Instead

Instead is an AI-powered tax software company founded in 2023 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. Its principal product, the Instead AI Tax Agent, is designed to orchestrate the whole of the tax process, from research and planning through preparation, compliance, filing and defence. The agent analyses tax returns, identifies missed opportunities and implements tax-saving strategies with supporting documentation, while holding context across every entity a client maintains - individual returns, S-corps, C-corps, partnerships and trusts - in order to optimise the total tax picture.

The company's technical work spans artificial intelligence, AI agents, tax automation software, e-filing integration and document generation and analysis. Instead is the first company in decades to receive IRS approval to e-file individual and business tax returns, with coverage across the IRS and 48 states. It supports Forms 1040, 1041, 1120, 1120S and 1065.

Instead serves CPA firms, corporate tax departments, family offices, small and mid-size businesses and high net worth individuals, and positions its platform as an alternative to established tax software such as CCH Axcess, GoSystem and UltraTax. The company is backed by investors including Conviction, IRIS Software Group and Skylark, and reports that it is rapidly expanding its reach.