Column Tax
Acquired11 employees on LinkedIn · 4 known investors
Column Tax provides tax services with a focus on transparency and ethical practices, serving individuals and businesses seeking honest alternatives to predatory tax industry practices.
Also known as Column Tax
Founders & leadership
Investors · 4
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Column Tax is a tax software company that provides an API-first, embedded tax filing product for banks, neobanks, brokerages, and other financial applications. Partners integrate Column Tax's SDK directly into their own app or website so that users can file federal and state individual income tax returns without leaving the partner product. Data the partner already holds about the user is pre-filled into the return, and Column Tax generates a custom questionnaire to collect remaining inputs on income, credits, deductions and adjustments.
The product line includes do-it-yourself filing and a premium Expert Review offering. Column Tax describes coverage of all individual tax situations included in the federal and state e-file process for the current filing year, including forms for small businesses that flow into 1040 individual returns. It offers a Maximum Refund Guarantee, an Accuracy Guarantee that covers penalties resulting from its calculation errors, and audit assistance, and it operates taxpayer support on behalf of partners, either directly in-product or through the partner's existing support platform.
The company describes itself as the first IRS-authorized API-first tax filing product and states it is an authorized e-file provider with the IRS and state filing agencies. Named partners and customers referenced on its site and in press coverage include MoneyLion, Varo, Lance and Solo.
Founding story
According to Forbes, cofounders Gavin Nachbar (CEO) and Michael Bock (CTO) met at Waymo, where they worked on self-driving cars for several years, and launched Column Tax in February 2021. Nachbar said the company began after they identified a solution for tax returns for people living paycheck to paycheck, with the ambition of using software to democratize access to the kind of tax advice wealthier Americans obtain from CPAs and similar services.
Business model
Column Tax sells embedded tax filing to other companies rather than directly to consumers. Partner banks, fintechs and financial apps integrate Column Tax's API and SDK so filing happens inside the partner's own app or website under a white-labeled UI. Column Tax supplies the tax engine, IRS and state filing integrations, compliance, guarantees and taxpayer support; end users can only access the product as a benefit of holding an account with a partner organization.
Forbes reports standard API pricing in which partners pay per filing, based on volume. Column Tax also markets filing as a revenue driver and retention tool for partners.
Traction
The company reports having filed taxes for hundreds of thousands of Americans and over $250 million in refunds claimed by its filers in 2024, plus processing of billions of dollars of income and expense reporting to the IRS. Forbes reported annual contract value growth of 15x between the 2021 seed round and the May 2022 Series A, with clients including Lance and Solo; MoneyLion and Varo executives are quoted on the company website. Partner-cited outcomes include 99% of refunds deposited to embedded partners, 10-25% of users switching direct deposits, and 20-35% higher customer retention.
Latest developments
The Column Tax website carries an announcement that Column Tax has joined Aiwyn. The FAQ page states that Column Tax filers claimed over $250 million in tax refunds in 2024 and that the company has filed taxes for hundreds of thousands of Americans.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Column Tax operates in the embedded fintech and tax software segment, framed in press coverage as an upstart alternative to incumbent consumer tax preparation software. It was named to GGV Capital's Embedded Fintech 50 list, and its press page cites inclusion in a 2024 ranking of the world's top 250 fintech companies and a 2024 best inventions list. Coverage notes a broader trend of fintechs, and potentially banks, embedding tax preparation in their apps.
Column Tax positions itself as the first IRS-authorized API-first tax filing product, distinguishing itself from consumer DIY tax software by embedding the filing flow inside partners' apps with pre-filled data, a white-labeled UI, one-week or less integration, bundled IRS compliance, and outsourced taxpayer support. It also cites customer guarantees (maximum refund, accuracy, audit assistance) and a team including people from Intuit, TaxAct, H&R Block, Cash App and Wolters Kluwer.
Technology
A custom-built tax engine handles federal and state income tax calculations across income, credits, deductions and adjustments, with direct integrations to the IRS and state filing agencies for correctly formatted outputs. Delivery is via APIs and a custom SDK with a white-labeled, mobile- and desktop-optimized UI. The company cites IRS-authorized e-file provider status, SOC 2 certification, bank-grade encryption, a bug bounty program, and claimed 99.999%+ historical uptime.
Go-to-market
Business-to-business distribution through embedded partnerships: Column Tax markets demos to banks, brokerages, and platforms serving SMBs and freelancers, and reaches end taxpayers only through those partners' apps. Marketing emphasizes partner-side outcomes such as refund deposit capture, direct deposit switching and retention.
Banks, neobanks, brokerages, budgeting tools, and platforms serving independent contractors, small businesses and freelancers; end users range from DIY W-2 filers to investors. Named partners include MoneyLion, Varo, Lance and Solo.
Geography
Operations are focused on the United States, covering federal tax filing plus state income tax filing through direct integrations with the IRS and state filing agencies.
History
Forbes reports that cofounders Gavin Nachbar and Michael Bock met at Waymo, where they worked on self-driving cars for several years, and launched Column Tax in February 2021. The company raised a $5.1M seed round in 2021 and a $21.7M Series A announced in May 2022, at which point it had 11 employees. It was subsequently named to GGV Capital's Embedded Fintech 50 list and, per its own press page, to 2024 lists of the world's top 250 fintech companies and the 200 best inventions of 2024. The company's website now states that Column Tax has joined Aiwyn.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 5
by search overlap
Companies competing with Column Tax for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 7
launches, deals, and filingsCompany press page lists coverage titled 'Column Tax: the 200 Best Inventions of 2024'.
Series A round with participation from Felicis, Not Boring, and existing investors Core Innovation Capital and South Park Commons.
$21.7M source ↗
Forbes reports the two cofounders, who met at Waymo, launched Column Tax in February 2021.
Seed round reported as led by Bain Capital Ventures with South Park Commons, Core Innovation Capital and Operator Partners; Forbes describes it as taking place in the summer preceding the May 2022 Series A.
$5.1M source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Column Taxcolumntax.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Column Tax do?
- Column Tax provides API-first embedded tax filing that banks and fintech apps integrate for their users; it has joined Aiwyn.
- Who founded Column Tax?
- Column Tax was founded by Michael R. Bock, Billy Marsden.
- Who are Column Tax's investors?
- Column Tax's investors include Core Venture Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, South Park Commons.