Column Tax
Column Tax is an API-first, white-label tax filing platform founded in 2021 that enables banks, fintechs, and SMB platforms to embed IRS-authorized end-to-end federal and state tax filing inside their own apps via REST API and mobile SDKs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Column Tax does
Column Tax, Inc. is a New York-based fintech founded in 2021 that builds an API-first, white-label tax filing platform enabling banks, neobanks, fintech super-apps, and SMB platforms to embed end-to-end federal and state tax filing directly into their own applications. The company describes itself as the first IRS-authorized API-first e-file provider and offers DIY Filing and a premium Expert Review product, delivered via a REST API and SDKs for iOS (SwiftUI), Android, React Native, and JavaScript. The platform pre-fills partner-held data (W-2s, Schedule C income and expenses, personal info, direct deposit banking details), supports white-label UI customization, maintains 99.999%+ historical uptime, and is SOC 2 Type I and Type II certified with bank-grade encryption.
The business model is B2B2C: Column Tax sells to financial institutions and SMB platforms via direct sales and demo-led enterprise motion, and earns per-transaction filing fees (configurable by partner, including $0 free tiers) plus licensing/white-label economics from partners. Revenue is generated each time an end user files through a partner's embedded experience, with upsell potential into Expert Review and Tax Refund Unlock (early refund access). Named customers include MoneyLion, Varo, Propel, Lance, Solo, Everlance, Easy Expense, Tight, Benji, and Manjas Corporation, spanning neobanking, benefits, freelancer banking, expense management, creator economy, and CPA segments. The company raised $5.1M in seed funding (November 2021) and $21.7M in Series A funding (May 2022), both led by Bain Capital Ventures, totaling over $26.8M from investors including Felicis Ventures, Core Innovation Capital, Not Boring, and South Park Commons. In December 2025, Column Tax was acquired by Aiwyn, a modern accounting firm platform, to power Aiwyn Tax for a 2026 pilot with 100 accounting firms.
Column Tax firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Column Tax
- Legal name
- Column Tax, Inc.
- Website
- https://columntax.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Column Tax is an API-first, white-label tax filing platform founded in 2021 that enables banks, fintechs, and SMB platforms to embed IRS-authorized end-to-end federal and state tax filing inside their own apps via REST API and mobile SDKs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Column Tax industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Embedded Tax Filing Software
- NAICS
- Tax Preparation Services (541213), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (5412)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tax Planning & Personal Tax Optimization Tools (FSAGADAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Tax Return Filing, Processing & Assessment (BPAIADAC)
Keywords
Where Column Tax is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Column Tax business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Embedded Tax Filing Fees (B2B2C): Column Tax charges a tax filing fee to end consumers who use the embedded tax filing product within partner apps. The fee is configurable by partners (can be $0 for free offerings, or set to a partner-defined amount). Column Tax has a Maximum Refund Guarantee (reimbursement up to $250 if another provider calculates a larger refund) and an Accuracy Guarantee (reimbursement up to $10,000 for computational errors). Revenue is per-transaction, collected when a user pays to file their return.
- White-Label / OEM Licensing: Column Tax provides white-label embedded tax filing solutions to banks, fintech platforms, and SMB tools, enabling them to offer branded tax filing experiences to their users. This is the primary commercial model — the company earns filing fees and potentially platform fees from partners embedding the technology.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | DIY Filing (self-service) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Expert Review (premium guided review) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Column Tax product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Column Tax operates an API-first, white-label embedded tax filing platform that enables banks, brokerages, fintechs, and SMB/freelancer platforms to offer federal and state tax preparation and e-filing directly inside their own products. The platform is delivered through a tax API and native mobile SDKs (iOS, Android, React Native, JavaScript) that power end-customer DIY filing and optional human Expert Review, with pre-fill data, encryption, and SOC 2 Type II compliance.
