Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Smart Money Tools, how the calculators work, and what to do if something doesn't look right.
- Are the calculators free to use?
- Every calculator on Smart Money Tools is completely free, with no sign-up or account required. The site is funded by a small number of ads and voluntary donations.
- Is this financial advice?
- No. The calculators are for informational and educational purposes only. They produce estimates based on the inputs you provide, not personalised recommendations. For decisions involving mortgages, investments, pensions, or tax, speak to an independent financial adviser. See our full disclaimer for details.
- How accurate are the results?
The calculators use standard UK formulas and publicly available data (e.g. Ofgem price caps, HMRC stamp duty bands). Results are estimates, not guarantees.
Real-world figures can differ due to individual tariffs, lender criteria, fees, or rounding differences between providers. Where a calculator simplifies something, its FAQ section explains what it leaves out.
No personal data is collected by the calculators. Your inputs stay in your browser and are not sent to any server. Saved calculations use your browser's local storage, which stays on your device.
The site uses cookies for analytics and ads only – see the privacy policy and cookie policy for details.
Each calculator encodes your inputs into the URL so you can save or share it. Occasionally we update a calculator's methodology, fix a bug, or add new fields. When that happens, a previously saved URL may produce different results or, in rare cases, no longer load correctly.
We're sorry about that – it's a trade-off of keeping the tools as accurate as possible. If your link no longer works, re-enter your details and save a fresh URL from the calculator you were using.
- Do the calculators work on mobile?
- All calculators are designed to work on phones, tablets, and desktops. If something doesn't look right on your device, please let us know.
- How do I report a bug or suggest a feature?
- Use the contact page. Bug reports and suggestions are always welcome, but we get a lot of messages and may not be able to reply to everyone. If you are reporting a bug, it helps to include what you entered, what you expected, and what happened instead.
- Why are the calculators UK-only?
- Tax rules, mortgage products, energy tariffs, and government schemes vary significantly between countries. The calculators use UK-specific data and formulas (e.g. stamp duty bands, Ofgem price caps, UK mortgage conventions) so the results are meaningful for UK users. Using them for another country would produce misleading numbers.