> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.symmetry.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# The Symmetry tax journey

> How a payroll tax change travels through Symmetry products—from an early bill on the Tax Radar, to confirmed data in Symmetry Guides and the Symmetry Tax Engine, to our release notes.

A single payroll tax change surfaces in Symmetry's products at different moments as it moves from an early idea to compliant, calculable data. This page connects those moments so you can see where a change lives at every stage—from the day our research team first spots a bill, through confirmation and implementation, to the release notes that announce it.

The same change may appear in several places at once, each serving a different purpose: the [Tax Radar](/symmetry/compliance/us-radar) shows what's coming, [Symmetry Guides](/guides/overview/introduction) provides the confirmed compliance data, the [Symmetry Tax Engine (STE)](/ste/overview/what-is-the-ste) makes it calculable, and our [release notes](/symmetry/release-index/2026) document when it shipped.

## The journey at a glance

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
    A["Bill / legislation<br/>spotted"] --> B["Tracked as an<br/>upcoming change"]
    B --> C["Requirements<br/>confirmed"]
    C --> D["Available in<br/>Symmetry Guides"]
    D --> N["Email and webhook<br/>notifications sent"]
    D --> E["Added to STE, PRP,<br/>and CBS"]
    E --> F["Published in<br/>release notes"]
```

## Stages of the journey

<Steps>
  <Step title="A bill or piece of legislation appears on the Tax Radar">
    The journey begins before anything is confirmed. When our research team identifies a bill or piece of legislation that could affect payroll, it appears on the [Tax Radar](/symmetry/compliance/us-radar) under **Bills & Legislation**. At this point it's an idea we're watching, not a confirmed change.

    Bills and legislation move through two statuses here:

    * **Progressing** — the legislation is actively moving through the legislative process but has not yet been enacted (introduced, in committee, or awaiting further action).
    * **Passed** — the legislation has been approved and is now law or awaiting implementation. Symmetry then evaluates the impact on our products.

    Not every bill that passes leads to a change in Symmetry products—many are evaluated and closed out with no action needed.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The change is tracked as an upcoming tax or form update">
    Once we anticipate an actual change to a tax, rate, wage base, or form, it's tracked on the Tax Radar as a **Tax Update** or **Form**. While the details are still being finalized, the update moves through these statuses:

    * **Researching** — Symmetry is actively researching the change to determine scope and whether it impacts our products.
    * **Awaiting Agency Release** — a change is anticipated, but the available information is incomplete and we're waiting on the agency for more detail.
    * **Legislation Passed** — legislation has passed and the agency is finalizing details (employer guide, calculation logic, a new form version, and so on).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Requirements are confirmed—and the change is added to Symmetry Guides">
    When the jurisdiction confirms the details—the tax rate, wage base, contribution limit, or form version—the Tax Radar status becomes **Requirements Confirmed**, and the Tax Notification Listing is updated with the **anticipated product release version** for the change.

    At the point of confirmation, the confirmed data is also reflected in [Symmetry Guides](/guides/overview/introduction), the real-time compliance hub built on the same tax research database that powers Symmetry's payroll tax products. This is where you can see the confirmed rate and effective-date details before they're calculable in the engine.

    **You don't have to check for this yourself.** Guides can tell you automatically as soon as the confirmed data publishes:

    * **[Email notifications](/guides/getting-started/tax-notification-emails)** — a Tax Updates email listing the records that changed, grouped by country with the jurisdiction shown for each. Controlled by the **Compliance updates** toggle in Guides Settings, which is on by default.
    * **[Webhooks](/guides/webhooks/overview)** — a JSON notification delivered to your own server the moment Symmetry publishes a new tax or rate, with no manual step on your side. Available to all Guides clients, up to five endpoints per account.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The change is added to the calculation products">
    Once the confirmed data is in Guides, the change is built into the [Symmetry Tax Engine](/ste/overview/what-is-the-ste), [Symmetry Payroll Point](/prp/overview/introduction), and [Calculators by Symmetry](/cbs/overview/what-is-cbs). A change that affects a withholding form is also implemented in [Symmetry Payroll Forms](/spf/overview/what-is-spf).

    We typically implement a change **in advance of its effective date** so it's ready to calculate correctly the moment it takes effect. The exception is a **retroactive change**—for example, when a jurisdiction publishes a rate change after the effective date—which is implemented as soon as the confirmed details reach our engineering team.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The change is published in our release notes">
    When the change ships in a product release, it's documented in our [release notes](/symmetry/release-index/2026), tied to the release version that was anticipated back at the confirmation stage. Release notes are the record that a change is live in the product.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Where to track a change at each stage

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Tax Radar" href="/symmetry/compliance/us-radar">
    See what's coming—bills and legislation we're watching, and anticipated tax and form updates with their status and expected release version. A [Canadian Tax Radar](/symmetry/compliance/canadian-radar) is also available.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Symmetry Guides" href="/guides/overview/introduction">
    Look up confirmed tax rates, wage bases, and effective dates across 7,000+ jurisdictions once requirements are confirmed—or subscribe by [email](/guides/getting-started/tax-notification-emails) or [webhook](/guides/webhooks/overview) and be told as they publish.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Symmetry Tax Engine" href="/ste/overview/what-is-the-ste">
    Calculate withholding using the implemented change, typically available ahead of the effective date.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Release Notes" href="/symmetry/release-index/2026">
    Confirm when a change shipped and in which release version.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Info>
  Licensed clients can access the full history of past, present, and future tax changes in [Symmetry Guides](https://guides.symmetry.com/search).
</Info>