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Methodology & sources

Transparent models, explicit assumptions and authoritative references.

Last updated

References explain the models; they do not endorse ClearCalc. Tax verification dates come from the data pack, not from the date this page was edited. User-entered assumptions are never presented as official rates.

US state coverage is partial. States without a wage income tax are modeled at zero; other states require a custom percentage. No complete, independently verified state-rate table is claimed. Check your state revenue authority for current rules.

Calculator references

Budget Planner

General planning model · No country-specific tax year

Adds needs and wants, compares allocation with the 50/30/20 educational benchmark, and shows unallocated income. The benchmark is not a mandatory spending rule.

Mortgage Calculator

General planning model · No country-specific tax year

Fixed-rate amortization with user-entered property tax, insurance and HOA; simplified PMI and extra-payment assumptions. A lender’s actual PMI cancellation rules may differ.

Loan Calculator

General planning model · No country-specific tax year

Fixed-rate monthly amortization with extra payments; excludes lender-specific fees and daily accrual.

Personal Loan Calculator

General planning model · No country-specific tax year

The shared fixed-rate loan model with personal-loan defaults, not a live loan offer.

Auto Loan Calculator

General planning model · No country-specific tax year

The shared loan model with down payment, trade-in and user-entered sales tax. No official local sales-tax rate is supplied.

Debt Payoff Planner

General planning model · No country-specific tax year

Monthly interest and payment allocation compare minimum-only, snowball and avalanche plans. Creditor policies and variable rates are not predicted.

Credit Card Payoff Calculator

General planning model · No country-specific tax year

Simplified monthly APR accrual; illustrative minimum payment is interest plus 1% of balance with a 25-unit floor. Your issuer’s actual minimum and daily accrual may differ.

Take-Home Pay Calculator

Tax year 2026 · Data last verified October 17, 2026

US 2026 federal brackets, standard deductions, Social Security and Medicare. Employee Additional Medicare uses the withholding threshold; final tax liability can differ. State coverage is partial and deductions are simplified.

Compound Interest Calculator

General planning model · No country-specific tax year

Compound growth with regular contributions, selected compounding frequency and optional inflation adjustment. Rates are hypothetical and taxes and fees are excluded.

Retirement Calculator

General planning model · No country-specific tax year

Savings growth and an illustrative 4% initial annual withdrawal assumption, plus a user-entered Social Security estimate. The 4% assumption is not an official guaranteed withdrawal rate.

FIRE Calculator

General planning model · No country-specific tax year

Expense-based independence target and real-return growth projection. Lean and Fat variants are educational spending scenarios, not official standards.

Self-Employment Tax Calculator

Tax year 2026 · Data last verified October 17, 2026

US 2026 SE tax on 92.35% of net earnings, Social Security wage base, Medicare and the half-SE-tax deduction, plus simplified income tax and equal quarterly set-asides. Actual estimated-payment requirements can differ.

Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator

General planning model · No country-specific tax year

Target income, expenses, assumed taxes and billable time determine illustrative rates. No government-prescribed freelance rate or verified tax percentage is implied.

Expat Budget Planner

General planning model · No country-specific tax year

Income and expenses translated with a manually entered exchange rate. No live foreign-exchange feed or country-specific tax computation is used.

How to interpret source links

We distinguish authoritative background references from the precise constants embedded in a tax pack. A source explaining mortgages or diversification does not validate every fee, return or withdrawal assumption in our tool. The detailed calculator page explains exclusions and worked examples.

Verification and limitations

Automated tests exercise concrete examples and important boundaries. They do not constitute an audit or guarantee. Simplified monthly interest models can differ from daily interest, statement cycles or lender rounding. Future investment returns, freelance pricing and manual exchange rates are user assumptions.

Suggest a correction

Email info.ClearCalc@gmail.com with the tool link, reproducible inputs and a relevant primary source. We aim to respond within two business days and assess material corrections under our Editorial Policy.