People’s experience
Optional pay contributions through our free annual benchmark programme. Submitted information starts as unverified.
HCSA / DATA & METHODOLOGY
A benchmark is only as useful
as the evidence behind it.
Our approach brings multiple types of evidence into a documented review. A contribution is a starting point. Qualification is what makes it useful for a pay decision.
THE HCSA EVIDENCE METHOD
More context behind the number.
More clarity behind the decision.
Contributions, authorised project evidence, recruitment insight and licensed survey references each answer a different part of the pay question.
Documented evidence
Payslip, offer and project records, where verification and permission support the intended use.
Recruitment context
Role scope, offer dynamics and specialist insight from established recruitment relationships.
Licensed anchors
Relevant purchased surveys or data licences, with coverage, date and permitted use checked.
ContributeCheckMatchQualifyDecide
Every engagement starts by confirming source permissions, role fit and coverage. HCSA explains where the evidence is strong and where the decision needs more context.
Read our evidence standardFROM CONTRIBUTION TO COMPARISON
Five checks before a market claim.
- Submission and permission. Record the collection purpose, source category, consent or other permitted-use basis. Personal contact information remains private; it is not market data.
- Verification and normalisation. Check duplicates, effective date, unusual values, pay components, currency and working time. A document may corroborate an amount; it does not establish a market rate.
- Role matching. Compare responsibilities, level, decision authority, sector, location and employer size. Do not treat equal job titles as equal work.
- Aggregation and independence. Check employer diversity, sample size, source overlap and re-identification risk. A whole payroll from one employer remains one employer source.
- Review and disclosure. Separate observed figures, external survey anchors and any modelled estimates. Explain date, match quality, coverage gaps and limitations beside the result.
Your information is not automatically anonymous. A form linked to an email address is a private submission. Only separately permitted, reviewed records can be de-identified and assessed for aggregated research. Removing a name alone is insufficient.
What you receive
A useful review identifies the role match, evidence type and date, comparable pay basis, limitations and the next decision. Depending on the evidence, that may be a qualified comparison or an explanation of why a reliable range is not available.
How purchased data fits
Survey references can anchor a comparison when HCSA has the right licence and coverage. Purchasing access does not automatically grant rights to republish a report, expose individual records or resell a provider’s dataset.
Where AI helps
Hawk explains concepts and guides the demo. Form validation and cost calculations use defined rules. AI does not manufacture salary observations, certify a dataset or approve an award.