Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer) franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer) franchise takes $110,200 – $123,400 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $100,000. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated. The ledger below itemizes every figure we can source for Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer), each one dated, so you can check the numbers before anyone gets your contact details.
Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer) franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $110,200 | $123,400 | $110,200 to $123,400 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $110,200 | $123,400 | $110,200 to $123,400 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer)'s filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | Not disclosed |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Not disclosed |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | Not disclosed |
How Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer)'s cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer)'s disclosed cost sits against the Professional Services category:
- Minimum startup cost of $110,200 — about 1.3× the Professional Services median of $84,700.
- Initial franchise fee of $100,000 — about 2.5× the Professional Services median of $39,700.
Category medians are computed from the Professional Services brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Professional Services franchises
Free info kit — costs, fees, and unit track record. You choose who may follow up.
Figures look outdated? Report outdated info.
How Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer)'s units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2017–2019: began the window at 224 units; 7 units opened, 10 closed, ending at 138 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
Not enough history to compute a survival figure — we need at least three years of unit data, and we don't extrapolate.
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer) or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer) for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer) is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer) grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer) can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer) franchise
Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer) is a professional services franchisor with 138 units at the end of 2019 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2017 and 2019, it began the window at 224 units; its filings record 7 unit openings and 10 closures, ending at 138 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is FGI L 2.
Disclosure filings report 62 franchise-related lawsuits. Review Item 3 of the FDD. (as of 2026-05)
From the franchisor's materials
Liberty Tax Service is a prominent tax preparation franchise that allows Area Developers to manage multiple locations, enhancing brand presence and revenue potential. The franchise offers comprehensive training, ongoing support, and various revenue opportunities, while emphasizing community engagement and technology integration to ensure franchisee success.
Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer) franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer) franchise cost?
- $110,200 – $123,400 all-in to open, per Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer)'s franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Liberty Tax Service (Area Developer) units are there?
- 138 units at the end of 2019 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).