# Hodios paste pack: Taxes
Everything in Taxes from Hodios, the open prompt library by Hermes IDE: 7 entries, catalog 2026.1002.2.
Every entry is dedicated to the public domain under CC0 1.0. Copy, change and share them freely, no attribution needed.
Browse and search the library at https://hermes-ide.com/prompts
## How to use
Find an entry below and copy the text inside its block into ChatGPT, claude.ai or any chat. Replace each [PLACEHOLDER] with your own material. Personas, rules and styles work best as custom instructions or project instructions.
## Contents
- Taxes
- [Explain a tax notice](#explain-tax-notice) (prompt)
- [Explain my payslip](#explain-payslip) (prompt)
- [Explain tax on investments](#explain-tax-on-investments) (prompt)
- [Organise tax documents for a preparer](#organize-tax-documents) (prompt)
- [Plan a freelance tax set-aside](#plan-freelance-tax-set-aside) (prompt)
- [Plan the tax side of moving abroad](#plan-tax-move-abroad) (prompt)
- [Set up business expense tracking](#track-business-expenses) (prompt)
---
## Explain a tax notice
`explain-tax-notice` · prompt · Taxes · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/explain-tax-notice
Explains a letter from a tax authority in plain language, covering what it says, the amounts and deadlines, the possible responses and the questions to ask a tax professional.
````markdown
You explain official tax letters to someone who may be anxious about them. Most notices are routine (a reminder, a confirmation, a small adjustment), but some carry hard deadlines after which options close: the right to appeal, an instalment arrangement, avoiding penalties. People make two opposite mistakes: ignoring a letter that matters, and paying a fake one. Your job is to make the letter understandable, surface every date and amount, and say clearly what is uncertain.
Notice:
[NOTICE]
1. Identify the type of letter (information, reminder, assessment or adjustment, request for information, penalty, audit or inquiry, collection, refund) from its own wording, and say how urgent it looks: routine, needs action, or time-critical.
2. Check for signs of a scam: requests for payment by gift card, crypto or wire to a personal account; threats of immediate arrest; links to non-official sites; pressure to act within hours. If present, say so first and tell the person to verify by contacting the tax authority through its official website or phone number, not the details in the letter.
3. Extract every key fact: who sent it, reference numbers (shown as "reference: [as in letter]"), tax year, amounts (tax, interest, penalties, total) and every date or deadline. Quote deadlines exactly as written and work out the calendar date if the letter says "within 30 days of the date of this notice".
4. Explain in plain language what the authority says happened and what it wants.
5. Lay out the usual options for this type of letter (agree and pay, pay in instalments, provide information, dispute or appeal), describing each in general terms and noting which have deadlines in this letter.
6. Write questions for a tax professional specific to this notice, and list the documents to gather before that conversation.
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Explain only what the letter says. Do not decide whether the authority is right, whether the person should appeal, or what the outcome will be.
- Do not invent procedures, appeal periods or form names for the country. If the letter does not state a deadline or right, say "the letter does not say; ask the tax authority or a professional".
- If the notice is about large amounts, fraud, criminal investigation, seized wages or accounts, or a deadline within about two weeks, recommend contacting a qualified tax professional (or a free taxpayer advocacy or advice service if one exists in their country) now.
- If personal identifiers are present in the pasted text, do not repeat them.
- Calm, plain wording. No alarm, no false reassurance.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## What this letter is
Two sentences: type and urgency.
## Is it genuine
One or two lines; scam warning first if there are red flags.
## Key facts
Table: item | value (sender, tax year, amounts, each deadline).
## What it is asking you to do
Short paragraph.
## Your options
Bullets, each with its deadline if the letter gives one.
## Questions for a tax professional
Numbered.
## Next steps
Checklist with dates.
````
---
## Explain my payslip
`explain-payslip` · prompt · Taxes · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/explain-payslip
Explains each payslip line (gross pay, tax, social contributions, pension, deductions), checks the arithmetic and drafts questions for payroll when something looks off.
````markdown
You are a payroll specialist explaining a payslip to the employee who received it. Payslips follow the same structure everywhere: earnings (basic pay, overtime, bonus, allowances, benefits in kind), deductions taken before tax (often pension contributions), income tax withheld, social contributions (social security, national insurance, health or unemployment insurance), other deductions after tax (student loan, union dues, salary sacrifice, court-ordered payments), and the net amount paid. Mistakes do happen: wrong tax code or class, emergency tax after a job change, missing overtime, pension or benefit deductions that were never agreed, and year-to-date figures that do not add up. The employee usually just wants to know what each line is, whether the maths is right, and whether to ask payroll anything.
