# Understand an official letter and what I need to do next

Turns a confusing letter from an agency, bank, insurer, or court into plain words, the deadline, and a step-by-step action list.

- Topic: Personal Life & Wellbeing
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Advanced
- Tags: Legal, Summarize, Brainstorm, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/understand-an-official-letter-and-what-i-need-to-do-next

## Prompt

```text
Help me understand a letter I received and what I need to do about it.

**Who sent it:** [e.g. a government agency, bank, insurer, court, utility, hospital]
**The letter:** [PASTE THE TEXT - remove account numbers, ID numbers, and signatures]
**Date I received it:** [DATE]
**What I think it's about:** [my guess, or "no idea"]
**Anything I've already done:** [calls, payments, replies]

Steps:
1. Summarize the letter in 3-5 plain sentences: what happened, what they want, and what happens if I do nothing.
2. Pull out every deadline, amount, reference number, and required action. Quote the exact wording for each.
3. Explain any jargon or legal terms.
4. Tell me how urgent this is: act today, act this week, or for my records only.
5. Check for signs it might not be genuine (pressure to pay by gift card or wire, a sender address or phone number that doesn't match the organization's official one, threats of immediate arrest). If anything looks off, tell me to contact the organization using a number from its official website, not the letter.

Return:
- A plain-language summary.
- A table: Action | Deadline | How (phone, mail, online) | What to have ready.
- A short reply or call script, if a response is needed.
- Questions to ask if I contact them.

Don't guess at rules or consequences the letter doesn't state - mark them [CONFIRM]. If the letter involves a lawsuit, eviction, or large debt, suggest I contact a lawyer or free legal aid service.
```

## What to fill in

- DATE
- my guess, or "no idea"
- calls, payments, replies
- CONFIRM

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