How expert review works
Who reviews FinanceOpen guides and calculators, how we verify their credentials, and what a review does and does not mean.
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Expert review is an extra layer of checking on top of our own editorial work. Here is exactly what it means on FinanceOpen.
Who our reviewers are
Our reviewers are qualified professionals, such as Chartered Accountants, who contribute to FinanceOpen in an educational role. Each reviewer’s profile states their qualification and whether they hold a certificate of practice.
How we verify credentials
- The professional gives us their membership details and written consent to be named on FinanceOpen.
- We check their membership with the relevant professional body, for example through the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) member records.
- We record who carried out the check and on what date. Only then does a “Verified” label appear on their profile.
A verified label means we confirmed the person’s professional membership. It does not mean the professional body endorses FinanceOpen, and we never suggest that it does.
What a reviewer checks
- That the explanation of the law is correct for the stated law and tax year.
- That figures, limits and dates match the official sources listed on the page.
- That worked examples are calculated correctly.
- For calculators: every rate and rule in the calculation, and a set of worked test cases.
How approvals are recorded
An approval applies to one exact version of a page. Our system records the reviewer, the date and a fingerprint of the approved text, sources and FAQs. If any of these change, the page stops showing the reviewer until they approve the new version. Calculators work the same way: an approval is tied to the exact rules file, and any change takes the calculator back to “under review”.
What a review does not mean
- It is not personal advice. A reviewer has checked a general explanation, not your situation.
- The reviewer is not acting as your adviser, and reading their reviewed page does not create a professional relationship with them.
- FinanceOpen does not refer readers to reviewers, and reviewers do not pay or receive referral fees through FinanceOpen.
Pages without a reviewer
Some pages show “Not yet expert-reviewed”. These pages still meet our editorial standards and cite official sources, but no qualified professional has approved the current version yet.
Are you a qualified professional who would like to contribute? Get in touch.