As the April 15 tax deadline looms just six weeks away, an increasing number of taxpayers are experimenting with artificial intelligence tools to navigate their filings. While chatbots like Grok promise speed and convenience, tax professionals emphasize the need for careful review and verification.
“Grok can help with your taxes,” Elon Musk declared on X this week. Developed by Musk’s startup xAI, Grok is a generative AI chatbot now integrated into the social media platform.
Musk’s post cited another message from xAI general counsel James Burnham, pointing to a user who “double-checked tax returns” with Grok and secured a bigger refund. “Disclaimer: This/Grok is not tax advice so always confirm yourself too,” Burnham wrote.
Despite the appeal of finding extra dollars, experts caution that a larger refund does not guarantee accuracy. Tom O’Saben, director of tax content and government relations at the National Association of Tax Professionals, advises filers to compare current returns with prior years’ filings. As an enrolled agent authorized to represent clients before the IRS, O’Saben stresses that discrepancies between refunds or amounts owed often stem from changes in income, deductions or credits.
Beyond Grok, other AI assistants—such as ChatGPT, Claude and chatbots embedded in mainstream tax software—are available this season. But the landscape of deductions and credits has grown more intricate under President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” and many filers remain hesitant to use AI for their returns.
According to a survey by Invoice Home, only 37% of respondents in 2026 would consider trusting AI over a human advisor—a drop from 43% the previous year. The study polled about 2,000 taxpayers in January.
Complex Rules, Nuanced Advice
“Each of the areas have some nuance,” said Michael Deering, a CPA and tax services leader at Mowery and Schoenfeld. He notes that new tax breaks include phase-outs based on income levels, which can diminish or eliminate benefits. AI tools may struggle to interpret how these thresholds interact across different parts of a return.
Privacy and Responsibility
Data security is another concern. O’Saben reports using AI in his own practice for routine queries but never enters confidential details like Social Security numbers or bank data. At the end of the day, he reminds filers, “You’re ultimately responsible for all of the entries on that return, and you sign a statement at the bottom” affirming its accuracy.