How SalaryLabs Is Funded
A direct disclosure of how the site is funded today, which revenue sources it does not use, and what may change in the future.
Current Funding
SalaryLabs is currently self-funded by its owner and remains free to use. The project does not currently earn advertising, affiliate, sponsorship, subscription, or data-sale revenue.
Google AdSense application
SalaryLabs has applied to Google AdSense as a possible future way to help cover hosting, data maintenance, research, and development costs. The site has not been approved, ads are not currently active, and SalaryLabs does not currently earn AdSense revenue. An application or technical integration should not be read as evidence that advertising is live.
Revenue Sources We Do Not Use
- No affiliate links. We do not earn commissions from referrals to payroll software, tax preparation services, financial products, or job boards. Outbound links go to government primary sources (IRS, SSA, BLS, DOL) and to relevant SalaryLabs guides.
- No sponsored content. We do not accept payment to publish articles, place product mentions, or shape calculator behavior to favor any vendor. The methodology and editorial pages document the formulas; nothing in those pages is influenced by a paying third party.
- No paid placements. Internal links are placed for reader navigation, not as a result of any commercial arrangement.
- No data sale. Calculator inputs run in your browser. Numbers you enter are not sent to any server, are not stored, and are not transmitted to third parties. The privacy policy details what is and is not collected.
- No paywall. Every calculator and every guide is free to use. There is no premium tier, no signup gate, no email capture for content.
- No newsletter or lead-capture forms. The site does not collect email addresses for marketing. The only email address is the public contact address used for reader feedback and corrections.
Current Project Costs
The owner currently covers project costs directly. The site is statically built with Astro and hosted on Cloudflare Pages. Costs can include the domain, infrastructure, research time, data maintenance, and development work.
The project is run by one person and is not currently a primary income source. There is no current AdSense surplus or advertising income to allocate.
Why Disclose This
Readers should be able to distinguish current funding from a future business plan. Clear disclosure also makes it easier to evaluate whether commercial incentives could affect the site's content or tools.
Second, the absence of affiliate revenue is a meaningful editorial constraint. We are not pushed toward writing in ways that increase clicks on outbound product links, because there are no outbound product links to click. The math is the math. Our incentive is to keep readers returning, which means publishing accurate, useful work.
Future Advertising Policy
If SalaryLabs is approved and chooses to activate advertising, ads will be kept separate from calculator controls and editorial decisions. The site does not plan to use interstitial ads, autoplay video ads, or advertising pop-ups. Privacy disclosures and consent controls will be reviewed before non-essential advertising technology is activated where required.
Future Changes
If advertising becomes active, or if the project adds a paid tier, affiliate relationship, or sponsorship, this page and the relevant privacy and editorial disclosures will be updated. Material monetization changes will not be presented as if they had always been in place.
Questions or Concerns
Email [email protected] if you have specific questions about advertising, partnerships, or how a particular calculator or guide was funded. Substantive questions are answered individually.