08/20/2026
Written by a colleague but so very accurate.
🚨 A Friendly PSA from Your Tax Professional 🚨
Tax professionals are currently coexisting in a world where a five-second Google search, a social media influencer who became a “tax expert” overnight, and a confidently delivered AI response are all being presented as more reliable than years of education, experience, and training—or even the actual documents filed with the IRS.
Yes, we are being hit with all three at once. What a time to be alive! 😂
Plot twist: None of them outweigh the facts, official records, or a qualified tax professional’s review of your specific situation.
Internet searches and AI-generated summaries can be helpful starting points, but they cannot establish what happened on your specific IRS account.
Google snippets often leave out important context. Social media posts may contain outdated or incorrect information. And yes, AI can provide a completely wrong answer with remarkable confidence!
AI does not have access to your IRS account, transcripts, notices, supporting documents, or all the facts surrounding your situation.
It is not a substitute for:
✅ Reviewing your actual tax return
✅ Reading the complete IRS notice
✅ Examining official IRS transcripts
✅ Applying current tax law to your specific circumstances
✅ Consulting a qualified tax professional
If your tax professional requests documents or signed authorization to investigate an issue, screenshots of Google results or AI responses will not provide the information needed to resolve it.
Ask questions? Absolutely.
Request an explanation? Please do!
But presenting an AI-generated response as proof that AI or Google knows the best path to take to resolve your issue??
Let’s not do that. Take a breath and let's review the official IRS records first. 😉
The internet can offer possibilities. Your records provide evidence. That is a very important difference.
And one final reminder—for the sake of all humanity—please stop entering personal and confidential information into free, public AI tools!
Do not upload tax returns, IRS notices, Social Security numbers, banking information, dates of birth, photo identification, or documents containing anyone else’s private information.
Free consumer AI tools may store your conversations or use submitted content according to their individual data policies and privacy settings. If you have not reviewed and fully understood those policies, assume the tool is not an appropriate place for sensitive information.
AI can be a useful assistant. It is not your tax professional, the IRS, or a secure filing cabinet. 🔐💻📄
