Business valuation questions, answered for Melbourne.
The questions Melbourne and Victorian business owners ask most, each answered in a few sentences: what a valuation costs, how long it takes, who can prepare one, and when you need one. Last updated 10 November 2026.
Cost and timing
How much does a business valuation cost in Melbourne?
At Business Valuations Melbourne a signed business valuation is a fixed fee set by annual turnover: $1,495 + GST for annual turnover under $2 million, $2,495 + GST for $2 million to $3 million, $3,495 + GST for $3 million to $10 million, and a fee quoted in writing above $10 million. The fee is agreed in writing before work starts and never moves with the value.
How long does a business valuation take?
A small business valuation from Business Valuations Melbourne is delivered in 2 business days, and a medium or large business valuation in 3 business days. Delivery time starts once payment and all required information have been received. Above $10 million of turnover, the delivery date is agreed with you before work begins.
Is the valuation fee tied to the value of my business?
No, the fee never depends on the value concluded. Business Valuations Melbourne fixes the fee in writing at engagement, based on annual turnover, and it does not move with the answer, the tax outcome or whether a deal completes. A valuer paid more for a higher or lower number has an interest in the result, which weakens the report.
Are there any extra charges on top of the fixed fee?
Only two published add-ons, agreed before work starts: +$495 + GST per historical date for a retrospective valuation, and +$795 + GST per entity for each additional entity. Business Valuations Melbourne charges no disbursements and no travel within Greater Melbourne, and everyone pays the same published fee.
How much does it cost to value a business with turnover over $10 million?
Above $10 million of annual turnover, Business Valuations Melbourne quotes the fee in writing before any work starts, after a scoping call about the entities, the purpose and the valuation date. The delivery date is agreed at the same time. There is no published minimum, because the work depends on facts we cannot see until we have read the documents.
Who values a business, and how
Who can value a business in Victoria?
There is no single licence a person must hold to value a business in Australia, in Victoria or elsewhere. What matters is the process and the evidence. The ATO says valuations by professional valuers are more credible, and that if you engage and properly instruct one, you generally will not be liable for penalties if the valuation is found to be deficient.
How are small businesses valued?
Most small businesses are valued on their earnings: the valuer works out the profit a buyer could expect to maintain, then applies a capitalisation rate or an earnings multiple, such as a multiple of EBITDA or EBIT, supported by evidence. Where a business earns little or holds mostly assets, a net assets approach can suit better. Business Valuations Melbourne uses the method the facts best support.
What is my business worth?
Your business is worth what an informed buyer would pay an informed seller at a given date, and that depends on its maintainable earnings, its risks and its assets. No rule of thumb answers it reliably. A free calculator gives a rough range; a signed report from Business Valuations Melbourne sets out the method, the evidence and the concluded value.
Is a business broker's appraisal the same as a valuation?
No, a broker's appraisal is an estimate of the price a business might sell for, usually given to win or set up a listing. A valuation from Business Valuations Melbourne is an independent signed report that states the method, the evidence, the assumptions and the concluded value. We do not broke businesses, so we have no stake in the sale price.
Is a free online business valuation calculator enough?
A calculator is enough for a first rough range, but not for a tax, legal or negotiation purpose. It applies general assumptions to a few numbers you type in and cannot test your actual earnings, risks or assets. A signed report from Business Valuations Melbourne is evidence: it documents the method and the facts relied on, and someone stands behind it.
Will the ATO automatically accept my business valuation?
No valuation is accepted automatically because of who prepared it. The ATO's market valuation guidance sets out the principles and process it expects. Business Valuations Melbourne prepares reports with that guidance in mind, documents the method and evidence, and signs an independence statement. We are not a registered tax agent, so how the value applies to your tax position is for your accountant.
How the valuation works
What documents do I need for a business valuation?
Usually recent financial statements, such as profit and loss statements and balance sheets, tax returns, and details of who owns the business and through which entity. You do not need documents to start: Business Valuations Melbourne confirms the exact list on a short call before you engage, so you know what to gather and when delivery can begin.
Do you visit the business premises?
Usually not. Most engagements at Business Valuations Melbourne run on your documents and a call, and there is no travel charge anywhere in Greater Melbourne. You can meet the valuer at our office at Level 7, 55 Collins Street. Where most of the value sits in plant, stock or the site itself, we raise it at the start and agree how to handle it.
Do you value businesses in Geelong and regional Victoria?
Yes. Business Valuations Melbourne values businesses across regional Victoria, including Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and the Latrobe Valley. Regional engagements run remotely on documents and a call, at the same fixed fees as Melbourne, with no charge for distance. The report is prepared and signed by our valuers in Melbourne.
