Free HMRC letter explainer
A free tool that explains a letter from HMRC in plain English. Paste the text of the letter, or upload a photo or PDF of it, and you get a short summary of what it says, how urgent it looks, the date it names if there is one, and what it asks of you. No account is needed, and Taxmo does not store your letter or the explanation.
What the explainer does
HMRC letters are already in English, but they are not always easy to read. The explainer turns a letter such as a Self Assessment statement, a VAT notice, a penalty notice or a tax code notice into a few short paragraphs: what the letter is, what it means for you, how urgent it looks, and the concrete steps it asks for.
If the letter names a date, the explainer shows it so you can check it against the letter. It never invents amounts, reference numbers or dates that are not in the document.
What you can give it
You can paste the text of the letter, or upload a photo or a PDF. Photos can be JPEG, PNG or WebP and the file can be up to 5 MB. For a PDF only the first few pages are read.
What happens to your letter
Taxmo does not store the letter, the upload or the explanation, and it does not write their content to its logs. The letter is sent once to an AI service to produce the explanation, without your name, address or any account details.
In pasted text and PDF text, National Insurance numbers, UTRs, VAT numbers and email addresses are removed before anything is sent. A photo cannot be cleaned that way, so crop out anything you do not want sent.
To keep the tool free and available, it limits how many letters one address can explain in an hour.
What it is, and what it is not
This is general information, not tax advice. The explanation is produced by AI and can be incomplete or wrong, so check anything that matters against the letter itself, on GOV.UK or with HMRC. Taxmo does not reply to HMRC or file or correct anything for you.
If a letter does not look like a normal HMRC letter, for example it asks for payment by gift card or for a password, do not pay or reply. Check with HMRC through the contact details on GOV.UK, not the ones in the letter.
If you have a Taxmo account
Signed-in users can keep their letters in the HMRC Letter Explainer inside Taxmo, with the explanation saved next to the original so it is there when they need to act.
Common questions
What is the Taxmo HMRC letter explainer?
It is a free tool at taxmo.co.uk/hmrc-letter-explainer that explains a letter from HMRC in plain English. You paste the text or upload a photo or PDF and get a summary, an urgency rating, any date the letter names and the steps it asks for.
Do I need an account to use it?
No. There is no signup and no email address is needed. Taxmo limits how many letters one address can explain in an hour.
Does Taxmo keep my letter?
No. Taxmo does not store the letter, the upload or the explanation, and does not log their content. The letter is sent once to an AI service to produce the explanation, without your name, address or account details.
Is the explanation tax advice?
No. It is general information produced by AI and it can be incomplete or wrong. Check anything that matters against the letter itself, on GOV.UK or with HMRC, and speak to an adviser if the letter is a formal enquiry, assessment or penalty.
What if I think the letter is a scam?
Do not pay, click links or share personal details. Contact HMRC through the details on GOV.UK rather than any in the letter.