ClearTax
ClearTax is an India-headquartered fintech SaaS platform providing AI-powered tax compliance, GST filing, e-invoicing, ITC optimization, and working capital solutions to over 8 million individuals, 4,000+ enterprises, and 200,000+ SMEs across India, UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBangalore, India
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What ClearTax does
ClearTax (legally Defmacro Software Private Limited, also operating as Clear) is a Bangalore-headquartered fintech SaaS company founded in 2011 by Archit Gupta that builds AI-powered tax and financial compliance software for Indian consumers, enterprises, and chartered accountants, with a recent expansion into the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Its platform-plus-modules architecture combines consumer ITR filing (Self ITR plus Expert-Assisted tiers priced ₹2,499 to ₹14,999 per filing), enterprise GST/e-invoicing (ClearGST, E-Invoicing & E-Way Bill, ClearTDS), AI-driven ITC optimization (MaxITC), accounts payable automation, vendor management, invoice discounting, and instant working capital financing — all unified under the Clear Finance Cloud, Clear Compliance Cloud, and Clear Supply Chain Cloud platforms. The technical backbone rests on proprietary AI agents, the GL Stream two-way ERP data infrastructure, an ITC reconciliation engine matching 10,000 invoices per minute with 150+ fuzzy logic rules, and integrations with SAP, Tally, Microsoft, and 80+ brokers.
The company operates a hybrid go-to-market: self-serve PLG for individual filers, direct enterprise field sales targeting CFOs and finance leaders, and a CA Partner Program of 20,000+ (and up to 80,000+) tax professionals serving as both users and channel influencers. Revenue is generated through tiered annual consumer subscriptions, quote-based enterprise SaaS contracts priced on GSTINs and invoice volume, transaction and interest fees on MaxITC, invoice discounting, and working capital financing. ClearTax is ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certified, holds a GSP/ASP license for GST in India, and is accredited as an e-Invoicing Service Provider by the UAE Ministry of Finance and Federal Tax Authority. The company serves 8M+ individual users, 4,000+ enterprises, 80,000+ tax professionals, and 2 lakh+ SMEs, and has raised over $140M cumulatively across rounds, including a $75M Series C in October 2021 at a $700M post-money valuation led by Kora Capital with Stripe.
ClearTax firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ClearTax
- Legal name
- Defmacro Software Private Limited
- Website
- https://cleartax.in
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- ClearTax is an India-headquartered fintech SaaS platform providing AI-powered tax compliance, GST filing, e-invoicing, ITC optimization, and working capital solutions to over 8 million individuals, 4,000+ enterprises, and 200,000+ SMEs across India, UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ClearTax industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tax & Financial Compliance Software
- NAICS
- Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (5412)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Revenue Systems, E-Filing & Digital Tax Administration (BPAIADAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Embedded Tax, Accounting & Invoicing Finance (FSAGALAJ), A2A Bill Pay & eInvoicing (Open Banking Enabled) (FSAMAFAL), Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure (FSAGABAE)
Keywords
Where ClearTax is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bangalore
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
ClearTax business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Consumer ITR Filing Subscriptions: Self-serve tax filing platform with tiered subscription plans (Basic, Premium, Elite, Luxe) offering increasing levels of service, expert assistance, and tax optimization features. Prices range from ₹2,499 to ₹14,999 per filing with annual billing.
- Enterprise GST/Tax Software Subscriptions: SaaS subscription model for businesses with enterprise GST filing, e-invoicing, TDS, vendor management, and accounts payable automation. Pricing based on number of GSTINs, invoice volume, and enterprise features.
- Professional Services: Expert-assisted tax filing services with senior CA support, including live tax filing, consultation calls, and complex scenario handling (RSU, ESOPs, business income).
- MaxITC and Invoice Discounting: Working capital solutions enabling businesses to maximize input tax credit claims and access early vendor payments. Revenue generated through transaction or value-based fees.
- Financing and Working Capital: Instant working capital financing for businesses through the platform, generating interest income on loans extended.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Basic - Salaried Professionals (Salary < ₹50L) |
| Subscription | Annual | Premium - Active Investors & Traders |
| Subscription | Annual | Elite - Global Wealth Builders |
| Subscription | Annual | Luxe - Year-Round Peace of Mind |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels9 records
ClearTax product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ClearTax operates a cloud-based SaaS platform that provides tax and financial compliance solutions for Indian consumers, businesses, and tax professionals. On the consumer side, it offers self-serve and expert-assisted income tax return (ITR) filing through tiered subscription plans. On the enterprise side, it delivers GST return filing, e-invoicing, e-way bill, TDS, input tax credit reconciliation, vendor management, accounts payable automation, invoice discounting, and working capital financing, sold as standalone modules or bundled into the Clear Finance Cloud, Clear Compliance Cloud, and Clear Supply Chain Cloud platforms.
