20 How to Read Scope, Assumptions and Evidence Levels
Question for this chapter. Why do the check results appear as ranges with assumptions and evidence labels, and how should I use them?
Answer. A range appears whenever some facts behind an amount are still unsettled, so a wide range points to open questions rather than a faulty calculation. Each amount carries one of three evidence levels, and where evidence is too thin the calculation simply stops instead of inserting an average. Treat the results as a starting point for gathering documents and preparing questions, not as final figures to place on a return.
What to check
- Look at the evidence level on each amount separately, since one card can mix levels.
- Find the assumption that is widening a range and check that fact first.
- Read the stated reason for any stopped calculation: missing information, no rule value, or outside scope.
- Ask whether an amount affects taxable income or the tax itself before comparing it with anything else.
- Change one assumption at a time when rerunning a check so you can see what moved the result.
What to confirm. Confirm that every amount you rely on has been matched against your own documents and the official form or instructions it cites, and that any weak-evidence item has been set aside as a question for a tax professional.
One-line summary. Read each result as a range plus its assumptions and evidence level, and use it to decide what to look up next rather than what to file.
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