Corrections

What happens next

• We check the report against the official source, not against other websites.
• If the official source confirms it, we correct the page and its date.
• If a state changed a fee, the old and new amounts go in the public change log.
• If the source is unclear, we hold the fact back until the office confirms it.

What we check before publishing

Each fact is read twice, separately, and its exact sentence must be found in our dated copy of the official page. Details are in how we check.

Useful things to report

• A fee that the office now charges differently, with the official fee page or form.
• A form that has a newer revision, or a link that no longer opens the office’s page.
• A new way to order, such as a new online system, a closed counter or a new appointment rule.
• A processing time the office has changed on its own page.
• Anything on a page that reads as if it came from the government: we are an independent site and want that to be clear.

We do not need your personal details to act on a report, and we do not publish the names of people who write to us.

How to write a useful report

The fastest reports to check name the page, the figure or sentence that is wrong, and the official page or form that shows the right one. For example: “The birth certificate page for my state shows one mail fee, but the office’s newest application form shows another,” with links to both. A screenshot helps when an office changes a page often. We check every report against the office’s own page, so a link to another private website is not enough on its own.

Official office or look-alike service?

Many reports we receive are about websites that look official but charge an extra service fee. The state pages on this site name only the state’s own ordering channels and the vendor the state itself names on its own pages. If a site asks for more than the fee shown on our state page and is not named there, it is probably a private service. You can check by opening the office’s website from the state page and following its own ordering link.

What we cannot correct

We cannot change a record held by a state. To correct a birth or death certificate itself, contact the issuing office named on the state page.