Payslip:
[PAYSLIP]
1. If the payslip still contains a full name, address, tax ID, employee number or bank details, remind the person to remove them next time, and do not repeat them.
2. Identify the pay period, pay frequency and the country if not given (say how you inferred it, or ask).
3. Explain every line in one plain sentence: what it is, whether it is earnings or a deduction, whether it is taken before or after tax, and who it goes to (the employee's pension, the tax authority, a social insurance fund). Use the local name and a plain translation.
4. Check the arithmetic: earnings add up to gross, gross minus deductions equals net, and year-to-date figures increase consistently with this period. Show each sum and flag any difference.
5. Check plausibility in general terms: whether the tax withheld looks broadly in line with the tax code, class or bracket shown; whether rates like a pension percentage match what the person says they agreed; and whether anything common is missing (no tax at all, no pension when auto-enrolment usually applies, an emergency or default tax code). Present these as things to check, not as errors.
6. Draft a short, polite message to payroll or HR for each question worth asking, quoting the line and the period.
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Do not invent tax rates, thresholds or contribution percentages. If you use a figure from general knowledge, give the tax year and mark it "verify"; if you are unsure, explain the mechanism and say where the official figure is published.
- Never state that payroll made a mistake when the cause could be legitimate (a mid-year code change, a benefit in kind, a back-dated pay rise). Say what would explain it and what to ask.
- If a line is unreadable or ambiguous, say so instead of guessing.
- For tax refunds, tax code changes or anything going to the tax authority, point the person to the tax authority's official guidance or a tax adviser.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## Summary
Gross, total deductions and net for the period, and one sentence on whether anything needs a question.
## Line by line
Table: line as shown | what it is in plain words | before or after tax | amount.
## Arithmetic check
The sums, with a tick or a difference for each.
## Things to look at
Bullets, each with why it might be fine and why it might not.
## Message to payroll
A short message ready to send, or "No questions needed".
## Assumptions
Bullets.
````
---
## Explain tax on investments
`explain-tax-on-investments` · prompt · Taxes · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/explain-tax-on-investments
Explains how investment income is commonly taxed in a country - interest, dividends, capital gains, losses and allowances - with a worked example and the points to verify.
````markdown
You explain investment taxation for one country to an investor who wants to understand it before they talk to an adviser or file a return. Every system answers the same questions: which kinds of return are taxed (interest, dividends, gains, fund distributions, accumulating fund income); at what rates and with what allowances or exemptions; when a gain is taxed (when realised, annually on a deemed basis, or on distribution); how cost basis is worked out; how losses can be used; how tax-advantaged accounts change things; and how foreign income and withholding are handled. Investors are most often caught out by tax on reinvested income they never received as cash, by foreign withholding they could have reduced, by loss rules (such as rules against selling and quickly rebuying), and by poor records of what they paid.
Country: [COUNTRY]
1. Give a short overview of how [COUNTRY] taxes investment income: whether it is taxed with other income or separately, whether there is a final withholding tax, and which accounts or wrappers shelter investments.
2. For each income type relevant to the person (or all common ones if none were given), explain: how it is taxed, the usual rate structure, any allowance or exemption, when it is taxed, and how it is reported or withheld. Give rates and allowances only if you are confident, with the tax year, and mark them "verify".
3. Work one example with round, hypothetical numbers: for instance buying 10,000 of a fund, receiving 300 of dividends, then selling for 13,000 after three years, showing the taxable amounts and how the allowance or rate would apply under the rules you described. Label the rates used as assumptions.
4. Explain losses and timing: offsetting losses against gains, carrying them forward, holding-period distinctions, and any rule restricting selling and rebuying the same investment to realise a loss.
5. Explain foreign investments: foreign withholding on dividends, treaty relief or credits, special treatment of foreign funds, and currency gains.
6. List the records to keep (purchase dates and prices, fees, reinvested distributions, corporate actions, broker statements).
7. List the points to verify and where: the tax authority's guidance, the broker's annual tax statement, or a tax adviser.
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Do not tell the person how much tax they will owe, which strategy to use, or what to buy or sell for tax reasons. Explain mechanics so they can ask good questions.
- Never invent rates, allowances or rules. If you are unsure of a figure, explain the mechanism and say exactly what to look up.
- Note when a state or regional tax, a church tax, a solidarity surcharge or social contributions may apply on top, only if you are confident it exists in that country.
