Jçackson Hewitt was the only one of three national tax store chains reporting significant growth in the number of returns prepared. The Parsippany, N.J.-based franchisor said total returns were up by nearly 3 percent, although the same store assisted returns were up by only .5 percent. And all totals reported indicate Intuit's TurboTax won the recent consumer tax season in a rout.
Privately held Jacison Hewitt said its revenue was up by 7.4 percent over the prior tax season while same store sales grew by 3 percent. That compares to an increase of returns of less than 1 percent each for H&R Block and Liberty Tax.
With total returns rising by only .8 percent for the season, while the number of self-prepared returns increased by 5.9 percent for the season through April 17, the numbers indicate Intuit was the big winner, apparently gaining marketshare against all competitors.
Intuit reported it ended the tax season with an 8-percent rise in the number of federal TurboTax units sold. That stemmed from a 13-percent increase in the number TurboTax Online units sold.
Bob Scott has provided information to the tax and accounting community since 1991, first as technology editor of Accounting Today, and from 1997 through 2009 as editor of its sister publication, Accounting Technology. He is known throughout the industry for his depth of knowledge and for his high journalistic standards. Scott has made frequent appearances as a speaker, moderator and panelist and events serving tax and accounting professionals. He has a strong background in computer journalism as an editor with two former trade publications, Computer+Software News and MIS Week and spent several years with weekly and daily newspapers in Morris County New Jersey prior to that. A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, Bob is a native of Madison, Ind