Methodology
How Calcly chooses formulas, sources rate tables, tests math, and ships updates.
Formula selection
We default to the textbook formula for any calculator — the one a financial-mathematics, biomechanics, or geometry textbook would use. Where multiple respected formulas exist (e.g., body-fat estimation), the calculator either picks the most-cited method and names it explicitly on the page, or offers a switcher.
Each calculator's page surfaces the formula directly under "Formula", with every variable defined. Worked examples sit alongside, so you can verify by hand.
Rate tables & jurisdictions
For tax, retirement, and currency calculators we cite official primary sources. The country's tax authority is always the canonical reference; we read their published documents, not third-party summaries.
Tax engines — primary sources
- Open →United States · TY 2025
- Open →India · FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27)
- Open →United Kingdom · Tax Year 2025-26Source: HMRC Tax Tables 2025-26
- Open →Canada · Tax Year 2025
- Open →Australia · FY 2025-26Source: ATO Individual Tax Rates 2025-26
- Open →Germany · Tax Year 2025
- Open →Singapore · YA 2026 (income earned in 2025)
- Open →United Arab Emirates · 2025Source: UAE Federal Tax Authority
Finance — references
- Standard amortization formula
- Time-value-of-money primitives (PV, FV, NPV, IRR)
- ECB reference exchange rates
Health — references
- BMI: WHO classification
- BMR: Mifflin-St Jeor equation
- TDEE: Harris-Benedict activity multipliers
- Body fat: U.S. Navy circumference method
- GFR: CKD-EPI 2021 equation
Testing
Tax engines, financial primitives, and the URL-state serializer are covered by an automated test suite. New tax-bracket math has to pass a snapshot check against worked examples from the source publication before it can ship. The mortgage calculator carries a five-row golden table verified against the standard PMT() formula.
Updates & freshness
Each calculator page surfaces a Last updateddate derived directly from our git commit history — not a hand-edited constant that decays. When you see "Last updated April 2026" under a calculator, that's the date we last touched its source.
Tax tables get a deliberate annual review around each jurisdiction's budget cycle. Material changes between cycles are flagged in the changelog.
Reporting an error
If a number disagrees with another reputable calculator or with the primary source, please tell us. We treat correctness regressions as bugs and ship fixes the same day where we can.