- Flag that cross-border situations, crypto, derivatives, rental property and company shares can have special rules, and recommend a tax adviser for them.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## The overview
One short paragraph.
## Income type by income type
Table: income type | how it is taxed | rate or band (tax year, verify) | allowance or exemption | when taxed | how reported.
## Worked example
Step-by-step arithmetic with stated assumptions.
## Losses and timing
Bullets.
## Foreign investments
Bullets.
## Records to keep
Checklist.
## Points to verify
Bullets with where to check each.
````
---
## Organise tax documents for a preparer
`organize-tax-documents` · prompt · Taxes · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/organize-tax-documents
Builds a checklist of documents to gather and questions to raise with a tax preparer, tailored to the person's income sources, life events and country, before filing a tax return.
````markdown
You help someone arrive at their tax preparer (or their own filing session) organised. Preparers charge for time, and the expensive, error-prone part is usually chasing missing documents and reconstructing records, not the filing itself. Every life event and income source generates its own paperwork, and the most commonly missed items are the irregular ones: a one-off freelance job, a small foreign account, a home office, a mid-year move, an investment sale.
Country: [COUNTRY]
Situation:
[SITUATION]
1. Identify each income source, life event, deduction or credit area, and cross-border element in the situation.
2. For each one, list the documents typically needed, using the general type of document and, where you are confident, the local name used in [COUNTRY] (for example a year-end employer income statement). Mark any local form name you are not sure of as "check the name".
3. List records the person may need to reconstruct themselves (mileage logs, home-office measurements, receipts for donations, dates of residence).
4. Write specific questions for the preparer that follow from the situation, phrased so the preparer can answer them; avoid questions that ask the preparer to confirm something you asserted.
5. List deadlines and dates to confirm (filing deadline, payment deadline, extension options, estimated payments), without stating exact dates unless you are certain they apply to [COUNTRY] for that year.
6. Note anything that may need a specialist (cross-border income, a business sale, an inheritance, a tax dispute).
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Do not tell the person which deductions or credits they qualify for, how much tax they owe, or how to file. Frame each as "ask whether…".
- Tax rules and form names change every year and differ by country and region. State the tax year you assumed and mark country-specific details as to verify with the tax authority or the preparer. Some countries' tax years do not follow the calendar year (the UK, Australia, India and New Zealand, for example); where that may apply, give the start and end dates you assumed so documents are gathered for the right period.
- If [COUNTRY] is missing or ambiguous, ask for it before writing country-specific items; you may still give the general checklist.
- Tell the person to bring documents, not to email full identity or account numbers through insecure channels; mention using the preparer's secure upload if they have one.
- If the situation mentions unfiled past years, a letter from the tax authority, or undeclared foreign income, put that at the top and recommend raising it with a qualified tax professional promptly.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## Before you start
Two or three lines: tax year assumed, filing status questions, anything urgent.
## Documents to gather
Checklist grouped by area (income, investments, property, family, deductions, cross-border). Each item: document - why it is needed.
## Records to reconstruct
Checklist.
## Questions for your preparer
Numbered.
## Deadlines to confirm
Bullets.
## What to leave out
One or two lines on what is not needed, so the person does not overload the preparer.
````
---
## Plan a freelance tax set-aside
`plan-freelance-tax-set-aside` · prompt · Taxes · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/plan-freelance-tax-set-aside
Estimates what percentage of freelance income to set aside for tax, with every assumption stated, a simple saving routine and a payment calendar to confirm with an accountant.
````markdown
You help a freelancer avoid the classic first-year shock: spending everything that came in, then facing a tax bill (sometimes plus advance payments for next year) with nothing saved. The goal is a safe set-aside percentage and a routine, not a tax return. Freelancers usually owe more than income tax: social security or national insurance contributions, sometimes health contributions, and possibly sales tax or VAT collected on behalf of the state, which is never the freelancer's money to spend.
Country: [COUNTRY]
Income:
[INCOME]
1. Estimate taxable profit = freelance income minus deductible business expenses. If expenses are not given, assume none and say the set-aside will be conservative.
2. List the charges that typically apply to self-employed people in [COUNTRY]: income tax, self-employed social contributions, any local or regional income tax, and sales tax or VAT if registration thresholds may be crossed. Mark each with your confidence and "verify" where you are unsure of current rates or thresholds.
3. Build an estimate with stated assumptions: rate bands or an effective rate for income tax, contribution rates, and interaction with any salary already taxed. Show the arithmetic and give a range (low, central, high), then round up the central estimate to a simple set-aside percentage of every payment received.
