We present new long-term CCD photometry for EP And acquired during the period 2007 to 2012 .
The light curves display total eclipses at primary minima and season-to-season light variability .
Our synthesis for all available light curves indicates that the eclipsing pair is a W-type overcontact binary with parameters of q =2.578 , i =83 ^ { \circ } .3 , \Delta T =27 K , f =28 % , and l _ { 3 } =2 \sim 3 % .
The asymmetric light curves in 2007 were satisfactorily modeled by a cool spot on either of the eclipsing components from a magnetic dynamo .
Including our 95 timing measurements , a total of 414 times of minimum light spanning about 82 yr were used for a period study .
A detailed analysis of the eclipse timing diagram revealed that the orbital period of EP And has varied as a combination of an upward-opening parabola and two periodic variations , with cycle lengths of P _ { 3 } =44.6 yr and P _ { 4 } =1.834 yr and semi-amplitudes of K _ { 3 } =0.0100 d and K _ { 4 } =0.0039 d , respectively .
The observed period increase at a fractional rate of + 1.39 \times 10 ^ { -10 } is in excellent agreement with that calculated from the W-D code and can be plausibly explained by some combination of mass transfer from the primary to the secondary star and angular momentum loss due to magnetic braking .
The most reasonable explanation for both cycles is a pair of light-travel-time effects driven by the possible existence of a third and fourth component with projected masses of M _ { 3 } =0.25 M _ { \odot } and M _ { 4 } =0.90 M _ { \odot } .
The more massive companion could be revealed using high-resolution spectroscopic data extending over the course of a few years and could also be a binary itself .
It is possible that the circumbinary objects may have played an important role in the formation and evolution of the eclipsing pair , which would cause it to have a short initial orbital period and thus evolve into an overcontact configuration by angular momentum loss .