About
Instead is the first AI agent purpose-built for the complete tax workflow. It goes beyond simple tax calculators or document storage — Instead autonomously researches tax law, surfaces personalized savings strategies, generates detailed tax plans and reports, and prepares returns for five entity types: 1040 (individuals), 1041 (trusts & estates), 1120 (C corporations), 1120S (S corporations), and 1065 (partnerships). The platform is designed for three distinct audiences: individual filers who want every deduction found and optimized; business owners managing multiple entities who need a unified view of their total tax picture; and accounting professionals who can invite clients into a shared workspace for collaborative document management and strategy sessions. Key capabilities include AI-driven tax strategy analysis with over $5B in savings identified, automated report generation for return analysis and tax planning, estimated tax payment calculations across all jurisdictions, and upcoming features like AI-generated document request lists, automatic extension filing, and full AI-assisted return preparation. Instead integrates with cloud drives and connected financial accounts to pull documents automatically, supports extended thinking and web search for deeper tax research, and features voice-enabled conversations. It offers a tax advisor directory to connect users with vetted professionals when human expertise is needed.
Key Features
- AI Tax Strategy Analysis: Automatically analyzes uploaded tax returns to identify applicable savings strategies, surfacing personalized recommendations backed by authoritative tax guidance.
- Multi-Entity Return Support: Handles five entity types — 1040, 1041, 1120, 1120S, and 1065 — allowing business owners to manage personal and business returns from a single conversation.
- Collaborative CPA Workspace: Invite your accountant directly into Instead for shared document management, joint strategy development, and a single source of truth for all tax work.
- Automated Document Organization: Connects to cloud drives and financial accounts to import, classify, and organize tax documents automatically, extracting key data like income and withholding amounts.
- Tax Reports & Planning: Generates detailed reports for tax return analysis, tax plans, and strategy documentation — useful for both individual filers and professional tax advisors.
Use Cases
- A self-employed individual uploads their W-2s and 1099s to have Instead organize documents, identify deductions, and prepare their 1040 with optimized strategies.
- A business owner with an S-corp and personal return uses Instead to understand how both entities interact and minimize their combined tax liability.
- An accounting firm uses Instead to scale their practice — the AI handles document collection, strategy analysis, and report generation while CPAs focus on review and client relationships.
- A taxpayer facing an IRS inquiry uses Instead to research applicable tax law, organize supporting documents, and prepare a defense response.
- A CPA and their client collaborate inside Instead's shared workspace to review estimated quarterly tax payments and plan year-end strategies in real time.
Pros
- End-to-end tax coverage: One platform handles research, planning, filing, and IRS defense, eliminating the need to juggle multiple tools across the tax lifecycle.
- Multi-entity intelligence: Understands how different entities interact and optimizes the total tax picture across personal and business returns simultaneously.
- Built for professionals and consumers alike: Scales from individual filers to large accounting firms, with collaborative workspaces and a tax advisor directory bridging DIY and professional tax work.
Cons
- Several features still coming soon: Key capabilities like estimated tax calculations, AI document requests, auto-extensions, and full return filing are not yet available, limiting current utility.
- US-only coverage: Instead currently supports federal and state filing within the United States only, making it unsuitable for international tax needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What entity types does Instead support?
Instead supports five entity types: individual returns (1040), trusts & estates (1041), C corporations (1120), S corporations (1120S), and partnerships (1065).
Can I use Instead if I already have a CPA?
Yes. Instead lets you invite your accountant into your workspace so you can collaborate on documents and strategies together, with a shared source of truth for all tax information.
Is Instead free to use?
Instead offers a free tier to get started. Additional features and higher usage tiers are available through paid plans, including options specifically designed for accounting firms.
How does Instead find tax savings?
Instead analyzes your uploaded tax documents and financial situation, searches authoritative tax guidance, and applies thousands of known tax strategies to identify applicable deductions and optimizations tailored to your profile.
Does Instead file tax returns directly?
Return filing is listed as a coming-soon feature. Currently, Instead focuses on tax research, strategy analysis, report generation, and document organization, with filing capabilities being actively developed.