Product overview
ClearTax operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture providing comprehensive tax and financial compliance solutions for individuals, businesses, and chartered accountants in India. The core consumer offering includes Self ITR Filing and Expert Assisted Filing for income tax return submission, while the enterprise suite centers on Clear Finance Cloud, Clear Compliance Cloud, and Clear Supply Chain Cloud platforms. Individual modules include ClearGST (cloud-based GST return filing), MaxITC (AI-powered ITC optimization), E-Invoicing & E-Way Bill, ClearTDS, Accounts Payable, Vendor Management, Invoice Discounting, and Financing. The portfolio was expanded through acquisitions including CimplyFive (secretarial compliance, 2022) and yBANQ (enterprise payments, 2021). The company also developed proprietary AI infrastructure including GL-Stream for ERP integration and clear-tax.ai for CFO automation. ClearTax serves 8M+ individual users, 4,000+ enterprises, 80,000+ tax experts, and 2 lakh+ SMEs across India and expanded into UAE and Middle East markets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Clear Finance Cloud: Connected finance ecosystem for process automation, greater control, higher savings and productivity
- Clear Compliance Cloud
- Clear Supply Chain Cloud
- MaxITC
- CimplyFive
- ClearOne
- ClearTaxCloud
Products and services
- Self ITR Filing AI-powered self-service income tax return filing platform that enables individual taxpayers to file taxes in 3 minutes with pre-filled data from Form 16, AIS, 26AS, and automated capital gains imports.
- Expert Assisted Filing Expert-assisted ITR filing service where senior chartered accountants and tax experts file returns within 24-72 hours, offered under tiered plans (Basic, Premium, Elite, Luxe) covering salary, capital gains, F&O, ESOPs, US stocks, and business income.
- ClearGST Cloud-based SaaS GST return filing solution supporting GSTR-1 through GSTR-9C filings via ASP/GSP license, with AI-powered reconciliation, PAN-level multi-GSTIN filing from a single screen, and automated Table-4 reporting.
- MaxITC AI-powered Input Tax Credit maximization solution that matches 10,000 invoices per minute, detects 100% tax credits using 150+ fuzzy logic rules, runs PAN-level matching, and provides actionable recommendations to address discrepancies.
- Vendor Management Vendor management and collaboration portal enabling single-click vendor onboarding, real-time chat, AI-based fraud detection, and 40+ compliance and regulatory checks with periodic KYB updates.
- Accounts Payable AI-powered accounts payable automation solution that elevates AP processes with automation and vendor management capabilities for seamless invoice processing and payment tracking.
- E-Invoicing & E-Way Bill Bulk e-invoicing solution integrated with ERP systems (SAP, Tally, Microsoft) that generates IRN-compliant invoices and e-way bills, with global e-invoicing expertise across India, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Europe.
- ClearTDS e-TDS return filing solution for automated TDS compliance, including Form 16 generation, quarterly statement filing, and TDS credit reconciliation.
- Invoice Discounting Supply chain finance solution enabling vendors to maximize EBITDA with early vendor payments through invoice discounting and financing programs accessible via the vendor portal.
- Financing Instant working capital financing solution integrated with Clear's finance ecosystem, enabling businesses to access quick capital based on their tax compliance and invoice data.
- CimplyFive Automated secretarial compliance platform acquired by ClearTax in July 2022 for nearly Rs 75 crore, providing company law and regulatory compliance automation for businesses.
- Clear Finance Cloud Connected finance ecosystem platform providing process automation, greater control, higher savings and productivity, integrating Clear's tax and finance solutions including GST, TDS, e-invoicing, AP automation, and financing.
- Clear Compliance Cloud GST and direct tax compliance platform covering indirect and direct tax obligations including GST returns, income tax, TDS, and regulatory filings from a unified dashboard.
- Clear Supply Chain Cloud Complete supply chain solution providing control, collaboration, and compliance across procurement, vendor management, and tax compliance.
- ClearOne Billing and invoicing software for SMEs enabling professional invoice creation and payment reminders via WhatsApp and Email, accessible on mobile app or computer.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduces monthly close from days to 2 days using AI agents
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use ClearTax
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
ClearTax technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability9 records
Feature8 records
ClearTax partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered infrastructure partner, integration partner and integration network.
