# Official Form Preparation Sheet

For the method in
[Navigating a Government Form With AI Without Inventing an Entitlement](/articles/government-form-literacy-with-ai).
Work only from the form's own current instructions. Never auto-submit.

## Not for

Eligibility, deadline, or legal-status determinations. Any entitlement question goes to the
issuing authority, not this sheet.

## Source record

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Form name / number | |
| Official source URL | |
| Version or publication date on the form | |
| Date retrieved | |

**Working from the form's own instructions, not a summary or a model's memory of it:** ☐ Yes

## Field-by-field checklist

| Field (as named on the form) | Plain-language meaning | Evidence required | Condition (if any) | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | | | | ☐ Clear ☐ Unclear |
| | | | | ☐ Clear ☐ Unclear |
| | | | | ☐ Clear ☐ Unclear |
| | | | | ☐ Clear ☐ Unclear |
| | | | | ☐ Clear ☐ Unclear |

## Evidence to gather

- [ ]
- [ ]
- [ ]
- [ ]

## Questions for the authority

Phrase each as a specific, answerable question — do not attempt to answer these yourself.

1.
2.
3.

**Contact method used:** ☐ Phone ☐ In person ☐ Official email  **Date contacted:**

## The three prompts to reuse

**1. Field-by-field translation**

```text
Here are the official instructions for [form name], copied directly
from [official URL], version dated [date]: [paste instructions text].
Working only from this text, list every field the form asks for, in
plain language, in the order they appear. For each field, note: what
it is asking for, any evidence or document it says is required, and
whether the instructions state a condition for that field. Do not
add fields, requirements, or conditions that are not in the text I
gave you, and do not guess what a vague field is asking for — mark
it "unclear, needs confirmation" instead.
```

**2. Build the evidence checklist**

```text
From the field list above, build a checklist of every document or
piece of evidence mentioned, in the exact wording the form uses,
next to a plain-language note of what it means. Group items by
whether they apply to everyone or only under a stated condition.
```

**3. Draft authority questions**

```text
From this checklist [paste], list every item marked unclear or
needing confirmation, plus any question about whether my situation
meets a stated condition. Phrase each as a specific, answerable
question I can ask the authority directly. Do not attempt to answer
these questions yourself.
```

## Before you submit

- [ ] Re-read the completed form against this checklist, field by field
- [ ] Confirmed the form version has not changed since retrieval
- [ ] All "unclear" items resolved with the authority directly
- [ ] No field auto-filled or auto-submitted by a connected tool