SAN FRANCISCO, May 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Instead announced today it has completed government testing to electronically file and print tax returns across 100% of U.S. federal, state, and local jurisdictions. The milestone, which no new tax platform has achieved in decades, positions Instead as the only AI-native system with end-to-end authorization to handle research, planning, preparation, filing, and resolution in a single platform.
Instead’s coverage span Individuals (1040), Trust & Estates (1041), C Corporations (1120), S Corporations (1120S), and Partnerships (1065), covering almost every U.S. taxpayer and entity type. Coverage across all state and local jurisdictions means accounting firms can now use Instead as a complete replacement for legacy tax software, not a supplement to it.
“No company has accomplished this in decades,” said Andrew Argue, CPA and CEO of Instead. “The ability to E-file is a regulatory moat that took years to build. But the bigger story is what it unlocks: for the first time, a firm can perform tax research, build tax plans and memos, prepare returns, and file all in one platform driven by AI agents.”
The approval milestone removes the last technical barrier to full-stack replacement. Instead automates the preparation workflow that consumes 60-80% of a firm’s staff time, reducing complex return preparation from 4-6 hours to under 60 minutes. With filing authorization now complete, firms no longer need legacy software for any step of the tax engagement. Instead covers thousands of tax strategies across planning and advisory, automated tax work papers and documentation, all major entity types, and direct e-file transmission to the IRS and every state.
Legacy platforms, including CCH Axcess Tax, UltraTax CS, Lacerte, and Drake, collectively hold over 90% of the firm market. Instead’s regulatory authorization and full-stack platform design represent the first credible replacement since those platforms were built.
About Instead
Instead (instead.com) is the AI-powered tax platform replacing legacy software for accounting firms. Instead Agents execute the full tax workflow: research, tax plans, memos, work papers, return preparation, e-filing, and resolution. Instead has become the first AI native tax platform to receive approvals for IRS, all states, and cities for 1040, 1041, 1120, 1120S, and 1065.
Media Contact:
Olivia Rodi
Manager of Marketing, Instead
olivia@instead.com
