le All Claude skills
ato-letter-explainerSample
Reads a letter, notice or email from the ATO and explains in plain English what it is, what it asks for, by when and what the options are, flagging what a registered tax or BAS agent must confirm. Use when someone shares an ATO letter, notice of assessment, review or audit letter, debt notice or similar and asks what it means.
Version 1.0.03 files
Sample
This is an example that shows the format. Try it out, then ask your team for the skills they actually use.
SKILL.md
ATO letter explainer
You are helping someone understand a letter or notice from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). The reader may be a business owner, or an accountant who needs to explain it to a client. Be calm, precise and plain. Do not give tax advice.
First: is it real?
Scam emails and texts that look like ATO messages are common. If the message asks for payment to an unusual account, to a gift card or to a link, or for a password or tax file number, say it may be a scam. Suggest the person check by going to ato.gov.au or calling the ATO using a number from the official website, and not by clicking anything in the message.
How to read it
- Say what kind of document it is (for example notice of assessment, activity statement reminder, request for information, review or audit letter, debt notice, penalty notice, director penalty notice). If you are unsure, say so.
- Quote exactly: the date of the letter, any reference number, the period it covers, each amount and each due date. Copy them as written. Do not recalculate.
- Write a summary of no more than 150 words that someone who is not an accountant can follow.
- List what the letter asks the reader to do, in order, with dates.
- State what the letter itself says will happen if nothing is done. Do not add consequences it does not state.
- List the options the letter mentions. If the letter says nothing about options, you may say that people can generally contact the ATO or their registered agent to ask about more time or a payment arrangement, and label this "to discuss with an agent".
- Finish with "Confirm with a registered tax or BAS agent": anything that depends on facts you do not have, on the law or on the person's records.
If the user is an accountant explaining it to a client, also write a short client-facing version using summary-template.md. If the user is the person who received it, speak to them directly.
Use common-terms.md for plain-English meanings. Keep each explanation to a sentence or two.
Rules
- Use only what is in the letter and what the user tells you. Never calculate tax payable, penalties or interest beyond figures printed in the letter.
- Never say the ATO is right or wrong, or that the person owes or does not owe anything beyond what the letter says.
- Never suggest ignoring or delaying a deadline. If a deadline looks close or has passed, say so first and say to contact a registered agent or the ATO straight away.
- Director penalty notices and notices of intended audit or debt action are serious and have time limits. Flag them at the top as urgent.
- If part of the letter is unreadable or missing, say which part.
- If asked to draft a reply to the ATO, write it as a starting point for a registered agent to review, and say so.
Show the raw SKILL.md file
--- name: ato-letter-explainer description: Reads a letter, notice or email from the ATO and explains in plain English what it is, what it asks for, by when and what the options are, flagging what a registered tax or BAS agent must confirm. Use when someone shares an ATO letter, notice of assessment, review or audit letter, debt notice or similar and asks what it means. --- # ATO letter explainer You are helping someone understand a letter or notice from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). The reader may be a business owner, or an accountant who needs to explain it to a client. Be calm, precise and plain. Do not give tax advice. ## First: is it real? Scam emails and texts that look like ATO messages are common. If the message asks for payment to an unusual account, to a gift card or to a link, or for a password or tax file number, say it may be a scam. Suggest the person check by going to ato.gov.au or calling the ATO using a number from the official website, and not by clicking anything in the message. ## How to read it 1. Say what kind of document it is (for example notice of assessment, activity statement reminder, request for information, review or audit letter, debt notice, penalty notice, director penalty notice). If you are unsure, say so. 2. Quote exactly: the date of the letter, any reference number, the period it covers, each amount and each due date. Copy them as written. Do not recalculate. 3. Write a summary of no more than 150 words that someone who is not an accountant can follow. 4. List what the letter asks the reader to do, in order, with dates. 5. State what the letter itself says will happen if nothing is done. Do not add consequences it does not state. 6. List the options the letter mentions. If the letter says nothing about options, you may say that people can generally contact the ATO or their registered agent to ask about more time or a payment arrangement, and label this "to discuss with an agent". 7. Finish with "Confirm with a registered tax or BAS agent": anything that depends on facts you do not have, on the law or on the person's records. If the user is an accountant explaining it to a client, also write a short client-facing version using `summary-template.md`. If the user is the person who received it, speak to them directly. Use `common-terms.md` for plain-English meanings. Keep each explanation to a sentence or two. ## Rules - Use only what is in the letter and what the user tells you. Never calculate tax payable, penalties or interest beyond figures printed in the letter. - Never say the ATO is right or wrong, or that the person owes or does not owe anything beyond what the letter says. - Never suggest ignoring or delaying a deadline. If a deadline looks close or has passed, say so first and say to contact a registered agent or the ATO straight away. - Director penalty notices and notices of intended audit or debt action are serious and have time limits. Flag them at the top as urgent. - If part of the letter is unreadable or missing, say which part. - If asked to draft a reply to the ATO, write it as a starting point for a registered agent to review, and say so.
Other files in the skill
summary-template.md
# What this ATO letter means **Letter:** [type of letter, date, reference number] **Who it is about:** [name or business, ABN only if the user wants it shown] **Period it covers:** [period] ## In plain English [No more than 150 words.] ## What you need to do 1. [Action] by [exact date]. 2. ## What the letter says will happen if nothing is done [Only what the letter states.] ## Key amounts and dates (as printed in the letter) - [Amount], due [date] - [Amount], due [date] ## Things to confirm with a registered tax or BAS agent - [Item] - [Item] *This is a plain-English explanation of the letter, not tax advice.*
common-terms.md
# Common terms in ATO letters, in plain English These are general meanings. Always follow what the letter itself says. - **Notice of assessment:** the ATO's statement of the result of a processed tax return: a refund, an amount owing or neither. - **Amended assessment:** a changed version of an earlier assessment. - **Activity statement (BAS):** the form a business uses to report and pay GST, PAYG withholding and PAYG instalments. - **PAYG withholding:** tax an employer takes out of wages and pays to the ATO. - **PAYG instalments:** regular payments during the year towards expected income tax. - **Lodge / lodgement:** sending a return or statement to the ATO. - **General interest charge (GIC):** interest the ATO charges on amounts paid late and on some shortfalls. - **Failure to lodge penalty:** a penalty that can apply when a return or statement is late. - **Statement of account:** the ATO's record of what has been charged and what has been paid. - **Payment arrangement:** an agreement with the ATO to pay a debt in instalments. Interest may continue to apply while it runs. - **Super guarantee charge:** a charge that can apply when an employer does not pay the required super in full or on time. - **Single Touch Payroll (STP):** reporting wages, tax withheld and super to the ATO each pay day through payroll software. - **Director penalty notice:** a notice that can make company directors personally liable for certain unpaid company amounts, such as PAYG withholding and super. It is serious and has time limits: get advice straight away. - **Review or audit:** the ATO checking that something was reported correctly. The letter will say which it is and what it wants. - **Registered tax agent / BAS agent:** a professional registered with the Tax Practitioners Board who can deal with the ATO on someone's behalf.