Franopolis
    vs

    Franchise opportunities compared

    Charles Schwab vs Jackson Hewitt

    Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

    Charles Schwab2026 FDDJackson Hewitt2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Charles Schwab

    $103,605

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 43

    Jackson Hewitt

    $18,900 – $71,050

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Charles Schwab

    Not available

    Jackson Hewitt

    $25,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 14

    Royalty · Item 6

    Charles Schwab

    Not available

    Jackson Hewitt

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 20

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Jackson Hewitt discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Charles Schwab: 48, Jackson Hewitt: 2). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Charles Schwab

    $103,605
    (See Notes 3 & 13) $1,200 to $2,400 Paid by you directly As incurred Third party vendors TOTAL* — 103605
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 43

    Jackson Hewitt

    $18,900 – $71,050
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Charles Schwab

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Jackson Hewitt

    $25,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 14
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Charles Schwab

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Jackson Hewitt

    6%
    Royalty on revenue you receive from your offering of a tax course will be reduced by — 6%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 20
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Charles Schwab

    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

    Jackson Hewitt

    $5,000
    vertising and marketing fee of 6.5% of your Gross Volume of Business. You must spend — 5000
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 20

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Charles Schwab

    382
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 96

    Jackson Hewitt

    5,124
    Outlets at end of 2026
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 51
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Charles Schwab

    +2
    Calculated: 380 at end of 2023 → 382 at end of 2025

    Jackson Hewitt

    +2,884
    Calculated: 2,240 at end of 2024 → 5,124 at end of 2026
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Charles Schwab

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Jackson Hewitt

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    Charles Schwab

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Jackson Hewitt

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Charles Schwab

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Jackson Hewitt

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Charles Schwab
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Table6c franchised branches; all eligible branches
    91 branches
    other Table6c 2024
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 95
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Table4a franchised branches; all eligible branches
    $44
    other Table4a 12months
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 90
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Table4c franchised branches; all eligible branches
    $188
    other Table4c 2021
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 91
    +45 more groups in the full report
    Jackson Hewitt
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Kiosk franchised CoveredOffices
    $2,121
    other Kiosk
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 50
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Standard franchised CoveredOffices
    $167,954
    other Standard
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 50

    Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

    Charles Schwab vs Jackson Hewitt: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Charles Schwab or Jackson Hewitt?
    Charles Schwab: $103,605 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 43); Jackson Hewitt: $18,900 – $71,050 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Jackson Hewitt. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Which has more locations, Charles Schwab or Jackson Hewitt?
    Charles Schwab: 382 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 96); Jackson Hewitt: 5,124 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 51). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Charles Schwab and Jackson Hewitt disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Charles Schwab has reviewed Item 19 figures for 48 location groups; Jackson Hewitt has reviewed Item 19 figures for 2 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

    Keep researching

    Full Charles Schwab report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    Full Jackson Hewitt report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    Compare Charles Schwab with

    Compare Jackson Hewitt with

    Add a third brand

    Compare up to four side by side

    Explore by brand

    Filter every published report

    FDD glossary

    Plain-language meaning of each Item