Editorial standards, sources and corrections

Who publishes the site

ReplaceCost content and calculator logic are published under the organizational byline ReplaceCost Editorial Team. The site does not present an invented individual as a contractor, adjuster, engineer, attorney, accountant or licensed insurance professional. If a qualified outside reviewer is used in the future, the page should identify that person and credential only after verification and with permission.

What every calculator page should show

Source selection

Primary public sources are preferred for legal, tax, insurance, labor, energy and technical definitions. Examples include the IRS, Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, state insurance departments and recognized standards organizations.

Commercial cost publishers and contractor marketplaces can help establish a broad market comparison, but their figures may exclude product, labor, removal, permit, trim or repair items. ReplaceCost should name the scope difference instead of presenting unlike numbers as equivalent. A commercial source is not described as independent government evidence.

Calculation and review process

1. Define the user question. The page should answer a specific replacement or claim-gap query, not merely repeat a keyword.
2. Choose the trade unit. The calculation begins with the unit used for that project and separates major scope lines.
3. Check evidence. Definitions and sensitive current claims are checked against the most direct authoritative source available.
4. Test outputs. Representative combinations are checked for order, arithmetic, impossible values and consistency between the written explanation and calculator.
5. Publish the limitations. A planning range must not be presented as a quote, appraisal, tax result or coverage decision.

The detailed formulas, regional treatment and insurance model are documented on the methodology page.

AI-assisted work

Software and AI tools may assist with drafting, code, design, consistency checks and test generation. They are not treated as a source of fact or professional authority. Source selection, calculator assumptions, legal or tax statements and final publication decisions must be checked against the cited material before release.

Corrections policy

Corrections are prioritized by possible harm: incorrect insurance or tax guidance first, then calculation errors, broken tools, stale rates, misleading scope comparisons, accessibility problems and minor wording. A material correction should update the visible page, relevant calculator copy, structured data and review date together.

Readers can report an issue through the contact page. A written quote, policy excerpt or public source is helpful, but personal account numbers, addresses and claim identifiers should be removed. Submitting feedback does not create a professional-client relationship and does not guarantee an individual response.

Advertising, affiliate links and independence

ReplaceCost may be funded by advertising and clearly identified affiliate or referral links. Payment, click activity or advertiser participation must not alter calculator inputs, rates, formulas, result order or editorial conclusions. Commercial links should be labeled close to the link, and any material relationship should be disclosed.

Advertisers and referral partners do not receive the values typed into a calculator from the calculator itself. Advertising and analytics technologies may have separate data practices described in the privacy policy.

Professional and geographic limits

The site is designed for general U.S. homeowner planning. Local codes, product availability, licensing rules, tax treatment, insurance policy language, matching requirements and labor conditions vary. ReplaceCost is not a substitute for a licensed contractor, engineer, appraiser, public adjuster, attorney, tax professional, insurance agent or state regulator.