How we review guidance

Every guide on the site goes through the same review cycle. This page documents exactly what that involves.

1. Step 1

   Draft against primary sources

   Every guide is drafted against GOV.UK, Citizens Advice and CPAG handbooks. Figures are pulled from the central rules file, never typed directly into the page.

2. Step 2

   Human editorial review

   An editor reviews the draft for accuracy, clarity, tone and nuance. High-risk topics (inheritance, deprivation of capital, trusts, mixed-age couples) are flagged for additional caution language and specialist-advice signposting.

3. Step 3

   Cross-check against the rules engine

   Every numeric claim must trace back to the central rules file. If a figure can't be sourced, it is removed.

4. Step 4

   Tone and emotional pacing check

   We re-read every guide for calmness. No urgency, no scarcity, no overpromising. We add reassurance language where the topic is genuinely stressful.

5. Step 5

   Publish with reviewed date

   The guide is published with the date it was last reviewed. That date appears in the trust footer of every page.

6. Step 6

   Re-review on a schedule and on every rule change

   We re-review on the cadence above. If DWP or HMRC changes a figure, we update the central rules file and log the change publicly the same day.

Spotted something out of date? hello@benefitcheck.uk. We log every correction on the current rules page.