What counts as a correction
A correction is a factual error: a wrong dollar figure, an outdated deadline, a program rule we got wrong, or a claim we can’t back up with a source.
A difference of opinion about how we’ve framed something isn’t a correction in the same sense, but we still want to hear it.
What to include when you report
The more specific your report, the faster we can act on it.
- The guide’s title or URL.
- The specific sentence or figure you think is wrong.
- Where you saw the correct information, if you have a source.
- Your contact info, in case we need to follow up.
What we do, and how fast
Response times depend on what kind of report it is.
- Within 2 working days: we acknowledge the report and tell you whether we’re treating it as a correction, a clarification, or a difference of interpretation.
- Within 5 working days: we fix the error, or explain why we think the original stands.
- Health or safety-adjacent claims are reviewed faster and more conservatively. If we’re not sure, we remove the claim rather than leave it standing.
- If a correction requires checking a source we don’t have on hand, such as a state agency’s own records, we tell you it will take longer and follow up when it’s resolved.
How corrections appear on the page
A correction that changes the guidance carries a dated note at the foot of the guide. We do not quietly edit a page and pretend it always said that.
Typos and broken links are fixed without a note, because there’s nothing for a reader to re-evaluate.
When we will not change something
Reporting an error is not the same as disagreeing with something we’ve sourced.
- We won’t change a guide because someone disagrees with a plainly sourced figure without offering a source of their own.
- We won’t remove accurate information because it’s unflattering to a program or an advertiser.
- We won’t add claims-filing instructions or promise a specific outcome, even if asked.
Removing or de-indexing a guide
Sometimes a guide can’t be fixed. A program may have been discontinued, or the information may be too out of date to responsibly patch. When that happens, we remove the guide or take it out of search results rather than leave outdated guidance standing.
Our correction record
We keep an internal record of every substantive correction, so patterns in what we get wrong are visible to us even when they’re not visible to a reader on any single page.