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Methodology

How we research and stay current

A YMYL financial tool is only as good as its sourcing and its freshness. Here is exactly how we build, cite and maintain every figure.

Primary sources only

Every threshold, rate and scheme figure traces to HMRC, gov.uk or legislation.gov.uk. We do not cite third-party UK accounting blogs as primary sources — at most as secondary context, always with a link to the underlying gov.uk page. Our full source list is public.

How the calculators map to the rules

The rolling tracker implements HMRC’s two registration tests directly: the backward-look rolling 12-month sum checked at each month-end, and the forward-look 30-day test, with the registration deadline and effective date derived per VAT Notice 700/1. VAT Notice 700/1

The Flat Rate Scheme advisor reads its sector percentages from the published VAT Notice 733 trade table, applies the first-year discount and the limited-cost override exactly as HMRC defines them, and compares against the standard method. VAT Notice 733

One source of truth

All figures live in a single data file. A Budget change is a one-line edit that updates the tracker, the advisor, the pillar copy and every policy pin at once — there is no second place for a number to drift out of sync.

The refresh cycle

Figures are reviewed monthly and re-checked against HMRC after each Spring and Autumn Budget, when VAT thresholds, Flat Rate Scheme percentages and Making Tax Digital rules are most likely to change. Every claim on the site carries its own last-verified date so a stale figure is visible, not silent — see the policy state hub.

Independent review

Our content is being reviewed by an independent UK-credentialled accountant (ICAEW / ACCA / CIOT / ATT). Until that engagement is named on our about page, the site shows an “independent review pending” status rather than claiming a reviewer we do not have. We never fabricate credentials.

What we are not

We are an information tool, not a firm of chartered accountants and not a tax-advisory firm. We do not see your full circumstances. Verify with HMRC or a UK-credentialled accountant before acting on anything here.