--- title: "Pre-Sale Business Valuation Melbourne | Fixed Fee" url: https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/services/selling-a-business-valuation/ description: "Selling a business in Melbourne? An independent, signed pre-sale valuation with a defensible price range. Fixed fees from $1,495 + GST." updated: 2026-11-10 --- # Selling a Melbourne business? Know what it is worth before you list it. From $1,495 + GST. Business Valuations Melbourne values businesses for sale from $1,495 + GST, with a small-business report in 2 business days. Delivery time starts once payment and all required information have been received. Get a fixed fee Annual turnover $1,495 + GST Signed report in 2 business days. Delivery time starts once payment and all required information have been received. Fee From $1,495 + GST Signed by The valuer responsible Independent No listing to win Our valuers have valued businesses since 2014 Get a fixed feeCall 03 8375 4177 - The fee is fixed before we start, and it is never tied to the answer. - No referral fees from brokers or advisers. - The working file behind your report is retained for ten years. ## What you get ### What a pre-sale valuation gives you A pre-sale business valuation tells you what your business is worth before a broker or a buyer puts a number on it. Business Valuations Melbourne values the business on its own evidence, rebuilds the earnings a buyer will rely on, sets out a supportable range and a concluded value, and states the net asset figures your accountant needs for the small business CGT concessions. We sell nothing and list nothing, so the number is not part of a pitch. Fixed fee by turnover, signed report. [See a sample report (52 pages, PDF)](https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/business-valuations-melbourne-sample-valuation-report.pdf) ### Illustrative Executive summary Concluded value $1.60m Asking price $1.52m $1.71m Supportable range Judge every offer against the evidence, not hope. In this example - Concluded value: $1.60m, the most supportable point. - Supportable range: $1.52m to $1.71m. - Asking price: near the top, with room to give ground. Illustrative only. The figures are constructed for this example and are not a client's. ### Illustrative Normalisation and maintainable earnings | Reported EBITDA, FY2026 | | 840,000 | | Add back: owner salary as paid | | 95,000 | | Less: market cost of owner role | | (180,000) | | Add back: one-off legal costs | | 22,000 | | Less: related-party rent to market | | (31,000) | | Normalised EBITDA | | 746,000 | Every adjustment shown with its evidence. In this example - Owner pay: restated to the market cost of the role. - One-offs out; related-party rent put on market terms. - Normalised EBITDA: 746,000, from 840,000 reported. Illustrative only. The figures are constructed for this example and are not a client's. ### Summary Maximum net asset value test $6 million Not indexed Check here - Valuation - Contract signed The CGT event - Settlement Section 152-15, ITAA 1997 The net asset figures sit next to the range. The test - The limit: net CGT assets up to $6 million, not indexed. - The CGT event: generally when the contract is made. - Check here: before the contract is signed. We are not a registered tax agent: your accountant confirms eligibility and applies the concessions. ### Summary Two ways to sell Asset sale Entity Business assets Buyer Share sale Owners Shares Buyer Compare like with like under both structures. Two ways to sell - Asset sale: the entity sells the business. - Company owner: the money lands in the company. - Share sale: you sell your shares directly. Which structure to choose is tax and legal advice for your accountant and lawyer. ## Why independent We are not competing for your listing. If the evidence does not support the price you hoped for, the report says so. Every report is independently reviewed by a suitably qualified business valuer. | | Broker appraisal | Our valuation | | Cost | Free | Fixed in writing before we start | | What it is | Part of the case for the listing | An independent valuation | | Method shown? | Ask to see it | Set out in the report | | Earnings adjustments? | Ask to see them | Each one with its evidence | | Evidence for the multiple? | Ask to see it | Set out in the report | ### A broker appraisal is a sales document Read the detail Most Melbourne brokers will appraise your business for free, and that appraisal is part of the case for giving them the listing. Their fee usually depends on a sale going through. None of that is a criticism; it is simply what the document is for. If an appraisal does not show its method, its earnings adjustments or the evidence behind its multiple, a buyer's accountant has little reason to accept it. We are not competing for a listing and our fee is fixed before we start. The method and the evidence are in the report, and if they do not support the price you were hoping for, the report says so before the market does. ## How it works Four steps to your signed report. - ### Send the form We reply within one business day. You do not need any documents to start. - ### A short call We confirm the package, the fixed fee and the delivery date. - ### Pay and upload Before you engage, we tell you exactly which documents we need. - ### Your signed report 2 business days for a small business. Delivery time starts once payment and all required information have been received. ## What it costs A fixed fee by turnover. Fixed fees by annual turnover | Annual turnover | Fee | | Under $2 million | $1,495 + GST | | $2 million to $3 million | $2,495 + GST | | $3 million to $10 million | $3,495 + GST | | Over $10 million | Quoted in writing | Get a fixed fee → Business Valuations Melbourne's fees are set by the annual turnover of the business: $1,495 + GST under $2 million, $2,495 + GST from $2 million to $3 million, $3,495 + GST from $3 million to $10 million, and a written quote above $10 million. A small-business report arrives in 2 business days and a medium or large report in 3 business days; above $10 million we agree the delivery date before work begins. Delivery time starts once payment and all required information have been received. Defined add-ons | +$495 | Retrospective valuation date per historical date | | +$795 | Each additional entity per entity | Read the detail Each extra entity