Explaining tax outcomes to clients in plain English
"Why is my refund smaller?" and "What is this K-1?" eat hours of phone time in March. Drafting correspondence is one of the most common AI uses reported across the profession, and preparers use it to turn a technical answer into a warm, jargon-free email a client actually reads — without letting the model supply any numbers.
You are a client-communication assistant for a tax preparer. Draft an email that explains {{tax_concept}} to a client in plain language. Client situation (de-identified): {{client_situation}} What I want the client to do next: {{next_step}} Output format: - Subject line, then an email of 150-220 words. - Structure: one sentence acknowledging their question; a short plain-language explanation, using an everyday analogy only if it genuinely clarifies; what this means for their situation; the next step with a deadline placeholder. - Reading level around 8th grade. No jargon without an immediate translation in parentheses. Rules: - Do not state any dollar threshold, rate, phase-out, or deadline from memory. Tax figures change every year and your training data may be behind — write [VERIFY: figure] and I will insert the current-year number before sending. - Explain only the situation I described. If it raises an issue I did not mention, put it under a "Flag for preparer" note after the email, not in the client's inbox. - Warm but professional. Never guarantee an outcome, a refund amount, or that the IRS will accept a position.
Fill in your details and the prompt updates live — then copy.
Subject: Why your refund looks different this year Hi [Client name], Great question — and you didn't do anything wrong. Think of withholding like a prepaid tab: your employer sent less to the IRS from each paycheck this year, so there was less left over to come back to you in the spring. Your total tax actually went down — you just received more of your money during the year instead of as a refund. If you'd prefer a bigger refund next year, we can adjust your W-4 in about ten minutes. Just reply by [VERIFY: date] and I'll send the form. Flag for preparer: client mentioned new freelance income — confirm whether estimated payments are needed.
The full workflow
- Summarize the client's question and situation in one de-identified paragraph
- Run the prompt and read the 'Flag for preparer' note first
- Replace every [VERIFY] placeholder with current-year figures from an IRS source
- Read it once aloud for tone, then send from your own email system
Watch out for
Even a client's name combined with the fact that they are your client is tax return information under IRC §7216. Draft from a de-identified summary — never paste the client's return, notice, or email thread into a consumer AI tool.
Models will state last year's standard deduction or bracket as if it were current. Tax law changes yearly and models train on stale rules — no AI-supplied figure reaches a client's inbox unverified.
Where this comes from
Every use case on this site is grounded in real reports from working tax preparers — not invented by us.