Our readers often use what we write to plan their month. A wrong payment date or a made-up “bonus” isn’t a small slip for someone living on a fixed income. It can mean a missed bill or a lot of worry for nothing.
That’s why accuracy comes before speed at YV Commission. We would rather publish an hour later and get it right than be first and get it wrong.
This page explains where we get our information, how we check it, and what we do when we make a mistake.
The Sources We Rely On
Not every source carries the same weight. We use them in this order:
- Official sources first. For the US: ssa.gov, SSA press releases, the official payment calendar, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Medicare.gov. For the UK: GOV.UK, DWP press releases and guidance, legislation.gov.uk, Parliament and the Office for National Statistics.
- Official reports and data. Trustees reports, benefit statistics, Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts and Government Actuary reports.
- Respected independent experts. Groups like AARP, The Senior Citizens League, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Citizens Advice and benefit charities. We use them for analysis and estimates, and we always name them.
- Established news organizations. Useful for context and breaking news, but we confirm key facts with an official source before we repeat them.
We don’t treat social media posts, viral videos or other benefit-news websites as a source on their own. If a claim only appears there, we don’t publish it as fact.
How We Check a Story
Every article goes through these steps before it’s published:
- Find the original. We trace each claim back to where it started, whether that’s a press release, a government page or a data release, and read the original document.
- Check the numbers. Every dollar or pound amount, percentage, date and age limit is checked against that source. If we do our own math, such as working out a new monthly payment, someone else repeats the calculation.
- Check who it applies to. Many rules only cover some people, like one benefit, one part of the UK or one birth-date group. We make sure the article says that clearly.
- Second pair of eyes. A different member of the team reads the article and checks the key facts before it goes live.
- Link the source. We link to the main official source in the article so readers can check it themselves.
If we can’t confirm something, we either leave it out or say plainly that it hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Estimates, Rumors and Headlines
Estimates are labeled as estimates. Before an official figure is released, we sometimes report forecasts, like an expected cost-of-living increase. We always say who made the estimate and that the final number may be different. Once the official figure is out, we update the article.
We don’t spread rumors. Benefit news attracts a lot of false claims, like “surprise” payments, “confirmed” bonuses or stimulus checks that don’t exist. If we write about a rumor, it’s to explain whether it’s true, and we say so clearly in the headline and the first paragraph.
Our headlines match our stories. We won’t use a headline that promises money, a payment or a deadline the article can’t back up. If the news is that something is proposed, expected or under review, the headline says that too.
Our images aren’t misleading. We don’t use pictures of cheques, cash or official letters in a way that suggests a payment is coming when it isn’t.
Corrections and Updates
When we get something wrong, we fix it and we’re open about it. We don’t quietly change an article and hope nobody noticed.
We use two kinds of notes:
- Correction: used when we published something that was wrong, like an incorrect date, amount or rule. We fix the error and add a note at the end of the article saying what was wrong and what we changed. For example: “Correction, October 15, 2026: An earlier version of this article gave the wrong payment date for SSI recipients. It has been corrected to October 30.”
- Update: used when the story itself has moved on, like an estimate being replaced by an official figure. We add new information and show the date of the update near the top of the article.
Small fixes that don’t change the meaning, like a typo or a broken link, are corrected without a note.
We aim to review and fix reported errors within 24 to 48 hours.
Found an Error? Let Us Know
Readers are some of our best fact-checkers. If you spot something that looks wrong, please tell us through our Contact Us page.
It helps a lot if you include:
- The link to the article
- What you think is wrong
- A link to an official source that shows the correct information, if you have one
We look at every report. If we agree there’s a mistake, we’ll correct it following the steps above.
For more about how we work, see our Editorial Policy.