is +$795 and each past valuation date is +$495, both agreed at engagement. Everyone pays the same published fee, and it never moves with the value we reach. A signed business valuation report from Business Valuations Melbourne is $1,495 + GST for a business with annual turnover under $2 million, delivered in 2 business days; $2,495 + GST for turnover between $2 million and $3 million, delivered in 3 business days; $3,495 + GST for turnover between $3 million and $10 million, delivered in 3 business days; and above $10 million the fee is quoted in writing before work starts, with the delivery date agreed before commencement. Delivery time starts once payment and all required information have been received. ## When to value before selling Know the value before you sign a listing agreement. ### Get the value first, then pick a broker Read the detail - You are about to interview brokers and want your own benchmark first - A competitor, a supplier or a larger group has made an unsolicited approach - Two broker appraisals came back far apart - Your small business CGT concession position looks close to a limit - Co-owners cannot agree on the price to go to market at - A term sheet has arrived before anyone has tested the price The first price you put in front of buyers frames every conversation after it. Too high and the business sits on the market while buyers wonder what is wrong with it. Too low and you hand over money no amount of haggling gets back. So the time to know the value is before you sign a listing agreement or a heads of agreement. Tax adds a second reason. For a sale under a contract, the CGT event generally happens when the contract is made, not at settlement (section 104-10), so the net asset position for the $6 million test is set just before you sign. One report can cover both: a range to take to market, and the figures your accountant needs while there is still time to act on them. ## The detail behind the numbers Earnings ### Earnings a buyer's accountant will sign off on Doubtful add-backs flagged, not buried. Read the detail Most small and medium businesses sell on a multiple of maintainable earnings, so the earnings figure carries most of the price. We restate what the owner draws to the market cost of the role, put rent paid to a related landlord on market terms, take out genuine one-off income and costs, and add back private expenses only where the paperwork proves them. A buyer's due diligence team will rebuild the same schedule line by line. Every add-back it cannot prove becomes a reason to cut the price late in the deal. Our schedule shows each adjustment with its evidence, and flags the doubtful ones rather than burying them. Three numbers ### Market value, a buyer's special value and your asking price Market value is the yardstick for judging offers. Read the detail Market value is the price a willing but not anxious buyer and seller, both fully informed, would agree. It is the figure the $6 million test uses and the yardstick for judging offers. A particular buyer may pay more because of what the business is worth to them: a rival removing competition, or a group buying your contracts, staff or licences. That premium is real but belongs to that buyer only, so it cannot anchor a campaign. Your asking price is a negotiating position. It usually sits near the top of the supportable range, with room to give ground without leaving what the evidence supports. The report gives the range and the most supportable point inside it. CGT concessions ### The small business CGT concessions, checked before you sign Check here - Valuation - Contract signed The CGT event - Settlement Check the $6 million position before the contract is signed. Read the detail For many owners the small business CGT concessions in Division 152 are worth more than anything won across the table. One way in is the maximum net asset value test: the net value of the CGT assets of you, entities connected with you, your affiliates and entities connected with them must be no more than $6 million just before the CGT event (section 152-15). Net value means market value less related liabilities and certain provisions, and the $6 million is not indexed. The other way in is the small business entity test, aggregated turnover under $2 million. From the income year that includes 1 July 2027, the 50% active asset reduction uses a $10 million turnover test instead (section 152-205); the other concessions keep $2 million. Because the values are tested just before the contract is made, a group near the limit may have options while the sale is still being shaped, and few once it is signed. The report sets out the net asset figures next to the range. We are not a registered tax agent: your accountant confirms eligibility and applies the concessions. Structure ### Selling the assets or selling the shares One business, valued the same way under both structures. Read the detail Asset sale and share sale compared | | Asset sale | Share sale | | What changes hands | The business, sold by the entity | Your shares in the entity | | The price | Split across goodwill, plant, stock and other intangibles | Paid to the owners for their shares | | Afterwards | If a company owns the business, another step is needed to get the money to you | The buyer takes on the company's history, so due diligence goes deeper | | The concession tests | They apply differently, including whether what you sell is an active asset (section 152-40) | The same headline price can leave you with quite different amounts depending on the structure. In an asset sale the entity sells the business, and the price is split across goodwill, plant, stock and other intangibles; buyers and sellers often argue that split as hard as the price. If a company owns the business, the money lands in the company and another step is needed to get it to you. In a share sale you sell your shares directly, the buyer takes on the company's history, and its due diligence goes deeper. The concession tests also apply differently, including whether what you sell is an active asset (section 152-40). We value the business the same way under both structures so you and your accountant compare like with like. Which structure to choose is tax and legal advice for your accountant and lawyer. Melbourne ### Selling in Melbourne: buyers, leases and land The lease can matter as much