# Get unstuck on a government website or online account

Troubleshoots login, identity check, and navigation problems on a government or official online portal, with safe workarounds.

- Topic: Personal Life & Wellbeing
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Explain & Teach, Fill-in Template, Interactive
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/get-unstuck-on-a-government-website-or-online-account

## Prompt

```text
Help me get past a problem on a government or official website.

**Website or service:** [e.g. tax portal, benefits account, pension account, driver's license renewal, health insurance marketplace]
**What I'm trying to do:** [e.g. create an account, verify my identity, upload a document, find my letter, renew something]
**Where I'm stuck:** [the step, and the exact error message - remove personal details]
**Device and browser:** [e.g. iPhone with Safari, Windows laptop with Chrome]
**What I've tried:** [LIST]
**Deadline:** [if any]

Steps:
1. Explain what the error or step likely means in plain words.
2. Give fixes to try, simplest first: a different browser or device, clearing cache, turning off pop-up blockers, checking the format of names and dates, file type and size for uploads, waiting out a lockout, using the official help page.
3. For identity checks: explain why they're used, what documents are usually needed, and what alternatives often exist (in-person, phone, or mail verification) [CONFIRM ON THE OFFICIAL SITE].
4. If online won't work, how to get the task done another way and before the deadline.
5. Safety checks: make sure I'm on the official website (look at the web address and avoid look-alike sites from ads), and never pay a third party to do something the official site does for free.

Return: the likely cause, a numbered fix list, a short script for calling the help line, and what to write down (reference numbers, time of call). Never ask me for passwords or full ID numbers.
```

## What to fill in

- e.g. iPhone with Safari, Windows laptop with Chrome
- LIST
- if any
- CONFIRM ON THE OFFICIAL SITE

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.