About
Dollars Ahead publishes free money simulators for people in the United States, built from the primary sources and checked against published test cases.
Site information
| Site | Dollars Ahead |
|---|---|
| URL | https://dollarsahead.com |
| Published by | The Dollars Ahead editorial team |
| Started | 2026 |
| Contact | Contact page |
Why this site exists
There is no shortage of financial calculators. What is short is calculators whose rules are right. When we tested three "retirement tax by state" tools on one Colorado retiree, one applied a flat 3% to every state, one implemented a bill that never became law, and one contradicted the exemption printed on its own page. A twenty-year-old incumbent described a rule Colorado replaced four years ago.
We build the tools the way an auditor would want them built.
How we work
- Federal parameters come from the IRS revenue procedure and publications for the tax year. State parameters come from the state department of revenue's own guidance or the statute.
- Before a rule goes into a tool we check that the law was enacted, not merely introduced.
- Every tool ships with test cases: inputs and the expected result, with the arithmetic shown.
- Every figure carries the date we checked it. When a state changes a rate, the page changes and the date moves.
- Where a rule is genuinely uncertain - for example a rate that depends on a state's surplus - we show both possibilities rather than pick one silently.
What we will not do
We do not give personal advice. The tools show what the published rules do to the numbers you enter; they do not know your situation and they do not recommend a state, a product, or a strategy. Nothing here is tax, legal or investment advice. For a decision that matters, take the numbers to a professional who is licensed to advise you.
How the site makes money
Some links to brokerages, tax software and planning tools are affiliate links. If you open an account or buy through one, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. A commission never changes a rule or a number in a simulator, and a product with no affiliate program is treated the same as one that pays. This is disclosed at the top of every page and next to the links themselves. See the privacy policy.
Corrections
If a rule, a rate, or a test case is wrong, tell us. We will fix it, note the change on the page, and thank you there if you would like. Corrections go to our contact page.