UPDATE 1-Advance America Q4 profit misses estimates

* Q4 EPS $0.10 misses estimates by 2 cents

* Q4 revenue falls 4.7 pct to $175 mln

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Payday lender Advance America Cash Advance Centers Inc (AEA.N) reported fourth-quarter profit that narrowly missed analysts' estimates, hurt by higher costs and income tax expenses.

The Spartanburg, South Carolina-based company posted profit of $5.9 million, or 10 cents a share, compared with earnings of $11.5 million, or 15 cents a share, last year.

Total revenue fell 4.7 percent to $175 million.

Analysts on average expected the company to earn 12 cents, before special items, on revenue of $172.3 million, according to Reuters Estimates.

General and administrative expenses in the quarter increased 29 percent to $19.8 million. This includes legal and regulatory expenses, including the Georgia lawsuit settlement and higher government affairs expenses, related to ballot initiatives in Arizona and Ohio, the company said.

Income tax expense rose 17.3 percent to $8.8 million in the quarter.

Shares of the company closed down 2 percent at $1.11 Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Archana Shankar in Bangalore; Editing by Anil D'Silva)