When a figure changes, the old and new values and the date of the change are kept. That history is what powers the "What's changed" section on each page, so you can see exactly how a rate or allowance has moved.

One figure, used everywhere

Each figure is stored once, even when it appears on several pages. The Personal Allowance, for example, is used on the Income Tax, Scottish Income Tax and savings pages. When it changes, every page and every worked example updates together, so the site can't disagree with itself.

Figures that differ around the UK

Some rules are different in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, such as Income Tax bands and the taxes on buying a home. Those figures are labelled with the nation they apply to.

Worked examples

Worked examples are calculated from the current figures on the page, using the assumptions stated beneath each one. They are illustrations of how the rules work, not a calculation of your own position.

Reporting an error

If you think a figure is wrong or out of date, please email info@financial-facts.com. It will be checked against its source and corrected if needed.