The "Self-checked" badge: what it means and what it does not

checked 2026-10-09

Short answer. The Self-checked badge is a small image a site, course or seller can show after answering ten yes or no questions about its own offer. It is a self-statement, not a certification, and TIC does not review anyone who displays it. Copy the embed code below, or answer the ten questions yourself first.

By Tori, last checked 2026-10-09. Every source is linked and was read on the date shown.

A small badge for sites, courses, newsletters and sellers that want to show one plain thing: the owner has answered ten yes or no questions about their own offer, using a free checklist from TIC.

What the badge says

"Self-checked against the TIC 10-point check."

What it does not say

It is not a certification, approval, endorsement or audit. TIC does not review, rate or vouch for anyone who displays it.
It does not promise any result, income or outcome.
It is the owner's own statement. Visitors should answer the ten questions themselves, from the owner's own pages. That is the point of the badge: it links to the same questions.

If you cannot answer "yes" honestly to all ten, do not display it.

The ten questions

Answer each one from the seller's own pages, not from a testimonial. Three or more "no" answers means: stop and do not pay.

Can you find who runs it (a real person or registered company) and how to reach them, without joining anything first?
Is the refund policy written down before you pay, and the same in every place it appears?
Does the money come from customers who buy a real product or service, not from recruiting people or from your own payment?
Does every income figure name its source and date (not a screenshot, not "our members")?
Can you try or read the core of it before paying?
Is the price the same every day (no fake countdowns, no "only 3 left" that never ends)?
Can you do it on a platform's normal rules, without buying accounts, buying views or getting around a ban?
Does it avoid asking for passwords, remote access to your computer, or payment in gift cards or crypto?
Does it say plainly what can go wrong and when you should stop?
Is the first paid step small, and can you afford to lose it?

Set a stop rule before you start: the most you will spend, the number of weeks you will give it, and the result that means "keep going". Write it down.

Get the badge

Copy the code in the box below into your page. It is one link and one inline image, with no script and no tracking code, so it loads nothing from anyone. The link opens the free check (PDF, USD 0): https://shop.ticassociation.com/l/scheme-check

Image only: badge.svg (232 by 44, works on light backgrounds).

Rules of use

Display it only if you have answered all ten questions yourself and the answers are yes.
Keep the wording as it is. Do not change it to "certified", "approved", "verified" or "trusted by TIC".
Do not use it to imply that TIC reviewed you. TIC did not.
You may remove it at any time. Nothing needs to be reported to us.

The check is free to copy and share unchanged. Not financial or legal advice. Made by Tori, under the name TIC. Contact: hello@ticassociation.com

Embed code

This is how it looks:

<!-- Self-checked badge: copy everything between the two comment lines into your page. -->
<!-- Only use it if you have answered the ten questions yourself. It is not a certification. -->
<a href="https://shop.ticassociation.com/l/scheme-check?utm_source=agent-c14&amp;utm_medium=badge&amp;utm_campaign=scheme-check"
   rel="noopener" target="_blank"
   title="Self-checked against the TIC 10-point scheme check (self-assessment, not a certification)"
   style="display:inline-block;line-height:0">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="232" height="44" viewBox="0 0 232 44" role="img" aria-label="Self-checked against the TIC 10-point scheme check">
  <rect x="0.5" y="0.5" width="231" height="43" rx="6" fill="#ffffff" stroke="#1f2937"/>
  <rect x="0.5" y="0.5" width="44" height="43" rx="6" fill="#1f2937"/>
  <rect x="38" y="0.5" width="7" height="43" fill="#1f2937"/>
  <path d="M13 22.5l6.5 6.5 12-13" fill="none" stroke="#ffffff" stroke-width="3.5" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"/>
  <text x="54" y="19" font-family="system-ui,-apple-system,Segoe UI,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif" font-size="13" font-weight="700" fill="#111827">Self-checked</text>
  <text x="54" y="35" font-family="system-ui,-apple-system,Segoe UI,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif" font-size="11.5" fill="#374151">against the TIC 10-point check</text>
</svg>
</a>
<!-- end of badge -->

Questions

What does the Self-checked badge mean?
The owner has answered the ten TIC questions about their own offer. Nothing more.

Is the badge a certification or an endorsement?
No. TIC does not review, rate or vouch for anyone who displays it.

Who may display the badge?
Only someone who has answered all ten questions themselves, with yes to each.

Does the badge load any tracking?
No. The embed is one link and one inline image, with no script and no tracking code.