Validation record

How RatioCalc checks calculator accuracy

RatioCalc currently publishes 80 public calculators. Validation is treated as part of the product: formulas, assumptions, edge cases and the text that explains a result are reviewed together rather than treating the calculator and its documentation as separate systems.

Formula review

The implemented formula or cash-flow model is checked against the financial definition the tool claims to calculate.

Edge-case testing

Zero rates, negative values where valid, payoff boundaries, insufficient payments and other failure-prone cases are included in regression testing where relevant.

Explanation review

Public copy is checked against actual calculator behavior so the page does not claim to include fees, taxes, insurance, rules or features the model does not calculate.

Published review history

Calculator-family accuracy audits

Loans & Debt

Loan, debt and credit formulas, payoff behavior, amortization, fees, edge cases and public explanations.

Investing & Savings

Savings, compounding, retirement, securities ratios, portfolio math, CDs, return assumptions and edge cases.

Taxes & Budgeting

2026 federal tax logic, payroll and self-employment tax, capital gains, budgeting, net worth and compensation comparisons.

Real Estate

Housing affordability, rental returns, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, property tax, equity and transaction assumptions.

Business

Liquidity, leverage, profitability, turnover, break-even, runway, unit economics and valuation calculations.

Conversion & Other

Currency reference rates, inflation and deflation, discounts, tips, sales tax, VAT/GST and rate conversions.

Global consistency review: Cross-family consistency across public content, assumptions, schema output and shared calculator behavior. Completed September 4, 2026.

What a review covers

  • • Formula, units and timing conventions used by the implementation.
  • • Inputs that materially change the result and assumptions that are intentionally excluded.
  • • Boundary conditions and regression cases likely to expose incorrect behavior.
  • • Current-year regulatory values against primary or authoritative sources where applicable.
  • • Agreement between the calculator, metadata, structured data and explanatory text.

What a review does not mean

  • • It is not certification by a regulator, accounting body, lender or financial institution.
  • • It does not make a simplified planning model complete for every personal circumstance.
  • • It does not guarantee that laws, rates, product terms or market conventions will remain unchanged.
  • • It does not replace verification with a contract, official authority, current financial statement or qualified professional when a decision is material.

Trace the reasoning behind a result

Each calculator shows its own assumptions and limitations, and relevant pages link to primary sources. The methodology and editorial policy describe how those pieces are maintained together.

Validation record last reviewed: September 8, 2026.