Instead becomes the first new tax platform in decades to pass 100% government testing across all U.S. jurisdictions — replacing CCH, GoSystem, UltraTax, Lacerte, ProConnect, and Drake for the full tax stack

Instead, an AI-native tax preparation platform, has achieved a significant technical milestone by becoming the first new tax system in decades to pass 100% government testing for e-file and print approvals across all U.S. federal, state, and local jurisdictions. The platform has received certification to replace established tax software systems including CCH, GoSystem, UltraTax, Lacerte, ProConnect, and Drake across the complete tax processing stack. The achievement represents a breakthrough in tax technology infrastructure, as government approval for tax software requires extensive testing and validation of complex calculation engines, form generation systems, and electronic filing protocols. Instead's AI-native architecture has successfully navigated the rigorous certification process that ensures compliance with IRS e-file specifications and state-specific requirements across thousands of tax forms and jurisdictional variations. The technical accomplishment signals a potential shift in the tax software market, which has been dominated by legacy platforms for decades. By achieving full-stack certification, Instead can now process returns from individual filings to complex business taxes, positioning the platform as a comprehensive alternative to the incumbent systems that have maintained market dominance through their established government approvals.