Smartie - Understanding an answer
Every Smartie answer has the same five parts — and the most important one is the list of source documents at the bottom. Knowing what to look at, and in what order, is the difference between using Smartie well and taking an answer on trust.
The five parts of an answer
1. The answer body
Structured prose, usually with the reasoning set out step by step. Where a rule turns on a distinction, Smartie sets out each limb separately. Where a calculation helps, it works through a numeric example.
Legislative references appear inline — section numbers, Acts and amending legislation — so you can follow the reasoning to source.
2. The technical reference disclaimer
Answers close with a line confirming the content is for technical reference only and does not constitute financial, legal or taxation advice, and that application to specific circumstances requires professional judgement. That's not boilerplate to skim past — it defines what the answer is.
3. The drafting offer
Smartie will often ask whether you'd like to use the response in a Statement of Advice, client letter, file note or email. Reply and it drafts that text for you in the conversation, ready to copy into your own document. See Drafting emails, file notes and SoA extracts.
4. The source reference chips
This is the part to actually use. Below each answer, Smartie lists the specific documents from the Smarter SMSF library it drew on — named webinars, papers and workbooks.
These chips are how you verify an answer rather than trusting it. Two habits worth forming:
- Check the sources match your question. If you asked about a 2026–27 threshold and the references are all older material, treat the answer as directional and confirm the current figure independently.
- Note the source date. Reference documents carry dates in their titles. Older sources may predate a legislative change relevant to your scenario.
5. The verify notice and Copy button
Each answer is marked as an AI-generated response to be verified against current legislation, with a Copy button beside it. Copy puts the full response on your clipboard, ready to paste into a file note, workpaper, SoA or email.
Before you rely on an answer
A four-step check that takes under a minute:
- Do the facts match? Smartie answered the scenario you described. If a material fact was missing, the answer reflects that — add it as a follow-up.
- Is the year right? Confirm the answer addresses the financial year you're working in.
- Do the cited sources support it? Open the reference documents if the point is material.
- Is the law current? Check the cited provisions haven't since been amended, particularly in fast-moving areas.
Remember — once you paste an answer into a client document, it's your work product. Your professional obligations apply to it in full.
When Smartie can't answer
Smartie is built to escalate rather than guess. If your question falls outside its knowledge base, or it can't ground an answer in approved source material, it will tell you rather than produce something plausible.
That's the system working as designed, and it's the reason you can place weight on the answers it does give. Expect it on genuinely novel or unsettled questions.
