LoadedCost is an independent publication of Ecomparadise, LLC, an Ohio limited liability company. Editorial decisions are made by the editor, Alex.
Last updated: October 23, 2026. This page explains how LoadedCost creates, checks and updates its calculators and guides.
Our standards
- Primary sources first. Data comes from official statistics, standards bodies or the original publisher, and each page names its source and the period covered.
- Show the working. Each calculator states its formula and assumptions, with a worked example you can verify.
- Test before publishing. Our automated tests cover net pay at 100% and 167% of the average wage against OECD published figures for all 38 countries, non-tax compulsory payment rates, and employer contributions for the PwC countries including caps, floors and salary bands (Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Azerbaijan, Jersey, Brunei, Mauritius, Egypt, Brazil and others). A failing test blocks publication.
- Independence. Advertisers and affiliate partners have no say in what we publish or how a result is calculated.
Methodology
For the 38 OECD members, employer and employee social security, income tax and net pay come from the OECD Taxing Wages 2026 comparative indicators (single worker, 67%, 100% and 167% of the average wage, interpolated). For 69 more countries, each employer contribution, cap, floor and salary band is transcribed from PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries with its last-reviewed date; exchange rates are World Bank 2025 averages. Countries marked Partial leave out charges PwC does not quantify, and each page lists them.
Sources we use
- OECD, Taxing Wages 2026 comparative indicators (dataflow DSD_TAX_WAGES_COMP@DF_TW_COMP)
- OECD (2025), Non-tax compulsory payments as an additional burden on labour income (Tables 5 and 6)
- OECD purchasing power parities implied by Taxing Wages
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, individual and corporate "other taxes" pages for 69 countries (each with its own last-reviewed date)
- World Bank World Development Indicators: PA.NUS.FCRF, PA.NUS.PPP, NY.GDP.PCAP.CN (2025)
- Deel and Remote public pricing pages (EOR and contractor list prices, checked 23 October 2026)
How content is written
Pages are researched and edited by Alex. We use software, including AI writing tools, to help draft explanations and to generate pages from structured data (for example, one page per country or per loan amount). Every figure comes from the calculator engine or a cited data set, not from a language model, and generated text is reviewed against the source before publication. Pages that would add little beyond an existing page are excluded from search indexing.
How we verify a result
- Formula from a standard source. The formula is written out on the page.
- Data from the publisher. Figures come from the original dataset, never from memory or an AI model.
- Our tests compare net pay at 100% and 167% of the average wage with OECD’s published figures for all 38 OECD countries.
- Each calculator shows a worked check: Germany’s 2025 average wage of €66,700 plus 20.86% employer social security is €80,617, the total the tool shows.
- US mode is tested line by line: a $75,000 California hire costs $81,024.50 (Social Security $4,650, Medicare $1,087.50, FUTA $42, state UI $245), plus wage-base caps and all 51 state records.
- A failing test blocks publication. Nothing goes live until the whole test suite passes.
Review schedule
We review every page at least once every six months, and sooner when a source publishes a new edition. Each page shows its last-reviewed date, so you can always see how fresh it is.
| Data | Source | How often it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| US federal payroll taxes | SSA 2026 wage base and IRS Publication 15 (2026) | each January |
| US state unemployment tax (50 states + DC) | EY Tax News 2026 SUI chart, confirmed against state agency pages where linked | checked at each review; rate year shown per state |
| Employer social security and take-home pay (38 OECD countries) | OECD Taxing Wages 2026 comparative indicators and non-tax compulsory payment tables | OECD publishes once a year (usually in spring); we load each new edition |
| 69 non-OECD countries | PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries (each country page has its own review date) | PwC updates pages through the year; checked at each review |
| Exchange rates and purchasing power | World Bank World Development Indicators (PA.NUS.FCRF, PA.NUS.PPP) | annual |
| EOR and contractor list prices | Deel and Remote public pricing pages | checked at each review; date shown on the page |
What we do not claim
- No lab testing, hands-on product testing or panel of experts.
- No professional credentials for the editor.
- No ratings, reviews or testimonials from users.
Who is responsible
LoadedCost is an independent publication of Ecomparadise, LLC, an Ohio limited liability company. Alex, the editor, is responsible for every page on LoadedCost. Questions about a method or a source: syedzafarbuying@gmail.com.
Updates and corrections
We refresh data when the publisher releases a new edition and record the date on each page. If you spot an error, please contact us; confirmed errors are corrected promptly and the page date is updated.
Limits
Calculators give estimates for general information. They are not personalised advice; see our terms of use.