Can a business valuation be backdated?
Yes, a business can be valued as at a past date, which is called a retrospective valuation. Business Valuations Melbourne builds it on the evidence that existed at that date, not on what happened later. It is a published add-on of +$495 + GST per historical date, agreed before work starts, on top of the fixed fee for the business.
What is included in a business valuation report?
Every Business Valuations Melbourne report includes a concluded value and a supportable range, the method applied with the evidence behind it, the assumptions and limitations in full, an independence statement and the signature of the valuer responsible. You check the facts relied on before it is signed, and the working file is kept for ten years.
Do you value the property or premises as well?
No. Business Valuations Melbourne values businesses, shares and units, not real property. Land and buildings are valued by a property valuer in Victoria. Where a business owns its premises, we value the business on a market rent basis and keep the land separate, so the business and property figures fit together without counting anything twice.
When you need a valuation
Do I need a valuation to sell my business?
No law requires one, but a valuation helps you set a realistic asking price and defend it with evidence when a buyer pushes back. Business Valuations Melbourne gives you an independent signed report showing how the value was reached, which keeps negotiation on the facts rather than on opinion. We value the business only and do not sell it.
Do I need a valuation for a partner or shareholder buyout?
Usually yes, because both sides need a figure they can trust. Business Valuations Melbourne values the exiting partner or shareholder interest independently, working to the valuation method or date set in your partnership or shareholder agreement if it has one. One independent report often avoids each side commissioning its own and arguing over two numbers.
Can you value a business in a shareholder dispute?
Yes. Business Valuations Melbourne prepares independent valuations of shares in a private company for disputes, to support negotiation, mediation and settlement. Our fixed fee report is not an expert witness report: expert evidence for a court, such as the Supreme Court of Victoria, is a separate engagement with its scope and fee agreed in writing first.
Do I need a valuation for a business restructure?
Often yes, because moving a business or its assets between entities can require market values for tax and for the records. Business Valuations Melbourne values the business or interests being moved at the restructure date. Whether a rollover or concession applies, and how the value is used, is a question for your accountant, since we are not a registered tax agent.
Do I need a business valuation for capital gains tax?
Often yes, where tax rules call for market value rather than the price paid, for example when an asset passes to a related party or not at arm's length. The ATO's market valuation guidance explains what it expects. Business Valuations Melbourne provides the valuation; your accountant applies it to your CGT position, because we do not give tax advice.
Do I need a valuation for the small business CGT concessions?
Often yes, because eligibility can depend on market values, for example under the maximum net asset value test, which counts the assets of you and connected entities. Business Valuations Melbourne values the business and its interests to the relevant date. Whether you qualify for a concession is for your accountant to confirm, since we are not a registered tax agent.
Do I need a valuation for Victorian landholder duty?
You may, if shares or units are bought in a company or unit trust holding Victorian land valued at $1 million or more. The State Revenue Office says landholder duty may then apply, and a statement is due within 30 days. A property valuer values the land; Business Valuations Melbourne values the shares or units and the business. Your lawyer or the SRO confirms the duty.
Do I need a valuation to transfer a business to a family member or related entity?
Usually yes. When a business, shares or units pass between related parties, the price agreed may not be accepted as market value for tax or duty. Business Valuations Melbourne provides an independent market value at the transfer date, so the figure rests on evidence rather than on an amount the parties chose. Your accountant or lawyer advises on the tax and duty.
Do I need a business valuation for a deceased estate?
Often yes. Executors commonly need an independent value of a business, shares or units to divide the estate fairly between beneficiaries and to give the accountant a documented figure at the date of death. Business Valuations Melbourne values the interest at that date, using a retrospective valuation where the date has already passed. Legal and tax advice stays with your lawyer and accountant.
Do you value businesses for family law property settlements?
Family law valuations are prepared by our dedicated family law practice, Family Law Valuations (familylawvaluation.com.au), not by Business Valuations Melbourne. That practice handles valuations for settlement negotiations and expert reports for family law proceedings. Contact it directly for a business, shares or units in a separation, so the report is prepared for that purpose from the start.
- ·Market valuation of assets, Australian Taxation Office
- ·Landholder duty, State Revenue Office Victoria
Business Valuations Melbourne prepares valuations only. It is not a registered tax agent and does not give tax, duty or legal advice: how a value applies to your position is for your accountant, your lawyer or the State Revenue Office. Last updated 10 November 2026.
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Small Business Valuation
$1,495 + GST
For a business with annual turnover under $2 million. Signed report in 2 business days. Delivery time starts once payment and all required information have been received. The fee is fixed in writing before we start and never tied to the outcome.
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