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Let’s be honest: Taxes are confusing. Even if you are financially savvy, there is always one question that forces you to google late at night. And now that artificial intelligence (AI) tools are everywhere, a new question pops up right along with your tax bracket confusion: Which AI can you actually trust with tax questions?
To cut through the noise, we asked a certified public accountant (CPA), who deals with real-world tax questions all year long. What they have to say about the best AI to ask your tax questions – and what you need to look for before “going in”.
Here are also the tax mistakes that trigger audits, according to ChatGPT.
Best AI for Tax Q&A: ChatGPT
Arthur Putzel, CPA and Managing Partner Trout Daniel & AssociatesChatGPT’s paid tier is especially recommended because it handles “structured signals” well and will be organized when you ask for it.
“[The]quote I tell my team to use as initial instruction (is) ‘Act like a US CPA preparing a client memo. First ask me only the missing facts, then list 1) potential tax treatments, 2) IRS forms, 3) audit flags, 4) what I should document,'” Putzel explained.
If you’re unsure, he said tell two treatments and which fact changes the answer. This is how you transform AI from a common sense engine to an intake-and-decision tool.
Second Best AI: Perplexity Pro
Putzel also recommends Perplexity Pro. Putzel said, “When you need to sanity-check the numbers (limits, phase-outs, depreciation life) before modeling anything, it’s quicker to formulate a ‘what are the governing rules, as well as what is the current range’ style answer.”
Putzel used this as a quote to get useful output from an AI chatbot, “Give me the exact list of current year US tax rules, limitations, and inputs I need to know to implement it; then give three common mistakes and how to avoid them in the documentation.”
He said, “I use it the same way I use a sharp junior analyst: quick orientation, then I make a decision.”
He said that “forcing” AI to separate “what it feels like” from “what is” is where most tax mistakes begin.