# Taxes with AI: what it can help with, and what you check on the official site

Use an assistant to explain tax terms and letters, list your documents and sort receipts. Keep identity numbers and full returns out of the chat, and check every rule, figure and deadline on irs.gov or GOV.UK for the right tax year.

Guides · v1.0 · draft · https://hayzlabs.com/guides/taxes-with-ai/

In short:
- AI is useful for explaining a tax term or letter, listing documents, sorting receipts and drafting questions for a preparer.
- Do not paste your SSN, National Insurance number, bank details or a full return.
- Tested chatbots gave wrong tax figures with confidence, so check every rule, amount and deadline on the official site for the right tax year.

> [!NOT ADVICE]
> This page is general information about using AI assistants. It is not tax, legal or financial advice. For a decision about your own return, use the tax authority's own pages, its free help services, or a qualified tax professional.

## Short answer

Yes, for the right jobs. An assistant is good at explaining a term or a letter in plain words, making a checklist of documents, sorting receipts into categories and drafting questions for a preparer. It is not a reliable source for the rule, amount or deadline that applies to you this year. Check each of those on [irs.gov](https://www.irs.gov) or [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk), for the right tax year, before you act.

For the wider picture, see [Health, money and legal questions](https://hayzlabs.com/guides/health-money-and-legal-questions/); for a weekly pass over post and bills, [Personal admin with AI](https://hayzlabs.com/workflows/inbox-letters-and-bills/).

## What the tests show

**General assistants, UK, 2025.** Which? asked six AI tools 40 common questions. One stated a £25k ISA allowance; the real figure is £20k, and "ChatGPT and Copilot missed it entirely". On a tax refund question, "ChatGPT and Perplexity both presented links to premium tax-refund companies" while discussing the free HMRC tool ([Which?](https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/can-you-trust-ai-chatgpt-and-other-ai-chatbots-put-to-the-test-aetjt5e0RnPB), 18 November 2025).

**General assistants, US, 2026.** NerdWallet tested ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity on seven tax questions: they "got a lot right, especially when the answer was black and white", but one answer gave a standard deduction amount "off by nearly $3,000". "Wrong answers can sound right" ([NerdWallet](https://www.nerdwallet.com/taxes/studies/doing-taxes-with-ai), 3 March 2026).

**The IRS says the same.** In its 2026 "Dirty Dozen" scam list: "Taxpayers should not rely on AI-generated responses to complex tax questions", and they should verify any calculations or information from AI ([IRS IR-2026-30](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/dirty-dozen-tax-scams-for-2026-irs-reminds-taxpayers-to-watch-out-for-dangerous-threats), 5 March 2026). It also warns that viral social media "tax hacks" can lead to "refund delays, audits, penalties, or worse."

## Green lights and red lines

> [!OUR RULE]
> The assistant explains and organises. The official page decides. Nothing about your return is final until you have read the rule on irs.gov or GOV.UK for that tax year.

| Good uses | Not on its word |
|---|---|
| Explain a term, form or letter in plain words | Whether you qualify for a credit or deduction |
| List the documents you need for your situation | Any amount, threshold, allowance or rate |
| Sort receipts into categories you choose | Any deadline |
| Draft questions for a preparer or a helpline | Filing, paying or signing anything |

## What to keep out

Never paste your Social Security number, National Insurance number, Unique Taxpayer Reference, bank or card numbers, or a full return. The IRS tells taxpayers to "Protect personal and financial information including Social Security numbers" ([IRS identity theft guide](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/taxpayer-guide-to-identity-theft)). Type out only the paragraph you need, or cover reference numbers before a photo. More in [What not to paste](https://hayzlabs.com/start/what-not-to-paste/), and for receipts and forms, [Photos in, data out](https://hayzlabs.com/workflows/photos-in-data-out/).

A message that asks for those details is a warning sign. HMRC says it "will never send a notification of a tax rebate or ask you to disclose personal or payment information by text message", and emails about these only from an address ending in hmrc.gov.uk ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/find-hmrc-contacts/report-suspicious-hmrc-emails-texts-social-media-accounts-and-phone-calls), updated 24 November 2025). The IRS "generally contacts taxpayers by mail first" (IR-2026-30). See [AI-written phishing](https://hayzlabs.com/guides/ai-phishing-and-passkeys/).