as the earnings. Read the detail Buyers of Melbourne businesses range from owner-operators buying a job, to a nearby competitor, to an interstate group adding a site. Each reads the numbers differently, so the report shows how the value is built rather than just the answer. The lease often matters as much as the earnings. A cafe in a strip shopping centre in Carlton or a clinic on a Glen Waverley main road is only worth what a buyer can keep trading from, so the remaining term, the options and the rent against the market all feed the value. Retail tenancy disputes in Victoria are heard by VCAT, and most claims other than rent recovery or an injunction need a certificate showing mediation was tried first. If the business owns its premises and both are sold together for more than $1 million, the State Revenue Office will generally want a valuation of the land by an API certified practising valuer or an REIV sworn valuer, and goods sold with the land can be dutiable. We value the business; a property valuer values the land; your lawyer or the SRO confirms the duty. ## How the report is used, and what it costs The report earns its keep three times in a sale. Read the detail In negotiation it backs your range with reasoning. In due diligence it is the document you hand the buyer's accountant, with the method, the earnings schedule and the evidence set out. And your accountant uses the same figures for the concessions and the contract split. ## Common questions. ### Do I need a valuation before selling my business in Melbourne? No law requires one. But the asking price shapes the negotiation, the time on market and the tax that follows the contract. An independent valuation gives you a range you can defend before a broker or buyer sets one for you, and checks the concession numbers while the sale can still be shaped. ### Is a free broker appraisal enough? Treat it as one input. An appraisal is part of the pitch for your listing, and without its method and earnings workings a buyer's accountant has little reason to rely on it. It is useful for choosing a broker; it is not built to set your price or plan the tax. ### What is the $6 million test? One way to qualify for the small business CGT concessions. The net value of the CGT assets of you, your connected entities and affiliates, and entities connected with them must be no more than $6 million just before the CGT event, at market value less related liabilities and certain provisions (section 152-15). The figure is not indexed. Your accountant applies the law; the valuation gives the figures. ### Should I sell the assets or the shares? That depends on the entity, the buyer and each side's tax position, so it is a question for your accountant and lawyer. What we add is a value worked out the same way under both structures, including the split an asset sale needs. ### How long does a pre-sale valuation take? A small-business report is delivered in 2 business days and a medium or large report in 3 business days, counted from when payment and all required information have been received. Above $10 million the delivery date is agreed before work begins. Start before you appoint a broker. ## Related services [Buying a business · Melbourne Buying a Business Valuation Melbourne](https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/services/buying-a-business-valuation/)[Small business CGT concessions · Melbourne Small Business CGT Concession Valuation Melbourne](https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/services/small-business-cgt-concession-valuation/)[Victorian duty · Landholder duty Business Valuation for Stamp Duty and Landholder Duty, Victoria](https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/services/business-valuation-for-stamp-duty/) Sources - [Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 s 104-10: CGT event A1](https://www.ato.gov.au/law/view/document?docid=PAC/19970038/104-10), ATO legal database - [Small business CGT concessions: maximum net asset value test](https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/income-deductions-and-concessions/incentives-and-concessions/small-business-cgt-concessions/small-business-cgt-concessions-eligibility-conditions/maximum-net-asset-value-test), Australian Taxation Office - [Small business CGT concessions: active asset test](https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/income-deductions-and-concessions/incentives-and-concessions/small-business-cgt-concessions/small-business-cgt-concessions-eligibility-conditions/active-asset-test), Australian Taxation Office - [Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 s 152-205: the 50% active asset reduction](https://www.ato.gov.au/law/view/document?docid=PAC/19970038/152-205), ATO legal database - [Market valuation for tax purposes (guide)](https://www.ato.gov.au/law/view/document?docid=SGM/market_val), Australian Taxation Office - [Revenue Ruling DA-029: transfers of land and business](https://www.sro.vic.gov.au/about-us/laws-legal-cases-and-rulings/public-rulings/transfers-land-and-business), State Revenue Office Victoria - [Evidentiary requirements: transfer of land and business and/or goods](https://www.sro.vic.gov.au/buying-property/land-transfer-stamp-duty/managing-duty-transactions/evidentiary-requirements-manual/transfer-land-and-business-andor-goods), State Revenue Office Victoria - [Duties Act 2000 (Vic), authorised version (ss 7(3A), 10, 20, 71, 79, 83, 86)](https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/acts/duties-act-2000/141), Victorian Legislation - [Retail and commercial leases](https://www.vcat.vic.gov.au/case-types/retail-and-commercial-leases), Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Talk to a valuer ## Tell us what you need valued. A fifteen-minute call confirms the package, the fixed fee and the delivery date, before you commit to anything. 03 8375 4177 Mon to Fri, 9am to 5:30pm Melbourne time Send the form and we reply within one business day. No documents needed to start. Last reviewed 10 November 2026 by Business Valuations Melbourne, Level 7, 55 Collins Street, Melbourne. Fixed fee from $1,495 + GST, confirmed in writing before we start. Call 03 8375 4177Get a fixed fee --- Business Valuations Melbourne · Level 7, 55 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 · 03 8375 4177 · https://businessvaluationsmelbourne.com.au/start/