EPS Financial

What EPS Financial does

EPS Financial, founded in 2009 and headquartered in Easton, Maryland, is a division of Pathward, N.A. — a national, FDIC-member bank — that delivers tax-related financial products and payment processing services to independent US tax professionals. The business has scaled to 44,000+ enrolled independent tax offices and has originated more than $2 billion in taxpayer advance loans, positioning EPS as a primary processor for the small-practitioner segment of the US tax channel. Its leadership is anchored by President Clark Gill, and the division operates exclusively within the United States.

The product suite is organized around the tax preparation and refund-delivery workflow. Core offerings include E-collect ($20 refund transfer), E-bonus (incentivized refund transfer with a $39.95 setup fee), E-advance (zero-cost taxpayer advance), E-assist (unfunded tax preparation support), and E-pay (card and ACH merchant processing). Disbursement is anchored by the FasterMoney Visa Prepaid Card, co-issued with Visa U.S.A. Inc., and complemented by Taxpayer Advance Loans and Tax Office Loans. In 2025 the company broadened its surface beyond transactions with EPS Edge, an office management platform providing marketing automation and performance analytics, alongside adjacent launches in Cyber Security Solutions and Tax Debt Services. Distribution is achieved primarily through integrations with Tax Software Providers, which embed EPS payment rails into the preparation workflow used by enrolled offices.

The business model is transaction- and fee-based: per-transaction refund transfer fees ($20 E-collect), setup fees on higher-incentive products ($39.95 E-bonus), interest income on taxpayer advances (36% APR), and merchant processing spreads (1.74%+). Go-to-market combines direct enrollment of independent tax offices with software-level integration that makes EPS the default processor for participating preparers. Because EPS operates as a non-reportable segment within Pathward, N.A., standalone financials are not disclosed, but the scale of enrolled offices and originated loan volume indicates a substantial, recurring seasonal revenue base underwritten by regulated bank infrastructure.

Name

EPS Financial

Legal name

EPS, a division of Pathward, N.A.

Website

https://epsfinancial.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EPS Financial, a division of Pathward, N.A., provides tax-related financial products and payment processing to over 44,000 independent US tax offices, including refund transfers, taxpayer advance loans, the FasterMoney Visa Prepaid Card, and the EPS Edge office management platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tax Banking Services

NAICS

Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Third-Party POS Installment Financing Platforms (FSAKAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biller Direct EBPP Platforms (FSAMAJAA), Agent-Assisted / Retail Bill Payment Networks (FSAMAJAD)

Keywords

• Refund transfer programs
• Taxpayer advance loans
• Tax office financing
• Merchant payment processing
• Prepaid debit cards

Headquarters

HQ city

Easton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Refund Transfer Fees: Fees charged for refund transfer programs including e-Collect ($20 per transaction), e-Bonus ($39.95 setup fee), and related administrative charges. These are transaction-based fees paid by tax offices or deducted from taxpayer refunds.
2. Taxpayer Advance Loan Fees: Marketing fees and interest from taxpayer advance loans. Options include $75 Pre-Acknowledgement fee, $34.95 in-season marketing fee for certain programs, and interest on larger advances (36% APR on 25-75% of expected refund).
3. Merchant Services: Credit and debit card processing fees for tax offices, with rates starting at 1.74% per transaction and ACH processing starting at $1.75 per transaction.
4. Tax Office Loans: Pre-season and in-season funding solutions for tax offices to manage cash flow and business startup costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EPS Financial provides tax-related financial products and services to independent tax professionals, including refund transfer programs (E-collect, E-bonus, E-advance, E-assist), taxpayer advance loans, tax office loans, merchant services payment processing, and the FasterMoney Visa Prepaid Card. The company serves more than 44,000 enrolled independent tax offices in the United States, enabling them to get paid on tax preparation fees through refund-based programs while offering early refund access to taxpayers. All products are delivered through the banking infrastructure of Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC.

Product overview

EPS Financial is a financial technology company offering a unified platform of tax-related banking products and services for independent tax professionals. The core portfolio centers on refund transfer programs (E-collect, E-bonus, E-advance, E-assist), taxpayer advance loans, and tax office loans, complemented by payment processing (E-pay) and the FasterMoney Visa Prepaid Card. The company also provides operational tools including EPS Edge (an all-in-one office management platform with client management, marketing automation, and analytics), gift cards, marketing support, business reporting, tax debt services, and cyber security solutions. All products are offered through a network of over 44,000 independent tax offices and are powered by Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EPS Edge: All-in-one office management tool for client management, marketing automation, and performance analytics
• FasterMoney Visa Prepaid Card
• e-Collect
• e-Bonus
• e-Advance
• e-Assist
• e-Pay

