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Decode a letter

Decode any UK letter

Upload a photo, paste text, or share a letter in any format. Sorted explains it in plain English, finds the real deadline, drafts your reply, and helps you find any benefits or financial support you may be owed.

Free No login Sourced to GOV.UK We don’t store your file

Add your letter in any way

We handle the hard part
Scan with camera Instant capture
Upload files PDF, JPG, PNG, Docx
Paste text Type or paste below
Share link Dropbox, Drive, email
Record or upload video MP4, MOV, WebM

You're in the right place. We'll explain what this means and what to do next.

Accepted: PDF JPG PNG HEIC WEBP DOCX TXT Email Max: 12 MB / file
Image may be hard to read For the clearest decode, retake in good light with the full page visible.
photo.jpg Ready to decode
0 / 12,000
UK letters only.
Extract key info Find deadlines Summarise Check for support Draft reply
Sorting your letter
1Reading the text
2Understanding what it means
3Finding deadlines & consequences
4Checking money & support you may be owed
5Creating your safest next step

We understand everything — so you don’t have to.

PDF Word Images Emails Web links Videos Screenshots Letters
…and more

What you’ll get

Plain English Summary
Real deadline & key dates
What you need to do
Possible support you can claim
Draft reply you can send
Reliable sources cited
Private — nothing stored without you pressing Save Free — no sign-up, no payment UK official sources cited on every result
Don't have the letter to hand? Browse common UK letters by sender →
Want a ready-to-send reply & action plan? Use the full Letter Machine →
Please read this first

There's free, calm help for this — let's get you to it.

You don't have to handle this alone. These UK helplines speak to people in this exact situation every day, and they're free.

Sorted just did this for you
Five things, in one upload.
In plain English

Letter type

However serious this looks, it can be sorted. Letters like yours are resolved every day — usually with one right move, made calmly. We'll guide you through it.

BEFORE YOU PAY — 2-MINUTE CHECK
Most "must pay" letters can be appealed, reduced, put on a plan, or offset by support: money you're owed · affordable plan · appeal / claim back · prepare a claim
DID THIS GET IT SORTED?
✅ Sorted it · 💷 It saved me money · ⏳ Still working on it
Important deadline detected This letter has a tight deadline. Acting today gives you the most options.
Sender —
Deadline —
Letter type —
Confidence —
Sourced to UK official bodies · Decoded only — not stored

What this letter actually means

The safest next step

If you do nothing, here's the realistic worst case

    How serious is this, honestly

    Time
    —
    Money
    —

    A starter draft for your reply

    —
    Saved to My Sorted with the deadline tracked. Open Today to see what’s next.
    Open Today →
    Send my reply with Letter Writer → This saved me money £ Decode another letter
    Decoded by Sorted's plain-English engine, AI-assisted. Not legal advice. For binding rulings see Citizens Advice, a local law centre, or your council. If something here looks wrong, please tell us.
    Your safest next step today

    One letter doesn't fix everything. Pick what's next.

    Save this case to My Sorted, scan for missing money, or get urgent help. Free. Sourced to UK official bodies. No login.

    Scan for missing money Save to My Sorted Get urgent help
    Sourced to GOV.UK · HMRC · DWP · NHS · 45+ UK official bodies

    How the UK letter decoder works

    Official letters are written for the organisation sending them, not for the person receiving them. The decoder turns one into plain English so you can see what is actually being asked and how much time you have.

    What it reads

    A phone photo, a screenshot, a PDF, a scan, or text pasted straight in. Letters from HMRC, the DWP, your council, a court, an energy supplier, a landlord or a debt firm all work. If a letter runs to several pages, capture every one — deadlines are often buried on page three.

    What you get back

    Five things, in this order: what the letter is, how serious it is, the real deadline, what happens if you do nothing, and the safest next step. Where a reply is needed, you get a starter draft you can edit and send. Where support exists — a payment arrangement, a benefit, a hardship fund — it points you at it.

    What it does not do

    It explains rules; it does not make decisions. It is not regulated legal, debt or financial advice, it cannot approve a claim or cancel a fine, and it never submits anything on your behalf. For anything serious it routes you to free expert help. See what we can and cannot do.

    Your letter and your privacy

    No account is needed and no email address is required. The text you provide is sent to our AI provider so it can be explained, and SortedUK does not store it. Nothing is saved unless you choose to save it. The full detail is on our privacy page and how we use AI.

    After you have decoded it

    Understanding the letter is step one. If a deadline is close, add it to your deadlines. If money is the problem, check what you can claim. If the letter came from a council, HMRC or the DWP, our letter explainer covers what each typically sends and how fast each escalates.