Editorial policy

People use our numbers to weigh up job offers and plan a move abroad, so they have to be right. This page explains where the rules come from, how we check them and what we do when something changes or turns out to be wrong.

Official sources only

Every rate, band, credit and threshold comes from a primary source: the tax authority, the legislation, the official gazette or the government's budget documents. We do not copy figures from other calculators or news articles; we use them at most to find the official document. Each country's sources are listed and linked on the methodology page.

Tested against official worked examples

Each calculator has automated tests that reproduce examples published by the government itself. A change to a calculator is only published when all of them pass.

  • Ireland: Department of Finance Budget 2027 examples, Revenue USC examples, Social Protection PRSI and My Future Fund examples.
  • Portugal: Government simulations of the 2026 IRS cut, to the cent.
  • Netherlands: Belastingdienst 2026 wage tax tables, Handboek Loonheffingen 30% ruling examples, KVK freelancer example.
  • Spain: Tax Agency (AEAT) worked example of state and regional tax.
  • Germany: 516 results from the Finance Ministry's official 2026 test tables.
  • Italy: Agenzia delle Entrate tax figures, Ministry of Economy and circolare 4/E tax-wedge examples.
  • France: the tax administration’s 2026 brochure pratique worked examples and ready-reckoner rows.
  • UK: Scottish Government income tax factsheet, GOV.UK student loan examples.
  • Turkey: Official 2026 minimum wage breakdown, Revenue Administration (GİB) worked examples.

Laws, proposals and announcements

We add next year's rules as soon as a government announces them, so you can plan ahead. Until they are law, they are labelled as a proposal or a budget announcement, and the rules in force stay the default. When the final law differs from the proposal, we update the calculator and note it in the rate updates.

Keeping rates up to date

Rates are reviewed at every budget, at the start of each tax year and whenever a mid-year change is announced. Every country page shows the date its rates were last checked, and every change is recorded in the rate updates log with the date it was made.

What the calculators do not cover

The calculators work out tax and social security for common situations. They do not know about every personal deduction, benefit in kind or payroll practice, so your payslip can differ. Each country's limits are listed on the methodology page. The results are estimates, not tax advice.

Corrections

If you think a number is wrong, email [email protected] with the salary and options you used. We check every report against the official source. When a correction is needed, we fix the calculator, add a test so the mistake cannot come back, and record the fix in the rate updates.

Independence and advertising

ExpatSalary is independent and is not linked to any tax authority, government, employer or financial company. It is funded by advertising. Advertisers have no say in the calculators or the guides, and ads are kept clearly separate from the calculators and their buttons.