Methodology and Sources

The award tracker

Every row in the award tracker comes from an SEC or CFTC annual report to Congress on the agency's own whistleblower program, one row per program per fiscal year. The fiscal year, total amount awarded, number of individuals paid, and largest single award are all taken directly from what the report states, not estimated or backed into from press coverage.

A federal fiscal year runs October through September. When a report does not state a figure, such as a total dollar amount for the year or a single largest award, that cell is recorded as "n/p" (not published) instead of a guess or a sum of partial figures. Each row links to the source report it was drawn from, so any number on the tracker can be checked against the original PDF in one click.

The reporting-channel directory

Every entry behind how to report (which agency, which form or phone line, what deadline applies, and whether a reward applies) is hand-verified against that agency's own current page, not copied from a directory or a secondary source. Where a channel lists a phone number, we check it against the number currently published on the agency's site; where feasible, we dial it to confirm it still reaches the right office. Each entry carries its own last-verified date.

Refresh calendar

SEC and CFTC whistleblower annual reports are typically published in the fall, after each federal fiscal year closes on September 30. We add each new fiscal year's row to the award tracker once its report is out. Reporting channels are re-checked on a quarterly cycle, since agency URLs, forms, and phone numbers change without warning, and a channel that worked in January can move by the following quarter.

Corrections

If you find a figure that does not match its source, or a channel that no longer works, use the contact form. See the editorial policy for how corrections get handled.