Research process
For every policy claim we publish, we cite the primary source — CFR, U.S. Code, IRS pub, ED press release, or the bill text itself. Secondary sources are not used as primary citations.
A monthly review cron lists every pin older than 30 days and surfaces them to the editorial team. Pins older than 90 days are flagged stale and a banner appears on the affected page.
Comparator math
The Plan Comparator computes monthly payments per the statutory formula for each plan. RAP uses the tiered AGI brackets enacted in P.L. 119-21 §3.
Forgiveness amounts are projected at the plan-specific term using a discounted-balance method. NPV-discounted totals are shown secondarily so headline numbers are not misleadingly large.
The tax-bomb projection is illustrative: it applies a flat federal ordinary-income rate for the projected forgiveness year and flags the states currently known to decouple from the federal exclusion. It is not a substitute for a tax professional's calculation on your actual return.
Re-verification
Plan formulas and tax-bomb conformity entries are re-checked against their primary source on a rolling basis, and each carries a last-verified date on /policy-state. Pins older than 90 days are flagged stale. We do not currently retain a standing credentialed (CFP®/CSLP®) auditor; that is a planned addition, not a current claim.