Fresh Start Division publishes editorial content that readers make real financial decisions with. We take that seriously. This page documents our specific commitments on accuracy, sourcing, editorial independence, and what we do when we get something wrong.
Accuracy and fact-checking
Every procedural fact, statutory citation, and IRS procedure stated in our content is verified against primary sources before publication. Our primary source hierarchy:
- Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C.) for statutory law
- Treasury Regulations (26 C.F.R.) for regulatory interpretation
- Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) for IRS procedural guidance
- IRS Publications for taxpayer-facing procedures and thresholds
- IRS Data Book and TIGTA reports for enforcement statistics
- Tax Court decisions and federal court opinions for contested interpretations
Secondary sources (industry publications, professional commentary) are used for context but not relied upon for specific procedural claims.
Keeping content current
Tax law and IRS procedures change. IRS Fresh Start Program thresholds, allowable expense standards, interest rates, and specific procedures are reviewed on a rolling basis. Every article has a "Last Updated" date indicating when it was last reviewed. Articles addressing rapidly-changing topics (current interest rates, IRS staffing situation) are reviewed more frequently than articles on stable procedural topics (how to request First-Time Abatement).
Correction policy
When we identify a factual error in published content, we correct it. Corrections include:
- Substantive corrections — errors affecting the factual content or recommendation of an article. Noted with a "Correction" block at the top of the article and a dated description of what was changed.
- Minor corrections — typos, broken links, formatting fixes. Made silently without notation.
Readers who identify errors should email corrections@freshstartdivision.org with the article URL and a description of the error. We respond within three business days and correct verified errors promptly.
Separation of editorial and commercial
Fresh Start Division earns referral fees when taxpayers engage our partner firms. This creates a structural incentive to recommend professional engagement, which we manage by enforcing specific editorial commitments:
- Our content discusses self-directed options (direct IRS filing, online installment agreements, simple abatement requests) as equal alternatives to professional representation, not as inferior options.
- We publish the actual acceptance rates, typical settlement amounts, and limitations of relief programs — not the optimistic framings common in tax resolution marketing.
- We do not endorse specific partner firms in editorial content. Partner firms are disclosed on our dedicated Partner Network page.
- Advertisement blocks on content pages (the "Advertisement" labeled eligibility widgets) are clearly identified as advertising, in compliance with FTC native advertising guidelines.
Author attribution and credentials
Every article is credited to an individual writer and lists their role. Writer biographies appear at the bottom of each article. Writers do not hold themselves out as providing tax advice through editorial content; professional tax advice is provided exclusively through licensed practitioners in our partner network.
What we do not publish
Fresh Start Division does not publish:
- Guaranteed-outcome claims about IRS programs
- "Pennies on the dollar" framing without accompanying explanation of typical settlement realities
- Content implying that the IRS is generally negotiable or unenforced (the IRS is a tax authority with significant enforcement powers)
- Content designed to create fear for marketing purposes (urgency-manufacturing)
- Endorsements of specific tax preparation software, banks, or financial products outside our direct partner network
Contacting the editorial team
Editorial questions, correction requests, source verification inquiries: editorial@freshstartdivision.org. Press inquiries: press@freshstartdivision.org.