obf - liberty tax service

What obf - liberty tax service does

JTH Tax, LLC doing business as Liberty Tax Service is a Virginia Beach, Virginia-based tax preparation franchise company founded in 1997. The company operates a U.S. franchise network of more than 1,200 independently owned locations providing professional tax preparation, bookkeeping, and tax debt resolution services to individual taxpayers and small business owners. The franchisor monetizes through a $25,000 initial franchise fee, a 14% ongoing royalty, and a 5% advertising fee on franchisee revenue, with total new-franchisee capital investment ranging from $49,970 to $71,400 — positioned as one of the lowest startup costs in the tax preparation franchise category. The legal entity is JTH Tax, LLC, headquartered at 2387 Liberty Way, Virginia Beach, and operating as a privately held company (no public ticker).

Liberty Tax's product surface extends beyond the storefront franchise system into a multi-brand online tax preparation portfolio: eSmartTax, FreeTax.com, and TaxBrain for direct-to-consumer electronic filing, plus a Liberty Tax mobile application (available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store) that supports document scanning, location search, account access, and the Liberty Tax Wallet feature. Franchisees may also operate under a virtual tax business model, serving customers remotely under the Liberty Tax brand. The company markets to three primary customer segments: individual taxpayers (W-2 employees, self-employed, retirees), small business owners needing bookkeeping and tax help, and prospective franchisees seeking low-cost entry into the tax services industry. Marketing is multi-channel, spanning organic social (Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn), a dedicated franchise development website, third-party validation through Franchise Business Review satisfaction reports, and industry recognition badges (Entrepreneur Franchise 500, VetFran, Franchise Times Top 200+, Accounting Today Top 100).

The company operates within a U.S. tax preparation industry estimated at $14 billion in size, in which more than 163 million tax returns are filed annually and over 85 million are professionally prepared. Leadership is provided by CEO Scott Terrell (27 years of executive experience spanning NextPoint Financial, HealthMarkets, and prior CIO tenure at Liberty Tax itself) and COO Michael Miller, who joined from Wyndham Hotels & Resorts where he oversaw support for over 5,000 franchisees. Liberty Tax has received repeated Entrepreneur Franchise 500 rankings (2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2025), is a VetFran member, and operates under CCPA, GLBA, HIPAA, and Sarbanes-Oxley-aligned compliance frameworks. No venture capital, private equity, or parent-company ownership structure is disclosed.

Name

obf - liberty tax service

Legal name

JTH Tax, LLC

Website

https://libertytaxfranchise.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Short description

JTH Tax, LLC (Liberty Tax Service) operates a U.S. franchise network of 1,200+ tax preparation locations, supported by online platforms (eSmartTax, FreeTax.com, TaxBrain) and a mobile app, serving individual taxpayers and small businesses with preparation, bookkeeping, and tax debt resolution services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tax Preparation Services

NAICS

Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Tax Return Filing, Processing & Assessment (BPAIADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Revenue Systems, E-Filing & Digital Tax Administration (BPAIADAO)

Keywords

• Tax preparation services
• Franchise tax services
• Bookkeeping services
• Tax debt resolution
• Online tax filing

Headquarters

HQ city

Virginia Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tax Preparation Services: Core revenue from professional tax preparation services for individuals and small businesses. Franchisees pay royalty and advertising fees to the franchisor from their tax preparation revenue.
2. Bookkeeping Services: Small business bookkeeping services offered through franchise locations as year-round revenue complement to seasonal tax preparation.
3. Tax Debt Resolution: Tax debt resolution services helping customers navigate and resolve tax-related issues.
4. Franchise Fees: Initial franchise fee of $25,000 plus ongoing royalty fees (14%) and advertising fees (5%) collected from franchisees.
5. Electronic Filing and Related Services: Processing tax returns electronically with associated service fees for filing and related financial services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Liberty Tax Service is a franchise-based tax preparation company that provides professional tax preparation, small business bookkeeping, and tax debt resolution services for individual taxpayers and small businesses. The company also sells franchise opportunities to entrepreneurs, with over 1,200 franchisees operating Liberty Tax locations across the United States under the JTH Tax, LLC corporate entity.

