Liberty Tax Service Franchise Review 2026: Ratings & Verdict

Product details

Contents

Key facts


The Verdict

Quick Verdict · who it fits

Liberty Tax Service fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mature financial services concept.

✓ Strengths

⚠ Risks to review

Key FDD Facts

The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.

Initial investment (Item 7)

$50K - $71K

Franchise fee (Item 5)

$25K

Royalty (Item 6)

14% + 5% ad

Item 19 median rev

$139k franchise-operated offices

System size (Item 20)

1,537 +22

Years in business

30+ yrs

Company-owned units

126

Item 3 litigation

12 suits

Model Liberty Tax Service's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.

Buyer qualifications

Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.

What you'd pay the franchisor

Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 14% + ad fund 5% on gross sales.

PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$140,000

$100k$2M

Royalty (14%)

Ad fund (5%)

Total / year

▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration

Executive Summary

Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.

Key Numbers

1,663

Total units open

22

Units opened last year

62

Units closed last year

-101

Net unit growth

AI Due Diligence Findings PREMIUM

What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.

5

Risks to review

4

Strengths identified

3

Questions to ask

Industry Benchmarks

How Liberty Tax Service ranks against 29 Financial Services peers we've analyzed.

Initial investment

41st pct · of 29 peers

Franchise fee

20th pct · of 29 peers

System size

86th pct · of 29 peers

Financial Services industry averages

Avg investment

$58K - $182K

Avg franchise fee

$37K

Avg system size

450

Franchises analyzed

29

How Liberty Tax Service stacks up

Closest concepts by category and investment.

Brand Item 19 Fee Investment Royalty Units
Liberty Tax Service Disclosed $25K $50K - $71K 14% 1,537
Equity OneSimilar price Disclosed $10K $33K - $70K 15% 156
Ameriprise Financial ServicesBiggest system Disclosed $2K $10K - $138K 72–91% 3,738
Brightway InsuranceTop-rated in category Disclosed $25K $43K - $187K 351

Compare side-by-side ↗

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Investment Guide

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Financial Analysis

Item 19 Shows Revenue, Not Profit: Build a Pro-Forma

Item 19 hands you an average revenue number and stops there. Here's the step-by-step way to haircut that top-line, layer in COGS, labor, occupancy, the fee stack, and debt service, and land on the profit you'd actually take home.

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Get franchise information FREE

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Liberty Tax Service franchise cost?

Liberty Tax Service requires a $25,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $49,700–$71,400, per the most recent FDD on file.

Who owns Liberty Tax Service?

Liberty Tax Service is franchised by JTH Tax, LLC, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.

Does Liberty Tax Service disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

Yes. Liberty Tax Service discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $139,486. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.

What ongoing fees does Liberty Tax Service charge?

Franchisees pay a royalty of 14% of Gross Receipts and an advertising fund contribution of 5% of Gross Receipts on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.

How many Liberty Tax Service locations are there?

As of their 2026 FDD, Liberty Tax Service has 1,537 total locations, with 22 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.

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