How we research and write

Who is accountable, and how content is made

Our answers are researched and produced with AI assistance, then reviewed for accuracy by Dean Withey before publishing. We are open about the AI-assisted research because transparency is itself a trust signal — and tying that review to a named person is what makes it meaningful. Five Minute Business is the publisher and remains accountable for every answer on the site. If something is wrong, that is ours to fix: reach us at contact@fiveminutebusiness.com.

Our sourcing policy

Every factual claim is backed by a named, authoritative source. For UK guidance we go to the originating authority, not a third-party summary of it. Each load-bearing figure — a tax threshold, a statutory rate, a deadline — is cited and carries the date we checked it. Reputable named secondary sources are used as support, never as the sole basis for a fact.

Below is the full allowlist of publishers and organisations we draw on, grouped by type. Load-bearing facts always trace to a primary UK authority where one exists; everything else is supporting context only.

The five-minute editorial test

Before a question becomes an answer, it has to pass three checks. If it fails any one of them, we don't publish it.

Corrections and updates

Answers carry a visible published date and a last-reviewed date. The last-reviewed date means Dean Withey re-checked the answer — and every figure in it — against current sources on that day. We run a refresh cadence, and we update immediately when a cited figure or rule changes. Spot an error? Tell us, and we'll correct it and note the change.