Product overview

Liberty Tax Service operates as a unified tax preparation service offering with multiple online platforms and a franchise network. The core offerings include professional tax preparation, bookkeeping services, and tax debt resolution for individuals and small businesses. The company also provides an affiliated network of online tax preparation tools including eSmartTax, FreeTax.com, and TaxBrain. The franchise division enables entrepreneurs to open Liberty Tax franchise locations, with over 1,200 franchisees operating across the network. The company generates year-round revenue through its suite of financial products beyond just seasonal tax preparation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• eSmartTax.com: Online tax preparation service website operated by Liberty Tax.
• FreeTax.com
• TaxBrain.com

Products and services

• Tax Preparation Professional tax preparation services for individuals and small businesses, helping customers file accurate tax returns and maximize refunds, delivered through franchise locations, online platforms, and a mobile app.
• Bookkeeping Services Small business accounting assistance provided through Liberty Tax franchise locations, helping local businesses manage their books and financial records throughout the year.
• Tax Debt Resolution Services to help customers navigate and resolve tax-related issues including tax debt, penalties, and disputes with tax authorities.
• Liberty Tax Franchise Franchise opportunity enabling entrepreneurs to open and operate a Liberty Tax tax preparation location, with entry paths including new franchise development, purchase of existing locations, conversion of independent tax businesses, and virtual tax business operation. Includes initial training, ongoing marketing and operations support, site selection, and brand licensing.
• eSmartTax Online tax preparation platform affiliated with Liberty Tax Service that allows customers to prepare and file returns through www.esmarttax.com.
• FreeTax.com Free online tax filing platform affiliated with Liberty Tax Service that allows customers to file federal returns at no cost through www.freetax.com.
• TaxBrain Online tax calculation and filing tool affiliated with Liberty Tax Service, accessible via www.taxbrain.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,200 franchisees in the network
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Google AdSenseminorOthersGoogle AdSense is used to publish advertisements on Liberty Tax websites. When users view or click on ads, a cookie is set to help provide targeted advertising based on user interests.
• Third-Party Ad NetworkminorOthersThird-party advertising network partner that uses cookies and web beacons to collect information about user activities on websites to provide targeted advertising based on user interests.
• TRUSTe (Third-Party Resolution Provider)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerU.S.-based third-party resolution provider for unresolved privacy or data use concerns. Available free of charge to users who have concerns not addressed by Liberty Tax's privacy practices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• H&R Block: Largest U.S. tax preparation retailer, operating both company-owned offices and a franchise network. Directly comparable to Liberty Tax in retail tax preparation services, target customer segments, and seasonal franchise-based distribution.
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service: Major U.S. tax preparation franchise system serving individual and small business filers. Closely comparable in franchise-driven retail model, customer segments, and service offerings to Liberty Tax.
• TaxAct: Direct-to-consumer and professional tax preparation software platform offering DIY and assisted filing. Competes head-to-head with Liberty Tax's eSmartTax, FreeTax, and TaxBrain properties for online filers.
• Padgett Business Services: Franchise network providing bookkeeping, tax preparation, and business advisory to small businesses. Comparable to Liberty Tax in both franchise model and the small business bookkeeping + tax service combination.

Broad incumbents

• Intuit TurboTax: Dominant DIY tax preparation software product from Intuit. Competes with Liberty Tax for the same end consumer filers, especially through its FreeTax and online offerings, though via a software-only rather than franchise model.

Emerging players

• Drake Software: Tax preparation software provider serving tax professionals and small accounting firms. Comparable to Liberty Tax's professional software stack, but focused on practitioner tools rather than direct-to-consumer filing.
• Community Tax: Tax resolution and debt relief services firm. Comparable to Liberty Tax's tax debt resolution offering, addressing a similar customer pain point around IRS and state tax issues.
• 1040Now: Online tax preparation service used by tax professionals and consumers. Comparable as a digital alternative to Liberty Tax's online filing platforms for assisted return preparation.

Others

• MBS Accountancy / Accountancy firms: Independent tax and accounting practices serving individuals and small businesses. Adjacent competition for Liberty Tax's small business tax and bookkeeping services at the local market level.
• Franchise Business Review: Third-party franchisee satisfaction research firm that has surveyed Liberty Tax franchisees. Relevant as an ecosystem partner that influences prospective franchisee recruitment and benchmarking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/libertytax
• Facebookfacebook.com/libertytax
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/libertytax
• Instagraminstagram.com/libertytax

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 obf - liberty tax service