Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Jackson Hewitt history
Jackson Hewitt company history timeline
Hewitt, a college dropout, had worked his way up to the position of regional manager after starting with Block in 1969.
Jackson Hewitt was founded in 1982 by John Hewitt with a variety of investors who purchased the six-location, Norfolk, Virginia-based Mel Jackson's Tax Service and renamed it Jackson Hewitt.
In 1986, the year the IRS began to experiment with computerized tax filing, Jackson Hewitt began selling franchises.
By the end of 1990 the company had made a return to profitability, however, and eventually opened more locations in Ward stores.
By the 1992 tax season the Jackson Hewitt chain had grown to 515 offices in close to 30 states, up from 299 locations the year before.
The company, with 900 offices in 37 states by 1993, was beginning to get noticed by the media.
The firm soon began making plans to go public, which took place in January of 1994 on the NASDAQ exchange.
In January 1994, the company went public but no new stock was issued; the company's 700 investors' private shares simply converted into public ones.
In early 1994 Jackson Hewitt made a deal to set up offices in some Sam's Club stores on a trial basis.
The 1995 tax season proved a difficult one for all concerned, angering those taxpayers who found out they would not get instant tax refunds, as well as others whose checks were partially held back due to additional last-minute IRS rule changes.
At the end of the 1995 filing season, Jackson Hewitt, "battered" by the effect of the tax rule changes, according to CEO John Hewitt, was hanging on by a thread.
1996: Keith Alessi is named CEO; John Hewitt leaves the firm.
Acquisition by Cendant in 1997
In January 1998, the Cendant Corporation, a consumer conglomerate, purchased Jackson Hewitt in a transaction valued at approximately $480 million.
Following the 1999 tax season Jackson Hewitt named Daniel Tarantin president and moved the company's headquarters to Cendant's home base of Parsippany, New Jersey.
1999: The rate of expansion increases; the company sells its remaining sites to franchisees.
The company reported that it had handled a record 2.2 million returns during the 2001 tax season.
In 2008, the company partnered with the Magic Johnson Foundation to create Community Empowerment Centers that offered comprehensive tax information seminars and financial educational resources in Sacramento, Houston, Chicago, New Orleans and Cleveland.
On May 24, 2011, Jackson Hewitt officially filed for bankruptcy.
In August 2011, Jackson Hewitt became a privately held company with Philip Sanford as its president, chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors.
In 2014, Jackson Hewitt and Tax Preparer Solutions partnered to provide online federal and state preparation and e-filing services through the Jackson Hewitt website.
© 2022 MidStreet Mergers & Acquisitions
Rate how well Jackson Hewitt lives up to its initial vision.
Jackson Hewitt jobs
Do you work at Jackson Hewitt?
Does Jackson Hewitt communicate its history to new hires?
Jackson Hewitt competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Tax | 1997 | $65.0M | 386 | 139 |
| Instant Tax Service | - | $5.3M | 165 | - |
| Colbert/Ball Tax Service | - | $2.5M | 102 | - |
| Community Tax | 2010 | $13.0M | 158 | 7 |
| Amscot | 1989 | $350.0M | 2,000 | 14 |
| The Financial Clinic | 2006 | $740,000 | 50 | - |
| Accutax, Inc. | - | $1.3M | 25 | - |
| Hassle Free Taxes | 2013 | $5.2M | 375 | - |
Jackson Hewitt history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Jackson Hewitt, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Jackson Hewitt. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Jackson Hewitt. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Jackson Hewitt. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Jackson Hewitt and its employees or that of Zippia.
Jackson Hewitt may also be known as or be related to JH, Jackson Hewitt, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. and Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, Inc.