Paramount Tax & Accounting Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $74K – $166K
- Disclosed sales
- $498K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Paramount Tax & Accounting is a franchise providing tax preparation, bookkeeping, and accounting services for individuals and small businesses. Franchisees run a local practice managing client returns, books, and advisory work.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Paramount Tax & Accounting franchise requires a total initial investment of $74K – $166K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 10.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $498K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored7 of 7 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $74K – $166K
- 59th pct Financial Ser…
- Avg gross sales
- $498K
- 18th pct Financial Ser…
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- 18th pct Financial Ser…
- Units
- 92
- 48th pct Financial Ser…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Financial Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Financial Services median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $74K – $166K including a $40K franchise fee, 10.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $498K/year (median $204K), with an estimated 177% cash-on-cash return.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 89/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +12 franchised outlets in the latest year (15 opened, 3 closed); 7 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 76.5% CAGR over 3 years with 92 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Paramount Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- Paramount Tax & Accounting CPAS PLLC
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2025 FDD
- Predecessor
- Paramount Franchising, LLC (Florida LLC, dissolved)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- CEO, CFO and Chief Franchise Development Officer
- Jon Wilhelm
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- NV
- HQ
- 12481 South Fort St., Suite 200, Draper, Utah 84020
- Auditor
- Kezos & Dunlavy
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.9M
- vs $2.0M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Affiliated brands
- company that we form
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jon Wilhelm
- Headquarters
- UT
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 21
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 28% above the typical financial services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40K | $40K | |
| Real Estate / Rent | $0 | $12K | |
| Utilities | $0 | $3K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $0 | $10K | |
| Initial Marketingnot refundable | $0 | $5K | |
| Startup Packagenot refundable | $20K | $25K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipmentnot refundable | $0 | $5K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $500 | $4K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $300 | $3K | |
| Office Expensesnot refundable | $0 | $2K | |
| Supply Inventorynot refundable | $100 | $2K | |
| Licenses and Permitsnot refundable | $0 | $1K | |
| Dues and Subscriptionsnot refundable | $700 | $2K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $0 | $3K | |
| Travel, Lodging and Meals for Initial Trainingnot refundable | $3K | $4K | |
| Additional Funds (first 3 months)not refundable | $10K | $46K | |
| Total initial investment | $74K | $166K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $74K – $166K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $46K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- -n/d
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 0.6 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 10.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $300 |
| Training fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Inventory (initial) | $100 – $2K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 90% above the financial services norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Paramount Tax & Accounting until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for ad fund rate, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$148K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
FDD-reported earnings
The FDD reports $213K as Net Income. This is a disclosed figure, not our estimate — we publish no modelled profit for Paramount Tax & Accounting.
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Paramount Tax & Accounting unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for ad fund rate, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for ad fund rate, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $498K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $204K
- Avg net income
- $213K
- Cash-on-cash
- 177.2%
- Based on Net Income / investment midpoint
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales and net income
- Sample size
- 30 outlets
- vs category median 94 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $57K→$3.3MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 51 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 7 / 10
- vs category median 0 / 10 · above
Compared against 45 Financial Services brands
Revenue is 4.1x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $498K/year in gross sales. Median is $204K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 4.1x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 10.0% — below the Financial Services median of 16.5%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 7/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 76.5% CAGR over 3 years across 92 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Financial Services medians
How Paramount Tax & Accounting Compares
Category median of published Financial Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 92
- Opened
- 15
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Terminated
- 3
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 3.3%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 98%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +76.5%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +76.5%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 3
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 1
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 7
- 0.08 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 7
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 3.3%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 3.3%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 17 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Washington
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
56 current owners across 17 states; 1 former (terminated, transferred or not renewed) listed separately.
- TX 14
- CA 11
- FL 6
- ID 4
- KS 3
- AZ 2
- CO 2
- MD 2
- NC 2
- NV 2
- UT 2
- CT 1
- +5 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Moderate-to-caution risk profile: regulatory compliance issues, unverified financial claims, and high royalty drag on profitability warrant deep validation with current franchisees.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
1 case: Administrative Proceeding before the Securities Commissioner of Maryland (Case No. 2023-0005). Consent order for sale of franchise when Maryland registration had expired. Franchisee offered rescission but elected to remain.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Kezos & Dunlavy
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
FY2024 audited (Paramount Franchising, LLC). Total operating revenues $1,892,016 = initial franchise fees $250,000 + royalty fees $1,498,964 + fulfillment fees $143,052. Net income $513,288. other_revenue reflects fulfillment fees line.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 89 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDRegulatory violation: Maryland Securities Commissioner consent order (Feb 2023) for operating with expired franchise registration—indicates compliance gaps
- 02MINORHigh royalty burden: 10% on gross sales reduces net margins; at $497K avg revenue, that's ~$49.7K annually in royalties, impacting the $212.7K net income significantly
- 03MEDModest unit growth: 15.4% YoY growth is healthy but small system (92 units) provides limited peer network and economies of scale
- 04MEDHigh initial investment-to-fee ratio: $40K franchise fee represents 54-77% of total startup cost; limited financial cushion for working capital or underperformance period
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 20 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Exclusive territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 100,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Salt Lake County, Utah |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | UT |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
1 case: Administrative Proceeding before the Securities Commissioner of Maryland (Case No. 2023-0005). Consent order for sale of franchise when Maryland registration had expired. Franchisee offered rescission but elected to remain.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 26 hrs
- Training location
- Salt Lake County, Utah or virtual video conference
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee (with franchisor approval)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Drake Software (tax preparation); QuickBooks Online (accounting)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Drake Software (tax preparation); QuickBooks Online (accounting)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
57 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Paramount Tax & Accounting franchise?
The total investment to open a Paramount Tax & Accounting franchise ranges from $74K – $166K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Paramount Tax & Accounting franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Paramount Tax & Accounting FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $498K. The median is $204K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Paramount Tax & Accounting?
Paramount Tax & Accounting is franchised by Paramount Franchising LLC. Its parent company is Paramount Tax & Accounting CPAS PLLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Paramount Tax & Accounting CPAs PLLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Paramount Tax & Accounting FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Paramount Tax & Accounting FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Paramount Tax & Accounting's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Paramount Tax & Accounting (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Paramount Tax & Accounting franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Paramount Tax & Accounting has 92 total units in the United States, including 90 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 15 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Paramount Tax & Accounting a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Paramount Tax & Accounting as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 89 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.