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)infrastructure partnerClearTax uses AWS-hosted infrastructure in UAE for data residency compliance, enabling local enterprise operations in the UAE market with secure cloud infrastructure meeting regional regulatory requirements.
- SAPintegration partnerClearTax GST software integrates with SAP ERP systems, enabling seamless data flow for enterprise customers using SAP. Integration supports recommended requirements for SAP/Microsoft environments.
- Microsoftintegration partnerClearTax integrates with Microsoft ERP solutions and leverages Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure. The integration enables enterprise customers using Microsoft systems to streamline GST compliance.
- Tallyintegration partnerClearTax offers integration with Tally ERP, enabling data import and synchronization for SME customers using Tally for accounting.
- Microsoft Azureinfrastructure partnerClearTax leverages Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure, with Azure hosting enabling ClearTax to help 75% of users file taxes for the first time, demonstrating the cloud platform's reliability and scale capabilities.
- 80+ Brokersintegration networkClearTax enables 1-click capital gains import from 80+ broker platforms, including major Indian brokers, enabling seamless trade data import for investors and traders filing taxes.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ClearTax competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tally Solutions: India's dominant SME accounting and compliance software. Competes directly with ClearTax on GST filing, e-invoicing, and e-way bill workflows for Indian SMBs and tax practitioners.
- Avalara: US-headquartered tax compliance automation platform for VAT, GST, and e-invoicing. Comparable in cross-jurisdiction tax compliance, ERP integrations, and enterprise tax automation positioning.
- IndiaFilings: Indian tax filing, GST, and compliance services platform. Directly competes with ClearTax's consumer ITR filing and SME GST compliance offerings in the Indian market.
- myITreturn: Indian online income tax e-filing platform with professional services. Competes with ClearTax on individual ITR filing and assisted tax preparation for Indian consumers.
- TaxBuddy: Indian tax-filing and CA-assisted platform serving individuals and SMEs. Comparable consumer-facing GTM and tax-expert partner model for Indian ITR filing.
Broad incumbents
- Zoho: Global SaaS suite including Zoho Books (accounting), GST-ready invoicing, and workflow automation. Competes with ClearTax's enterprise tax and finance cloud offerings for SMEs and mid-market.
- Intuit: Global tax and accounting software leader (TurboTax, QuickBooks). Competes in consumer tax filing and SMB accounting categories with global scale, brand, and AI investments.
- Vertex (Vertex Inc.): Global enterprise tax technology vendor with indirect tax automation, e-invoicing, and ERP integrations. Comparable as a tax-automation incumbent targeting large multinational enterprises.
Emerging players
- Razorpay: Indian fintech with payment and business banking infrastructure extending into invoicing and compliance. Comparable as a domestic fintech serving SMBs with embedded financial workflows.
- Khatabook: India SMB digital ledger and invoicing app expanding into credit and payments. Comparable as a domestic SMB-focused fintech with overlapping invoicing and compliance use cases.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ClearTax social profiles
Digital presenceClearTax compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
ClearTax financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ClearTax leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ClearTax subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
ClearTax funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors15 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ClearTax M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A6 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ClearTax
What does ClearTax do?
ClearTax operates a cloud-based SaaS platform that provides tax and financial compliance solutions for Indian consumers, businesses, and tax professionals. On the consumer side, it offers self-serve and expert-assisted income tax return (ITR) filing through tiered subscription plans. On the enterprise side, it delivers GST return filing, e-invoicing, e-way bill, TDS, input tax credit reconciliation, vendor management, accounts payable automation, invoice discounting, and working capital financing, sold as standalone modules or bundled into the Clear Finance Cloud, Clear Compliance Cloud, and Clear Supply Chain Cloud platforms.
Is ClearTax a public or private company?
ClearTax is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was ClearTax founded?
ClearTax was founded in 2011. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is ClearTax based?
ClearTax is headquartered in Bangalore, India, in the Asia region.
How does ClearTax make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Consumer ITR Filing Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are enterprise GST/Tax Software Subscriptions, professional Services, maxITC and Invoice Discounting and financing and Working Capital.
Who are ClearTax's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tally Solutions, Avalara, IndiaFilings, myITreturn and TaxBuddy. Broad incumbents are Zoho, Intuit and Vertex (Vertex Inc.). Emerging players are Razorpay and Khatabook.
Does ClearTax have an API?
No public API is recorded for ClearTax.
What industry is ClearTax in?
ClearTax's product category is Tax & Financial Compliance Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIADAO, Revenue Systems, E-Filing & Digital Tax Administration, with a secondary code of FSAGALAJ, Embedded Tax, Accounting & Invoicing Finance. Its NAICS code is 5412 and its SIC code is 7372.