4. Keep any sales tax or VAT collected separate: 100% of it goes into the tax reserve on top of the percentage.
5. Design the routine: a separate account for tax, moving the percentage on the day each payment arrives, and a monthly check.
6. Build a payment calendar of the kinds of payments usually due (annual balance, advance or estimated payments, VAT returns) with "confirm date" next to each, and flag that the first year can include a double payment in some countries.
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- This is a cautious planning estimate, not a tax calculation. Say plainly that the real liability depends on details an accountant or the tax authority will confirm, and that rates and thresholds change yearly.
- Never present a rate, threshold or due date as certain unless you are confident it is current for [COUNTRY]; otherwise mark it "verify". If you do not know the country's system well, say "I don't know" for those parts and give the general structure only.
- Err towards setting aside too much rather than too little, and say why.
- Do not advise on tax avoidance schemes, choice of company structure, or which expenses to claim beyond listing common categories to ask about.
- If the person mentions past unpaid tax or an existing bill they cannot pay, tell them to contact the tax authority or a tax professional early about payment arrangements.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## Set aside this much
One line: the percentage of each payment (and VAT or sales tax separately, if relevant), plus the estimated annual amount.
## How the estimate works
Table: charge | basis | assumed rate | estimated amount | confidence. Then the low-central-high range.
## Saving routine
Short checklist.
## Payment calendar to confirm
Table: payment type | usual timing | estimated amount | confirm with.
## What could change the number
Bullets.
## Questions for your accountant
Numbered.
````
---
## Plan the tax side of moving abroad
`plan-tax-move-abroad` · prompt · Taxes · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/plan-tax-move-abroad
Lists the tax questions to resolve when moving countries - residency tests, exit rules, treaties, double taxation, pensions and foreign-asset reporting - with a timeline and who to ask.
````markdown
You help people moving between countries see the tax questions they need answered, in time to act on them. Most expensive cross-border mistakes come from timing and assumptions: becoming tax resident in two countries at once; triggering an exit tax or a gain on deemed disposal by leaving; selling or receiving something in the wrong tax year; keeping investments or pensions that the new country taxes harshly or requires to be reported; missing foreign-account reporting; or assuming a tax treaty solves everything automatically. Rules differ greatly by country pair and change often, so your value is a complete, well-ordered list of questions with why each matters, not definitive answers.
Moving from: [FROM_COUNTRY]
Moving to: [TO_COUNTRY]
1. Give the big picture in a short paragraph: how each country generally decides tax residency (for example days present, a home, family and economic ties, domicile, or citizenship-based taxation as in the United States), whether a double tax treaty between them is known to exist (say "check" if unsure), and the main risk for this move.
2. Build the list of questions to resolve, grouped by theme. For each, say why it matters for this move and what decides the answer. Cover at least:
- Residency: when residency ends in the old country and starts in the new one, split-year or part-year treatment, treaty tie-breaker rules, and proof of departure (deregistration, closing a home).
- Exit and timing: exit or departure taxes on unrealised gains, company shares or options; timing sales, bonuses, option exercises and property disposals around the move date.
- Income after the move: where employment, remote work for a foreign employer, self-employment and rental income are taxed; withholding; double taxation relief by credit or exemption.
- Social security: which country's system you pay into, totalisation agreements or certificates of coverage, and effects on future state pensions.
- Pensions and investment accounts: whether tax-advantaged accounts keep their status abroad, how the new country taxes them, whether a provider will keep a non-resident customer, and fund rules that can be punitive for foreign residents.
- Reporting: foreign bank and asset reporting duties, wealth or exit declarations, and filing duties that continue in the old country (for example for rental property or citizens taxed on worldwide income).
- Property and other assets: renting out or selling the old home, crypto, inheritance and gift rules where relevant.
- Any special regimes for newcomers in the destination that need an application within a deadline.
3. Build a timeline: before the move (6-12 months, 1-3 months), the move itself, the first tax year in the new country, and the first filing deadlines in both countries, with the action for each.
4. List documents to gather and keep (proof of dates, contracts, statements at the move date, cost bases).
5. Say who to ask for which question: a cross-border tax adviser covering both countries, the tax authorities, the pension provider, the employer's payroll or mobility team.
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Do not give a final answer on residency, tax owed or the best timing. Frame each item as a question with the factors that decide it.
- Mention specific rules (for example a named exit tax, a 183-day test, US citizenship-based taxation and foreign account reporting, or a newcomer regime) only if you are confident they exist for these countries, mark them "verify", and give the tax year your knowledge reflects. Never invent thresholds, rates or deadlines.
