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Legal DIY & Cost Estimator

Methodology · Overview

Methodology

Reviewed by · Last reviewed .

Every calculator on Legal DIY & Cost Estimator is a real piece of software with tests, a citation, and a named human who reviews it. Here is how the process works, end to end. For category-specific methodology — sources, formula derivations, edge cases, and update protocol — see the per-category pages linked at the bottom of this page. For how Bedrocka Tools operates as a publisher more broadly, see our editorial standards.

How tools are built

Calculators are written in TypeScript as pure functions inside a shared package (@bedrocka-tools/calc), with Vitest unit tests that cover edge cases: zero-income obligors, self-support reserve floors, BLS table boundary lookups, state guideline cap thresholds, and every published sample worksheet we can find from primary sources. The package has no UI and no side effects — if a calculator gives the wrong answer, there's one file to fix and a failing test that tells us it was wrong.

Formula sourcing — primary sources only

We only cite primary sources. Blog-of-a-blog-of-a-PDF is not a source. Primary sources we use routinely on this site:

  • State child-support guideline statutes — 50-state coverage, cited by state code or administrative rule for each state-specific calculation
  • HHS Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) — cross-state guideline model reference, federal poverty guidelines for self-support reserves, annual data reports
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Work-Life Tables — life-expectancy and work-life expectancy inputs for present-value lost-wages calculations
  • Internal Revenue Code — IRC §104 (personal injury settlement exclusion), IRC §86 (Social Security and structured settlement treatment), IRC §71 and §215 (alimony pre- and post-TCJA 2017)
  • ABA Model Rule 1.5 — contingency fee reasonableness standard; state bar rules including Florida Bar Rule 4-1.5(f)(4)(B) and Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §6146
  • AAJ litigation-economics surveys — secondary source for settlement benchmarks, cited and labeled as such
  • Bureau of Justice Statistics civil justice data — jury award and settlement benchmarks, cited as secondary sources
  • State Department of Revenue and state bar guidance — cited by state and labeled state-specific when rules diverge from a federal baseline

Secondary sources are used only where a primary source does not exist and are always labeled as such.

Review process

  1. Draft: calculator logic and explanatory copy are drafted, sometimes AI-assisted, always with the primary source pulled up in parallel and every non-trivial number checked against it.
  2. SME review: each calculator is reviewed by a named human with domain experience — for legal-cost math, Byron Malone in his operator capacity; for calculators that require prescriptive legal guidance, we engage a licensed attorney reviewer and credit them on the page.
  3. Citation verification: every URL cited is spot-checked at publish time and every named rule or rate is re-checked against the source document.
  4. Publish: with a Last updated stamp and a dateModified schema.org field on every page.

Update cadence

Every calculator is reviewed on a quarterly cadence. In addition, we update immediately on any of the following triggers:

  • A state legislature enacts a new child-support guideline schedule
  • HHS OCSS publishes updated poverty guidelines or cross-state reference data
  • BLS publishes updated Work-Life Tables
  • Congress or IRS issues guidance changing IRC §104 treatment or alimony tax rules
  • A state bar amends its contingency fee cap rule
  • A reader reports a formula discrepancy that we confirm is correct

Error reporting

If a calculator gives you the wrong answer, we want to hear. Email info@bedrockatools.com with the tool, the inputs you used, and the output you got. We respond to every report within 3 business days; if the tool is wrong, we fix it and publish a correction note on our corrections page.

Per-category methodology

Each calculator category has a dedicated methodology page covering the primary sources, formula derivations, edge cases, and update protocol specific to that category. Calculators marked as launching soon are stubs in active development; the methodology pages are live so readers can evaluate the sourcing before the calculator ships.

  • Child Support & Custody — Child Support Estimator (launching soon). Primary sources: state child-support guideline statutes (50-state coverage), HHS OCSS cross-state reference, federal poverty guidelines.
  • Personal Injury — Lost Wages Calculator (launching soon). Primary sources: BLS Work-Life Tables, Bureau of Justice Statistics civil justice data, IRC §104.
  • Family Law — Contingency Fee Calculator (launching soon). Primary sources: ABA Model Rule 1.5, Florida Bar Rule 4-1.5(f)(4)(B), Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §6146, AAJ litigation-economics surveys.
  • Settlement Valuation — settlement present-value math and tax treatment. Primary sources: IRC §104, IRC §86, BLS Work-Life Tables, structured-settlement annuity pricing references.
  • Immigration & Other — immigration income requirement calculations and other legal-cost categories. Primary sources vary by calculator; each methodology page lists its specific sources.

Limitations

Calculators on this site are estimates for educational use. They do not account for judicial discretion, jurisdiction-specific deviation factors, opposing-counsel negotiation, the specific facts of your case, or any state-specific rules not captured in our current implementation. They are not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state for decisions with real legal consequences. The tools are designed to make you a better-informed participant in legal proceedings, not a replacement for qualified legal counsel.