Products and services

• E-collect (Low-Cost Refund Transfer) A low-cost refund transfer program ($20 per refund transfer) that enables independent tax offices to offer clients the option to pay their tax preparation fee from their federal tax refund, ensuring tax professionals get paid before clients leave the office.
• E-bonus (High Incentive Refund Transfer) A high-incentive refund transfer program that rewards independent tax professionals with rebates ($8 per funded check/direct deposit, $16 per card disbursement, $4 additional per extra deposit) on top of a $39.95 account setup fee, designed to drive client enrollment.
• E-advance (No-Cost Taxpayer Advance Refund Transfer) A no-cost taxpayer advance loan refund transfer program that allows tax offices to offer advance loans to clients with no in-season marketing fee, no cost to tax preparers, and no cost to taxpayers.
• E-assist (Unfunded Tax Prep) An unfunded tax prep program that enables independent tax professionals to get paid on tax preparations where the client's refund does not cover the preparation fee, providing payment protection on otherwise uncompensated work.
• E-pay (Credit/Debit/ACH Payment Processing) A merchant payment processing solution built specifically for tax offices that accepts debit cards, credit cards, and ACH payments, with processing rates starting at 1.74% and ACH starting at $1.75 per transaction, featuring no monthly fees outside tax season and no long-term contracts.
• FasterMoney Visa Prepaid Card A Visa prepaid card that enables taxpayers to receive their federal tax refunds up to 4 days earlier than traditional banking without requiring a traditional bank account, issued by Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.
• Taxpayer Advance Loans Refund advance loans that give taxpayers access to money before receiving their federal tax refund, with loan amounts ranging from $250 to $7,500 (up to 75% of expected refund), same-day funding available, and the program having originated over $2 billion in taxpayer advances to date.
• Tax Office Loans Pre-season and in-season funding solutions providing cash flow assistance for qualified tax preparers, including office start-up loans, fee advances, and software purchase assistance to manage seasonal working capital needs.
• EPS Edge (Office Management Platform) An all-in-one office management platform providing client management, marketing automation, and performance analytics for independent tax offices, branded as EPS Edge.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2 billion in Taxpayer Advance Loans originated
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Tax Software ProviderscoreTechnology or IntegrationEPS Financial is compatible with many leading tax software programs. Tax professionals enroll by selecting EPS as their bank partner through their existing tax software. Software partnerships are essential for product delivery and customer acquisition.
• Visa U.S.A. Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationThe FasterMoney Visa Prepaid Card is issued pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc., enabling card acceptance and ATM access for tax refund recipients.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Intuit (TurboTax): Owner of TurboTax, which bundles refund advance loans and a prepaid debit card directly into the DIY tax-filing flow, competing for the same taxpayer wallet and adjacent to EPS's independent-office distribution model.
• H&R Block: Major national tax preparation chain that offers its own Emerald Prepaid Mastercard and refund advance products, competing with EPS's FasterMoney card and serving overlapping taxpayer needs through a much larger owned-retail footprint.
• Green Dot Corporation: Publicly traded prepaid card and debit card issuer that powers several tax-refund prepaid cards across the industry, competing with EPS's FasterMoney Visa Prepaid Card as a card-issuing platform with broader consumer banking products.

Direct peers

• Liberty Tax Service: Independent tax preparation franchise targeting similar SMB tax offices and offering bank-partnered refund transfer and advance products to its enrolled preparers.
• TaxSlayer: Tax preparation software company that integrates with bank partners for refund transfer and advance products, operating as a tax-software distribution channel comparable to EPS's software-integrated enrollment model.
• TaxAct: Tax software platform that partners with banks for refund transfer and advance loan products, serving both assisted and DIY filers through a similar software-bundled financial-product distribution model.
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service: Independent tax preparation franchise system that partners with banks for refund transfers and advance loans, operating in the same SMB tax-office channel and offering overlapping taxpayer financial products.
• Republic Bank & Trust (Refund Advantage): Republic Bank operates the Refund Advantage division, which provides refund transfer and tax-related financial products to independent tax professionals — the closest direct competitor to EPS Financial in the same B2B channel.

Others

• Block, Inc. (Square): Provides SMB payment processing (Square) and consumer banking products that overlap with EPS's merchant services and prepaid-card offerings, but targets a broader SMB and consumer base outside the tax vertical.
• Sunrise Banks: Minnesota-based national bank that provides banking-as-a-service infrastructure (including for tax-related fintech programs), serving as an adjacent enabling bank rather than a direct marketer to tax offices.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EPS Financial