How much does Liberty Tax pay their tax preparers?

Question

I'm Just looking for an average dollar amount. Estimates are fine, is it $5-10 per return or more like $20-30 per return. I'm trying to decide if it is worth my time.

Answer 1

Not sure about Liberty, but Block pays you based on the number of returns you did, the number of years you've worked, a certification level amount for training you've accomplished, and the complexity of the return. You also get extra for clients that returned from the prior year (retention) and a small portion of any extended service plan the customer buys. You earn a set wage per hour (first year is like $7 an hour) and anything earned over the hourly wage is paid out at the end of the year as a "bonus". You are at least guaranteed an hourly wage (for returning workers it is based on a portion of last years hourly amount, this is my 5th year and I'm guaranteed $17 an hour). This is fairly common in the market, but franchises do pay differently than company owned offices (jackson hewitt offices are all franchises, HRBlock is a combination...I am not sure about Liberty, but I've been told it's like JH). Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Franchisees are free to pay whatever the market will bear. Corporate owned offices probably base their wages on local averages and the experience level of the individual staffer. A retired CPA moonlighting for extra cash would make a lot more than a part-timer in their first year of preparing returns.