## The routine

| Step | Time | Check |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Name the tax year and country | 1 min | Both are in your message. |
| 2. Strip identifiers | 2 min | No SSN, NI number, UTR, account numbers or full return. |
| 3. Ask for an explanation and the official page | 3 min | The answer names a page on irs.gov or GOV.UK and a tax year. |
| 4. Open that page yourself | 5 min | The rule, amount and deadline match, for your tax year. |
| 5. Decide who files | 2 min | You, free official help, or a professional (below). |

```text title="Tax explanation prompt · v1.0"
I am in <COUNTRY>. This is about tax year <TAX_YEAR>.
Explain the text below in plain words for a beginner.
Then:
1. List every rule, amount, threshold and deadline you mention.
2. For each one, name the official page on <OFFICIAL_SITE> that
   confirms it, and which tax year that page covers.
3. Say which items may have changed since your training data,
   and what I should check myself.
Do not tell me what to file or claim. List questions I should ask
a tax professional or the free official help service instead.
---
<TEXT>
```

Replace the following:
- `<COUNTRY>`: such as `the UK` or `the US, living in Ohio`.
- `<TAX_YEAR>`: such as `2025 (the return due in April 2026)` or `2025 to 2026`.
- `<OFFICIAL_SITE>`: `irs.gov` or `gov.uk`.
- `<TEXT>`: a term, the paragraph of a letter you do not understand, or your list of document types. No identity or account numbers.

An assistant can name a page that does not exist, so open each link yourself. A rule you cannot find there is unconfirmed ([Check before you trust](https://hayzlabs.com/start/check-before-you-trust/)).

> [!CHECK]
> Step 4 is the gate. A tidy answer with the wrong year's figure looks exactly like a right one. Read the amount and the deadline on the official page, and check the page says which tax year it covers.

## Free official help

**US.** irs.gov listed these when we checked on 11 October 2026:
- **IRS Free File:** guided software "For $89,000 adjusted gross income (AGI) or less", and Free File Fillable Forms at any income ([IRS Free File](https://www.irs.gov/filing/irs-free-file-do-your-taxes-for-free)).
- **VITA and TCE:** "no-cost, basic tax preparation to qualified individuals" ([IR-2026-02](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-announces-first-day-of-2026-filing-season-online-tools-and-resources-help-with-tax-filing), 8 January 2026). VITA is for people who generally make about $70,244 or less, people with disabilities and limited English speakers, though the IRS sets no program-wide income limit and sites may set their own. TCE helps "particularly for those who are 60 years of age and older" ([IRS](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/free-tax-return-preparation-for-qualifying-taxpayers)).
- **Interactive Tax Assistant:** an IRS tool that "helps you find answers to tax law questions" ([IRS ITA](https://www.irs.gov/help/ita)).

The IRS's January 2026 filing-season announcement lists Free File and VITA/TCE and does not mention Direct File. Check irs.gov for what is offered in the year you file.

**UK.** Start with HMRC's guidance on GOV.UK. If HMRC cannot help and you are "on a low income (up to about £380 a week)", GOV.UK points to Tax Help for Older People (over 60) and TaxAid ([Get help with tax](https://www.gov.uk/tax-help)).

**Use a professional or free official help** for a letter about an inquiry, penalty or debt, self-employment, foreign income, a sale of property or shares, or a big change this year. Take your list of questions.

## How to tell it worked

- Every rule, amount and deadline you rely on has an official page you opened, for the right tax year.
- No identity, account or full-return data went into the chat.

> [!LIMIT]
> The tests are small and used tool versions already out of date. Tax figures change every year, and an assistant may not know this year's. This page covers the US and UK only. None of it replaces a qualified tax professional for your own return.

## Sources

1. Which?. Can you trust AI? ChatGPT and other AI chatbots put to the test, 18 November 2025. Consumer test. [Link](https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/can-you-trust-ai-chatgpt-and-other-ai-chatbots-put-to-the-test-aetjt5e0RnPB)
2. NerdWallet. What AI gets right (and very wrong) about taxes, 3 March 2026. Publisher test. [Link](https://www.nerdwallet.com/taxes/studies/doing-taxes-with-ai)
3. IRS. Dirty Dozen tax scams for 2026, IR-2026-30, 5 March 2026. Government news release. [Link](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/dirty-dozen-tax-scams-for-2026-irs-reminds-taxpayers-to-watch-out-for-dangerous-threats)
4. IRS. Taxpayer guide to identity theft, reviewed 4 June 2026. Government guidance. [Link](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/taxpayer-guide-to-identity-theft)
5. HMRC. Report suspicious HMRC emails, texts and calls, 24 November 2025. Government guidance. [Link](https://www.gov.uk/find-hmrc-contacts/report-suspicious-hmrc-emails-texts-social-media-accounts-and-phone-calls)
6. IRS. IRS Free File, reviewed 12 June 2026. Government guidance. [Link](https://www.irs.gov/filing/irs-free-file-do-your-taxes-for-free)
7. IRS. IR-2026-02, 8 January 2026. Government news release. [Link](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-announces-first-day-of-2026-filing-season-online-tools-and-resources-help-with-tax-filing)
8. IRS. Free tax return preparation, reviewed 23 September 2026. Government guidance. [Link](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/free-tax-return-preparation-for-qualifying-taxpayers)
9. IRS. Interactive Tax Assistant, reviewed 12 December 2025. Government tool. [Link](https://www.irs.gov/help/ita)
10. GOV.UK. Get help with tax. Government guidance. [Link](https://www.gov.uk/tax-help)