The government has made a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool available on the GOV.UK app called GOV.UK Chat. It draws on official government guidance, including tax, to answer questions. Read on to see why caution is needed.
What is GOV.UK Chat?
According to the government press release, GOV.UK Chat is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot designed so that people can ask questions in plain language and receive instant, clear and 'reliable' answers drawn from official government information.
- The aim is to reduce demand for helpline services and speed up searches for information on the GOV.UK website.
Users of the AI chatbot will be able to get answers on a range of subjects, including tax. Examples of areas in tax that the AI service has been designed to provide answers for include:
- Understanding Income Tax.
- Calculating Stamp Duty.
- Planning for retirement and understanding the State Pension.
Following a period of testing, the AI tool was given a soft launch in the GOV.UK app in March 2026.
- The Government Digital Service (GDS) has said that more than 7,800 people have used the service so far, and it has handled more than 15,000 questions.
- The GDS reports that since the soft release, tax has been one of the areas with the strongest demand.
Why caution is needed
GOV.UK Chat has some important limitations that users and advisers should be aware of.
- GOV.UK Chat uses HMRC guidance on the GOV.UK website to source answers to tax questions. It does not source information from HMRC's manuals.
- This makes it unlikely to be useful beyond answering basic tax questions.
- GOV.UK Chat is only available on the GOV.UK app.
- For firms, this likely means staff using their own devices and personal logins to access the service, raising privacy and data security concerns for clients, staff and the firm.
- Screenshots would be needed to document the chatbot's responses.
- As with any AI tool, the answers given may not be accurate or complete.
- What are known as 'hallucinations' can cause AI tools to present incorrect responses as fact.
- It may be best to use the chatbot to find and read the guidance rather than rely solely on the chatbot's response.
- AI tools do not understand context. Omitting key information in a question could lead to a response that does not accurately reflect the user's circumstances.
- Users need to be aware that the completeness and accuracy of the information provided will affect how useful and reliable the response is.
- Make sure to read the entire response, in case any caveats or other conditions that apply are mentioned.
- What are known as 'hallucinations' can cause AI tools to present incorrect responses as fact.
Professional Conduct in Relation to Taxation (PCRT)
Tax advisers and firms that plan to use GOV.UK Chat will want to refer to the Ethical Use of AI topical guidance that was added to PCRT in January 2026. This highlights that:
- Work produced by AI remains the ultimate responsibility of the member or firm. Such work must be overseen appropriately and diligently.
- Firms need to be cautious and use professional judgment in deciding whether to use publicly available tools.
- Inputting client data into publicly available AI tools is likely to constitute a breach of client confidentiality, unless the client has consented.
- Use of AI tools needs to be supported by appropriate policies and engagement letter terms.
- Appropriate training needs to be given, including training to understand the AI tool's limitations.
See our Subscriber guide for a checklist that can help advisers address concerns around using AI in tax.
Useful guides on this topic
Professional Conduct in Relation to Taxation
The Professional Conduct in Relation to Taxation (PCRT) sets out the ethical and professional standards expected of members of the seven authoring professional bodies when advising on UK tax matters.
Failure to take reasonable care
What is meant by taking reasonable care in relation to your tax affairs? What is a failure to take reasonable care? Tax schemes and lack of reasonable care. What can HMRC do if you do not take reasonable care of your tax affairs?
External link
Millions to get faster, easier access to government support with new AI tool