How much does a business valuation cost in Australia?
The short answer
An indicative assessment costs low four figures and takes three to five business days. A formal SME valuation report costs mid four figures over ten to fifteen business days. Court, expert and multi-entity engagements run into five figures. Fees should be fixed and quoted in writing before work starts.
Why quotes vary so much
The three drivers are scope, structure and evidence. A single trading company with clean records is straightforward. A group with a trading company, an asset-holding trust, a service entity and property takes several times the work. Where records are incomplete or contested, the valuer is reconstructing before they can value.
What you should be quoted
A fixed fee, in writing, before any work begins, with the scope stated. A valuer who cannot quote a fixed fee has not understood the engagement, and one whose fee varies with the value concluded has an interest in the answer — which is exactly what destroys the report’s usefulness in front of a court, a lender or the ATO.
Cheap valuations cost more
A two-page letter with a number on it is inexpensive and worthless the moment anyone tests it. The cost of a rejected valuation is not the fee — it is the failed concession, the adjourned hearing, the collapsed negotiation, and then the second valuation you have to commission anyway.
What the fee actually buys
Time. Reading the accounts, testing the add-backs, deriving the multiple from evidence, valuing the assets, running the cross-check and writing it so a third party can follow the reasoning without the valuer present. That last part is most of the difference between a report that holds and one that does not.
The numbers
What each engagement level costs and delivers
Our three bands. Every fee is fixed and confirmed in writing after a free scoping call, and none of them varies with the value concluded.
Scroll the table sideways →
| Engagement | Turnaround | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Indicative assessment — low four figures | 3–5 days | Orientation before a decision: testing an offer, planning an exit, an internal view |
| Formal valuation report — mid four figures | 10–15 days | Sale, purchase, finance, tax, ATO substantiation, shareholder transactions |
| Expert and complex — five figures | 4–8 weeks | Court-directed single expert, multi-entity groups, litigation and disputes |
| Asset and plant valuation — scoped | With the engagement | Property, plant and equipment valued in-house rather than commissioned separately |
| Update of an existing report — reduced | 3–5 days | Refreshing a prior valuation at a new date where the analysis still holds |
Indicative bands for Australian SME engagements. The scoping call establishes structure, records and purpose, and the written quote follows it — there is no charge for either.
Caveats
What pushes a quote up
None of these are surprises if the scoping call is done properly, which is the point of doing one.
Who answered this
Prepared by the valuation team at Business Valuations Brisbane, the business valuation division of Asset Valuations Group. Every report we issue is signed by a Certified Practising Valuer of the Australian Valuers Institute. General information only — not advice on your specific circumstances.
- Multiple entities Each company, trust and partnership in the structure has to be understood, valued and reconciled, with intercompany balances normalised so nothing is double counted.
- Incomplete or contested records Where accounts have to be reconstructed, or where two parties disagree about what the records show, the analysis takes considerably longer.
- Litigation and expert appointments Court work carries disclosure obligations, conferral with opposing experts, joint reports and potential attendance — all scoped and quoted up front.
- Significant asset schedules A large plant, fleet or property holding needs inspection and individual valuation. We do it in-house, but it is work and it is priced as such.
Reviewed by a Certified Practising Valuer
Reviewed by Jarrad Khoury, Director and Head of Valuations — Registered Valuer (QLD, Not Limited), Licensed Valuer (WA, Not Limited), CPV and CBV. Published by Business Valuations Brisbane, the business valuation division of Asset Valuations Group.
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