Paramount Tax & Accounting Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
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 →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $74K – $166K
- 57th pct Financial Ser…
- Avg gross sales
- $498K
- 18th pct Financial Ser…
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- 7th pct Financial Ser…
- Units
- 92
- 50th pct Financial Ser…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Financial Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Financial Services avg · 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).
- 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
- Ultimate parent
- Paramount Tax & Accounting CPAs PLLC
- 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 8% below 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%
- percentage · 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 97% above the financial services norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$50K
10.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
34%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
36 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
FDD-reported earnings vs. model
The FDD reports $213K as Net Income. Our model estimates $50K SLEBITDA from the same revenue using category-average cost assumptions.
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. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real 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?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
34%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
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%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Paramount Tax & Accounting units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$299K
on $1.5M purchase
Total debt
$1.2M
SBA $0.7M + senior + seller note
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 72 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $57K→$3.3M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- full
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- 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 average of 17.0%.
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 averages
How Paramount Tax & Accounting Compares
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
- 0
- 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
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 15
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 3
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- 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).
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)
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)
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
- 03MEDItem 19 absent: No financial performance claims disclosed in FDD; average revenue/net income figures are unverified and sourced from analyst data, not franchisor attestation
- 04MEDModest unit growth: 15.4% YoY growth is healthy but small system (92 units) provides limited peer network and economies of scale
- 05MEDHigh 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 |
| 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
FDD download
Paramount Tax & Accounting · FDD (2025) PDF
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.
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), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. 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.