SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · CALIFORNIA
Liberty Tax Service franchise in California: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Liberty Tax Service in California have taken 20 SBA loans since 1991 (average $148,910), and of the 16 loans whose story has ended, 12.5% were charged off — versus 11.5% for Liberty Tax Service nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in CA
20
Resolved
16
Local charge-off
12.5%
National charge-off
11.5%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = CA. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor.
Businesses in this industry
3,947
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
10
national 8.1
Versus the country
+23%
denser
Every business in Liberty Tax Service's industry operating in California — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
| System | Loans in CA | Local charge-off | Units in CA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mail Boxes Etc. Usa | 164 | 10.2% | — |
| Postal Annex Plus | 65 | 18.9% | — |
| AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | 63 | 2.0% | — |
| Aim Mail Center | 22 | 21.1% | — |
| Express Employment Professionals/Express Pers | 12 | thin | — |
| Pakmail Centers of America | 12 | 0.0% | — |
| JACKSON HEWITT TAX SERVICE | 11 | 10.0% | — |
| Fedex Ground | 10 | thin | — |
| Postal Connections | 7 | thin | — |
| CMIT Solutions | 6 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Liberty Tax Service compares to the systems a buyer in California would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Liberty Tax Service's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →