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Updated on 9 June 2026

The new GOV.UK chatbot – can you rely on it for tax information?

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GOV.UK Chat – a new AI powered chatbot – launched last month and is said to help people access government information more easily. But can you actually rely on it for tax information? In this article we explain what it does, explore how reliable it is, and set out some things to bear in mind if you use it.

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What is GOV.UK chat?

GOV.UK chat is a new AI-powered chatbot which was officially launched by the government in May 2026, after a soft launch in March. It has been introduced to help people access and understand information published on the GOV.UK website and to reduce demand on the government’s helplines, which they say receive more than 100,000 calls every day. 

Although this article focuses on the tool’s tax-related content, the chatbot can also be used to ask questions about a wide range of other government services, from childcare entitlements to passport applications. The government has described it as “the most comprehensive government-built chat tool in the world”.

How do I access GOV.UK chat?

The chatbot is currently only available via a standalone app and cannot yet be accessed via the GOV.UK website itself. To use the chatbot, you must firstly download the GOV.UK app, which is available on both Apple and Android devices.  You must then sign in with your One Login account – this is different to the government gateway account used to access HMRC online services currently. If you don’t have a One Login already, you will have to create an account with an email address and password. Unlike some other government services, you do not need to verify your identity to use GOV.UK chat, making it accessible to those who may not hold valid forms of ID. 

  If you create a One Login account for the first time to use GOV.UK chat, you will be able to use these same login details for other government services, however, you may then be asked to provide your identity before you can use these other services. Note that One Login cannot yet be used to access HMRC services, except for a very small number of new HMRC online service users who have been given limited access to One Login under HMRC testing.

How does the app work?

The app is fairly straightforward to use, with a chat function that allows you to ask questions to help you find the information you need. The chatbot is designed to respond to these queries in natural language and provide clear explanations of relevant guidance based on government content. While the technology is similar to other generative AI services, this app is designed to only draw its answers from GOV.UK’s guidance pages – over 80,000 of them. This differs to some other AI tools which draw information from the whole of the internet. For those who find navigating GOV.UK difficult or overwhelming, it may offer a quicker way to locate information.

How accurate is the app?

We understand that the answers given by the app are limited to the up-to-date guidance published on GOV.UK, which means that on some occasions it may not have answers to the questions you ask. Even though it is only using government guidance, this does not mean that the answers given by the app are always accurate or complete. It’s important to understand that although this is an official government product, it is still just an AI tool which means it can, in theory, give incorrect answers presented as fact (sometimes known as ‘hallucinations’). It is not a replacement for professional, personalised advice. Indeed, the app is designed to not give advice at all, instead signposting to relevant guidance pages on the GOV.UK website. 

To assess how well the chatbot performs, we tested it in May 2026, asking it a series of common tax-related questions, covering a diverse range of topics, including self-assessment criteria and making tax digital for income tax exemptions. While some results were encouraging, others highlighted limitations that users should be aware of. 

For some straightforward questions, the chatbot provided helpful responses and directed us to the relevant pages of GOV.UK.

For example, we asked “I received £5,000 in bank interest. Do I need to do a tax return”? The chatbot correctly explained that HMRC say you need to register for self-assessment if your savings income is over £10,000 and noted that £5,000 of savings would be below this threshold. It went on to highlight that other factors may result in someone having to complete a tax return and encouraged us to check. It also went on to briefly explain how tax is collected outside the self-assessment system. Overall, we found this to be a comprehensive and useful response. 

However, there were other examples where the chatbot gave incorrect information.

When asked whether capital gains tax would be due if someone gifted a house to their sister, the chatbot told us that no capital gains tax would arise. It did not explain that gifting an asset is generally treated as making a disposal at market value for tax purposes, meaning that a capital gains tax liability may arise in some circumstances. In this case, a taxpayer relying on the chatbot’s answer could have been left with a significantly misleading impression of their tax position. 

Some answers were partly correct but had the potential to be misleading.

For example, when we asked, “My pension is £33,000, do I need to give you back my heating payment?” the chatbot answered confidently “No, you do not need to give back your winter fuel payment.” This answer may have been correct if the person’s pension was their only source of income. However, the winter fuel payment charge depends on a person’s total taxable income, not just their pension income. If the taxpayer had other income sources which pushed their total income over the relevant £35,000 threshold, then the winter fuel payment charge could still apply.  

To its credit, the answer did go on to suggest that you should check if your income is over the threshold and signposted to the correct guidance. But there is a real risk that someone using the tool simply reads the first line and thinks they have found a definitive answer. If they do not read the rest of the response or consult the relevant guidance, they could reach the wrong conclusion.

GOV.UK’s own testing found the chatbot’s accuracy to be 90% across all topics. Our testing of tax questions suggested a lower level of accuracy, however, our samples of data were much smaller and tested across tax-related topics only. 

Tips when using the app

The examples above show that GOV.UK chat can be a useful starting point for finding information about tax and may be quicker than searching through the GOV.UK website. However, it should be used with care. Our testing demonstrates that even where the chatbot appears to give a confident answer, its responses should not be used as a substitute for checking the underlying GOV.UK guidance, particularly where an individual’s circumstances are likely to affect the outcome. Below, we provide some tips for using the tool responsibly. If using the app, you should:

  • Treat the information given as a useful signposting tool, rather than a source of definitive advice. 
  • Give as much information as possible - the quality of answers given by the app is likely to be influenced by the accuracy of information provided to it. 
  • Read the full response rather than relying solely on the first sentence - as our testing showed, important caveats may appear further on in the answer. 
  • Follow the relevant links provided to GOV.UK and read the relevant guidance pages – this can help ensure that key conditions are not overlooked. 
  • Take screenshots of any answers given by the chatbot.

Where the tax issue is complex or where you need advice on whether to do (or not do) something, you should consider whether the use of the chatbot is appropriate at all. Instead, you may want to consider taking professional advice, or seeking help from TaxAid if you are on a low income and meet the relevant criteria. 

Ultimately the app may be a helpful tool for navigating tax information, but it is important to remember that the responsibility lies with the you, the taxpayer, to make sure that you comply with the relevant tax rules. Taking a few extra minutes to read the guidance provided and verify the information given can help to avoid mistakes and potential penalties in the future. 

We would love to hear what you think about this subject – you can share your comments below.

Please note all comments are moderated in line with our comment guidelines, so there might be a short delay before your comment is published if it meets the guidelines.

Laura Cumins
Technical officer

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