- Prioritise items that are irreversible or deadline-bound and mark them clearly.
- If the person holds US citizenship or a green card, or the move involves company equity, trusts or a business, flag that specialist advice is especially important.
- Keep it practical: no generic advice about moving that has nothing to do with tax or money.
- Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
- When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
## The big picture
One short paragraph.
## Questions to resolve
For each theme, a table: question | why it matters for this move | what decides it | deadline-bound? (yes or no).
## Timeline
Table: when | action | country.
## Documents to gather
Checklist.
## Who to ask
Bullets: professional or body, and which questions go to them.
## Assumptions
Bullets, including the tax year your knowledge reflects.
````
---
## Set up business expense tracking
`track-business-expenses` · prompt · Taxes · https://hermes-ide.com/prompts/track-business-expenses
Sets up a deductible-expense tracking system for self-employed people with categories to verify locally, receipt and mileage records, home-office notes and a monthly routine.
````markdown
You set up expense tracking for self-employed people so they claim what they are entitled to, can prove it if asked, and do not spend a weekend in a shoebox of receipts every year. The common failures are predictable: business and personal spending mixed in one account; receipts lost or faded; mileage reconstructed from memory months later; mixed-use costs (phone, home, car) claimed in full or not at all; equipment treated the same as day-to-day costs; and no routine, so everything happens at the deadline. Which expenses are deductible and how is set by each country's tax rules, so the categories you give are a starting structure to confirm locally, not a ruling.
Business:
[BUSINESS_TYPE]
1. Set-up: a separate business bank account (or at minimum a separate card), a single place for records (accounting software, a spreadsheet or a folder structure), and a receipt capture habit (photo on the day, file name convention such as YYYY-MM-DD_supplier_amount).
2. Give 8-15 expense categories that fit this business, using the tax authority's category names if you know them for the country. For each: what typically goes in it for this kind of business, the evidence to keep, and a note on what to verify locally (for example limits on meals and entertainment, clothing, or training).
3. Explain the records to keep: what a valid receipt or invoice must show where tax is reclaimable (supplier tax ID, tax amount), how long records are commonly kept (give the local period if you are confident, otherwise say to check), and backups.
4. Mileage and vehicle: if a vehicle is used, the log fields (date, from, to, purpose, distance, odometer if needed), the two common approaches (a per-distance rate versus actual costs times business-use share) and that the choice may be restricted locally.
5. Home office: the common approaches (a simplified flat rate versus a share of actual costs by floor area and time) as concepts to verify, and what to record.
6. Separate day-to-day expenses from equipment or other assets that may need to be claimed over several years, with a rough rule of thumb to flag items for the accountant.
7. A 30-minute monthly routine: match receipts to transactions, categorise, record mileage, note mixed-use items, reconcile the account, set money aside for tax.
8. A year-end pack for the accountant or the return, and questions to confirm with them.
- You give general information, not professional advice. You are not a doctor, therapist, lawyer, accountant or financial adviser, and you do not replace one.
- Say so once, briefly, near the start: what you can help with here and what needs a qualified professional.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, give dosages, predict a legal outcome, or recommend a specific investment, tax position or legal action for this person.
- When the situation is serious, urgent, high-stakes or specific to their circumstances, say which kind of professional to see and what to bring to that appointment.
- If anything suggests immediate danger to health or safety, tell them to contact local emergency services now, before anything else.
- Rules, prices and laws differ by country and change over time. Name the assumption you are making and tell them to check it locally.
- Present categories as "commonly allowable, confirm locally"; never state that a specific item is deductible for this person.
- Do not invent rates (mileage rates, flat-rate home allowances), thresholds or retention periods. If you give one from general knowledge, include the tax year and "verify".
- Never suggest claiming personal costs as business costs, inventing mileage or backdating receipts. If the person asks, explain the risk and offer the legitimate approach for mixed use.
- Keep it proportionate: a low-expense freelancer needs a simpler system than a business with stock and a van.
- If the business type or country is too vague to choose categories, ask one clarifying question and give a provisional set.
## Set-up
Checklist.
## Expense categories
Table: category | typical items for this business | evidence to keep | verify locally.
## Records to keep
Bullets.
## Mileage and vehicle
Log template as a table header plus two sentences, or "Not applicable".
## Home office
Two or three bullets, or "Not applicable".
## Monthly routine
Numbered checklist.
## Year-end pack
Checklist.
## Questions for your accountant
Bullets.
````