Product overview
Column Tax is an API-first, white-label tax filing platform that offers embedded tax solutions for banks, fintech companies, and financial apps. The product portfolio includes DIY Filing (core do-it-yourself tax filing product) and Expert Review (premium professional guidance add-on), both delivered through the Column Tax API with white-label customization. Mobile SDKs for iOS, Android, and React Native enable native app integration, while a JavaScript SDK supports web embedding. The platform pre-fills user data from partner systems and handles end-to-end federal and state tax filing. Column Tax was named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2024 and was acquired by Aiwyn in December 2025.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Column Tax API API-based tax filing engine that lets partners embed federal and state e-filing (100% of federal forms, 50+ state forms) directly into their own products. Built for banks, brokerages, fintechs, and SMB/freelancer platforms, with support for DIY filing, pre-fill of customer data, and enterprise-grade security (SOC 2 Type II, AES-256, TLS).
- Mobile SDKs (iOS, Android, React Native) Native mobile SDKs for iOS, Android, and React Native that enable partners to deliver fully embedded, white-label tax filing experiences inside their own mobile applications.
- JavaScript SDK JavaScript SDK for embedding Column Tax's white-label tax filing flow into partner web applications.
- DIY Filing End-customer self-service tax preparation and filing flow delivered white-label through partner apps, with pre-fill of customer data where available.
- Expert Review Human tax-expert review of a customer's return as an add-on to the embedded DIY flow, with a tax professional reviewing the return before e-file.
Quantifiable outcome
- 99% of tax refunds deposited to embedded partner accounts, driving account primacy.
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Column Tax
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Column Tax technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature6 records
Column Tax partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered acquisition / strategic integration, flagship partner, core partner and partner.
- Aiwynacquisition / strategic integrationAiwyn, a platform for modern accounting firms, acquired Column Tax's technology to accelerate deployment of its integrated, end-to-end tax solution. Aiwyn is using Column Tax's technology to power 'Aiwyn Tax' for the 2026 tax season pilot with 100 accounting firms. This represents a strategic technology acquisition that integrates Column Tax's embedded tax filing capabilities into Aiwyn's accounting firm platform.
- MoneyLionflagship partnerMoneyLion, a fintech super-app, integrated Column Tax's embedded tax filing solution. After a year-long pilot, MoneyLion expanded Column Tax to all users, seeing increased ARPU, purchase volumes, daily active usage, and higher debit card engagement. Column Tax enabled MoneyLion to become the top-of-wallet relationship for users.
- Varoflagship partnerVaro, the first US bank to offer free tax prep and filing, partnered with Column Tax to embed end-to-end tax filing for its customers. Colin Walsh (CEO of Varo) praised Column Tax as a trusted, secure tool that saves customers time and money.
- Propelcore partnerPropel, a platform serving low-income Americans on government benefits (EITC recipients), partnered with Column Tax to make taxes accessible and affordable. Through this partnership, Column Tax helped claim tens of millions of dollars in refunds for people who hadn't filed in past years, including EITC recipients who typically receive refunds by March 1.
- LancepartnerLance, a mobile banking platform for freelancers and gig workers, partnered with Column Tax to offer embedded tax filing to its users as part of its financial management tools.
- SolopartnerSolo, a mobile banking platform, partnered with Column Tax to offer embedded tax filing services to its user base.
- Easy ExpensepartnerEasy Expense partnered with Column Tax to transform tax filing for the self-employed, integrating in-app tax filing into their expense management platform for freelancers and independent workers.
- EverlancepartnerEverlance partnered with Column Tax to offer in-app tax filing to its freelance and self-employed user base, helping users seamlessly file taxes directly within the expense tracking app.
- TightpartnerTight partnered with Column Tax to offer in-app tax filing, helping retain more small business users by embedding seamless tax filing within their financial management platform.
- BenjipartnerBenji partnered with Column Tax to support the creator economy through tax season and beyond, offering in-app tax filing to content creators and influencers managing their finances.
