SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · PENNSYLVANIA
Liberty Tax Service franchise in Pennsylvania: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Liberty Tax Service in Pennsylvania have taken 24 SBA loans since 1991 (average $130,195), and of the 17 loans whose story has ended, 35.3% were charged off — versus 11.5% for Liberty Tax Service nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in PA
24
Resolved
17
Local charge-off
35.3%
National charge-off
11.5%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = PA. 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
898
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
6.9
national 8.1
Versus the country
-15%
thinner
Every business in Liberty Tax Service's industry operating in Pennsylvania — 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.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$1,153
Pennsylvania, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$1,212
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-5%
cheaper to staff
What Liberty Tax Service's industry actually pays workers in Pennsylvania, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This is a real cost signal independent of the FDD — a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| System | Loans in PA | Local charge-off | Units in PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mail Boxes Etc. Usa | 31 | 8.0% | — |
| AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | 19 | 0.0% | — |
| Allstate Insurance | 11 | 0.0% | — |
| JACKSON HEWITT TAX SERVICE | 9 | thin | — |
| Fedex Ground | 8 | thin | — |
| State Farm Insurance | 8 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Liberty Tax Service compares to the systems a buyer in Pennsylvania 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. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Liberty Tax Service's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.