Free tool · Scarlet Beast En español →
Paper trail: write down every call, letter and visit
“Who did you speak to? When? What did they tell you?” When you are dealing with a benefits office, a landlord, an insurer, a hospital bill or a court, those answers are hard to give from memory. Write one short entry each time: who, when, the reference number, what was said, what happens next and what you have to do. Then look back, tick things off, and print the whole record. For yourself, or for someone you help.
Good to know
What this page can’t do
- It can’t remind you. It does not ring or send a notification. The “Still to do” list only shows when you open the page.
- It does not know any deadline. It knows nothing about any office, rule or law. The only thing it works out is whether a date you typed is before today.
- It does not record calls and does not send anything to anyone. It stores what you type and shows it back.
- It is not an official record. These are your own notes, and this page cannot say how an office, a company or a court will treat them.
- It does not move to another phone or computer by itself. Print it, download it, or use My data on this device to carry a backup across.
Things people often find helpful on a call
- Have your case, claim or account number in front of you before you dial. Step 3 has a box for them.
- At the start, ask who you are speaking with and write it down.
- Before you hang up, ask: “What happens next, and by when?” and “Is there a reference number for this call?”
- Say back what you understood, so they can correct it.
- Write the entry while you are still on the phone, or straight after.
These are everyday ideas in our own words, not legal advice. If one does not suit you, leave it out.
Letters, forms and dates
- Keep every letter you get, and keep a copy or a photo of everything you send.
- If a letter gives a date to answer by, write that date in “By what day?” exactly as the letter gives it. Go by the letter, not by this page.
- If you are not sure what a letter means or when you must answer, ask the office that sent it, or see legal help when you can’t pay a lawyer.
Everyday ideas again, not legal advice.
Keeping the record for someone else
You can keep this for a parent, a partner, a child or someone you support. If they can take part, check the entries with them: it is their information. Some offices will only talk to another person with permission on file; that is for the office to tell you, and this page does not know their rules.
Guides and tools that go with this
- Speak for me: words on the screen for when talking is hard.
- One step at a time: break a call you are dreading into small steps.
- Legal help when you can’t pay a lawyer and help with bills.
- Disability benefits, when you lose your job and after a disaster.
- Get ready for your appointment and the symptom diary, for the doctor’s side of things.
- Save these tools on your phone so they open without a signal.
The tool and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). It was not reviewed by a lawyer. Also in Spanish: Registro de llamadas, cartas y visitas; both pages keep the same record on this device. The record holds up to 2,000 entries and keeps them until you delete them. Found a mistake? Email [email protected].