Editorial policy

Sources

Every guide is built from primary sources: federal statutes and regulations (Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Code), agency rules and guidance (Department of Transportation, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, Department of Labor), state statutes, state attorney general and treasurer offices, court settlement websites and notices, and company policies as published. Each guide lists its sources at the bottom with links.

What we check before publishing

• Dollar amounts, deadlines, and time limits against the current text of the rule or the settlement notice.
• Agency forms and URLs (they move often).
• Whether a rule is federal or varies by state, and we say which.
• Whether a company's process has changed (return windows, cancellation flows, claim forms).

Review dates

Each guide shows "Updated [date]". That is the last time a person checked the guide against its sources. Settlements have hard deadlines; if a deadline has passed, we mark the guide closed or remove it.

Corrections

If you find an error, tell us. We correct factual errors as soon as they're verified and update the review date. Significant corrections are noted in the guide.

Advertising and affiliates

Advertising and affiliate relationships never influence what a guide says. The free, do-it-yourself route always comes first; paid services are described with their fees. See the affiliate disclosure.

Use of AI

Drafts may be produced with AI tools, then checked by a person against the sources listed. Nothing is published without that check.