Jackson Hewitt

The vendor opportunity at Jackson Hewitt

Jackson Hewitt operates 5,197 tax preparation offices across the United States, making it one of the largest franchise systems in the financial services category. The network splits into 2,744 franchised units and 2,423 company-owned locations, all of which must use the tax and processing software mandated by the franchisor. For a software vendor, that mandate creates a single procurement choke point: if you sell into HQ, you potentially reach every unit.

The average unit volume sits at $117,660, and the royalty rate is 3%. While unit count declined 7.95% year-over-year, the remaining footprint is substantial. The operator base is entirely single-unit, with 22 mapped operators running roughly 22 locations. No multi-unit operators appear in the most recent FDD, which means no franchisee has enough scale to drive independent technology decisions. All roads lead back to the corporate office in Florida.

Who controls software purchasing

The executive team listed in Item 1 of the 2025 FDD includes Greg Macfarlane, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Justin DiTrolio, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. For a software vendor, Macfarlane is the ultimate decision-maker, while DiTrolio likely owns the budget and vendor evaluation process. Jared Heady, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, will be involved in contract negotiations and compliance review. Shara Abrams, Chief Business Development Officer, and Edward Perez, SVP of Company Owned & Franchise Commercial Operations, may influence operational technology choices that touch the field.

There is no parent company on file; Jackson Hewitt appears independently owned. That simplifies the org chart—you are not navigating a conglomerate’s shared-services procurement layer.

Mandated and current tech stack

The 2025 FDD explicitly mandates tax and processing software across the system. However, the disclosure does not name the specific vendor or vendors providing that software. This is a gap in the public record. Vendors should use discovery calls to identify the incumbent and map integration or displacement opportunities. Because the mandate exists, any new software must either integrate with the existing tax platform or replace it entirely, which would require a franchise-wide rollout.

No other technology mandates—POS, CRM, payroll, or scheduling—appear in the FDD. That does not mean those systems are absent; it means the franchisor does not require a specific solution, leaving room for vendor pitches at both the corporate and unit level, subject to HQ approval.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Item 8 of the FDD, which typically describes procurement restrictions and designated suppliers, contains no extract in the 2025 filing. The procurement model is therefore not publicly documented. Vendors should assume that any software touching tax preparation or processing will face strict HQ oversight, while ancillary tools may follow a more flexible path.

Franchise agreements carry a 10-year initial term. Renewal conditions, per Item 17, include compliance with all agreements, satisfactory credit and background checks, execution of a general release, and notice between 6 and 12 months before expiration. The renewal term is set to whatever the then-current franchise agreement provides, which may be less than 10 years. These renewal windows create natural points for technology evaluation, but the recent unit contraction suggests that cost-cutting or consolidation-driven software reviews could happen at any time.

How to read the Jackson Hewitt FDD

The full 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. It is the same document filed with state franchise regulators and contains the legal and operational disclosures that govern the Jackson Hewitt system. For software vendors, the most relevant sections are Item 1 (executives), Item 11 (mandated technology), Item 8 (procurement, though absent here), and Item 17 (renewal and term). Reading the FDD before outreach ensures your pitch aligns with the franchisor’s actual obligations and constraints.

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