- Manjas CorporationpartnerManjas Corporation, a next-generation CPA firm, used Column Tax's embedded tax technology to power its tax preparation services, combining CPA expertise with modern embedded tax infrastructure.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Column Tax competitors and assessment
Company assessmentPeers
Direct peers
- April (TaxFyle): April is an API-first embedded tax filing platform serving banks, fintechs, and consumer apps — the closest direct competitor to Column Tax's core offering of white-label tax infrastructure.
- Keeper: Keeper offers tax filing built specifically for self-employed individuals and freelancers, with embedded partnerships into gig-economy and SMB platforms — directly overlapping with Column Tax's SMB/freelancer use case.
- Pilot: Pilot combines tax preparation with accounting services for small businesses and startups, with embedded integrations into SMB-focused platforms — comparable in targeting Schedule C and self-employed income flows.
Broad incumbents
- TurboTax (Intuit): Intuit's TurboTax is the dominant US consumer tax preparation product and the central incumbent; it also operates embedded offerings (e.g., TurboTax Live, integrations with Credit Karma) and has vastly greater scale and brand recognition than Column Tax.
- H&R Block: H&R Block is a major incumbent tax preparation retailer and software provider with DIY and assisted offerings; its scale, brand, and assisted (in-person/online) channels dwarf Column Tax's embedded fintech focus.
- TaxSlayer: TaxSlayer is a long-standing US tax preparation software company offering DIY and premium products; it competes for partner-driven and direct-to-consumer tax filings at lower price points.
- Credit Karma Tax (Intuit): Credit Karma Tax (now under Intuit) offers free DIY tax filing tied to a financial product ecosystem — the closest large-scale incumbent example of the account-primacy and engagement strategy Column Tax sells to partners.
Emerging players
- FreeTaxUSA: FreeTaxUSA is a low-cost DIY tax filing alternative targeting price-sensitive filers; it pressures consumer pricing for embedded filings and competes for partner integrations with cost-conscious fintechs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Column Tax social profiles
Digital presenceColumn Tax compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Column Tax financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Column Tax leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Column Tax funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Column Tax M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Column Tax
What does Column Tax do?
Column Tax operates an API-first, white-label embedded tax filing platform that enables banks, brokerages, fintechs, and SMB/freelancer platforms to offer federal and state tax preparation and e-filing directly inside their own products. The platform is delivered through a tax API and native mobile SDKs (iOS, Android, React Native, JavaScript) that power end-customer DIY filing and optional human Expert Review, with pre-fill data, encryption, and SOC 2 Type II compliance.
Is Column Tax a public or private company?
Column Tax is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Column Tax founded?
Column Tax was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Column Tax based?
Column Tax is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Column Tax make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Embedded Tax Filing Fees (B2B2C) is the primary driver. The others are white-Label / OEM Licensing.
Who are Column Tax's main competitors?
IRS Direct File is listed as a peer. Direct peers are April (TaxFyle), Keeper and Pilot. Broad incumbents are TurboTax (Intuit), H&R Block, TaxSlayer and Credit Karma Tax (Intuit). FreeTaxUSA is listed as an emerging player.
Does Column Tax have an API?
Yes. Column Tax offers a REST API that enables partners to embed tax filing functionality within their applications. The API supports initializing tax filings, pre-filling user data (personal info, W-2 income, Schedule C businesses, banking information for refunds/direct debit, address, federal estimated quarterly payments), retrieving tax return status, and webhook-based event notifications for user and return status changes. Available via sandbox and production environments (prod.columnapi.com and sandbox.columnapi.com). Partners can customize the UI with brand colors. The API accepts user_identifiers (UUIDs) to manage users across sessions. Developer documentation is at docs.columntax.com/docs/welcome.
What industry is Column Tax in?
Column Tax's product category is Embedded Tax Filing Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGADAJ, Tax Planning & Personal Tax Optimization Tools, with a secondary code of BPAIADAC, Tax Return Filing, Processing & Assessment. Its NAICS code is 541213 and its SIC code is 7370.