Explain IRS and state notices in plain English

Hours back

0.5 to 1 hrs a week

Monthly cost

$0 to $20 a month

Setup

Easy

Evidence

No public results yet

FitsCPA firms

Worth it if

Notice questions eat time you can't bill for.

Skip it if

You can't strip client details out first, or your firm hasn't approved an AI tool.

What gets set up

You remove names, SSNs and account numbers, paste the notice text into a business AI account, and ask for a plain-English explanation and a draft client email. You check it against the notice and your own judgment, then send. The AI drafts; you advise.

Who’s done it

Nobody has published results for this one yet, so this use case rests on my judgment. If you’ve done it, tell me how it went.

You’ll need

A business AI account that doesn't train on your data
A habit of removing names, SSNs and account numbers first

Try it

Here is the text of a tax notice with identifying details removed: [paste notice]. Explain in plain English what it says, what the taxpayer needs to do, and by when. Then draft a calm, short email from me to the client explaining it and what our firm will do next: [your plan]. Don't give tax advice beyond what's in the notice and my plan.

Read what it gives you before you send or use it. You know your clients; it doesn’t.

Don't paste anything that identifies a client into a personal AI account. Tax preparers have extra rules on using and sharing return information (IRC section 7216), so check before you share.

Run your own numbers

Count notice questions in a typical week.

Your numbers

Use your own numbers. Nothing you type is saved or sent.

Notices a weekMinutes explaining eachShare AI could draft (%)What an hour of your time is worth ($)Tool cost a month ($)

Hours back

–

Worth a month

–

After the tool

–

Why it matters

A client forwards a notice in a panic. Explaining what it means, what happens next and what you'll do takes a careful email, often several.

How I estimated the hours

0.5 to 1 hrs a week: 2 to 5 notices a week at 15 to 20 minutes of explaining and emailing each, cut by about half. Rounded down.

Sources (2)

Sources

Claude Pro pricing, https://claude.com/pricing (accessed 2026-10-11)
Treas. Reg. 301.7216-2 (preparer disclosure and use of return information), https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/26/301.7216-2 (accessed 2026-10-11)

Questions

Remove names, SSNs and account numbers first and use an approved business tool. Tax preparers have specific rules on using and disclosing return information.

It can summarize what the notice asks for. The response strategy is your call.

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