At Strategic Business Valuations, a business valuation costs between $2,500 and $7,500, depending on how the report will be used. A Value Snapshot for your own planning starts at $2,500. A certified report that a lender, a court or the IRS can rely on is $7,500. Every engagement begins with a free 15-minute discovery call, and we confirm the price before any work starts.
Those are our published rates as of October 2026. Below is what sits behind each level, what pushes the price up or down, and how to tell which one you actually need.
The short answer: the purpose sets the price
The biggest driver of cost is not the size of your business. It is who has to trust the number. A valuation you use to decide whether to sell next year or in five years can be lighter and faster. A valuation that a bank underwriter, a divorce court or an estate attorney will scrutinize has to follow professional standards, document every assumption and survive a challenge. That extra rigor is where the hours go, and the fee with them.
Our four valuation levels and what each costs
Express: Value Snapshot, $2,500
A clear, defensible estimate of what your business is worth today, the key strengths and risks behind the number, the financial and personal considerations that shape it, and a live walkthrough where you can ask questions. Right for owners who want a reliable starting point for planning, a partner conversation, or a gut check before talking to a broker.
Explore: Value Market and Insight, $4,000
Everything in the Snapshot, plus how your business compares with industry benchmarks and what current M&A activity in your sector means for its value. Right for owners who are one to three years from a sale and want to know not just the number, but why it is the number.
Accelerate: Value Growth Strategy, $5,500
A current value baseline, a value acceleration roadmap, a two-year pro forma showing the value impact of specific changes, a revenue quality assessment, and the levers that move the number. Right for owners who plan to grow value deliberately over the next two to three years rather than sell as-is.
Certified: NACVA-Compliant Report, $7,500
A full valuation prepared to the standards of the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA), with defensible methodology built for lender, legal and regulatory scrutiny, prepared by credentialed professionals. This is the level you need whenever a third party relies on the number: SBA lending, litigation, estate and gift tax filings, partner disputes, and formal buy-sell triggers.
Additional fees may apply for complex businesses. The discovery call is where we tell you whether yours is one of them.
What moves the price up or down
- Complexity of the business. Multiple entities, real estate held inside the company, significant inventory or equipment, or several lines of business each need their own analysis.
- Quality of the books. Clean, reconciled financials with three to five years of history go quickly. Reconstructing earnings from incomplete records takes time.
- Purpose and audience. A report for litigation or the IRS carries more documentation than one for internal planning.
- Timeline. A rush can usually be accommodated, but it may cost more.
- Scenarios. Valuing the business under more than one set of assumptions, such as an asset sale and a stock sale, or with and without a key customer, adds work.
When you need the certified report
- SBA financing. Lenders commonly require an independent valuation from a qualified source when a loan finances goodwill above a set threshold, or when the buyer and seller are related. Your lender will tell you which applies.
- Divorce. Florida courts expect a valuation that separates the goodwill of the business from the personal goodwill of its owner.
- Estate and gift tax. The IRS requires a qualified appraisal for gifts or bequests of business interests.
- Partner buyouts and buy-sell agreements. When the agreement calls for an appraisal, or when partners disagree on the number.
- Shareholder disputes and litigation. Any time the value will be argued over.
If none of these applies, you probably don't need to pay for the certified level yet. Many owners start with a Snapshot and upgrade later. The work carries forward.
What you are paying for
Each engagement follows the same path. A discovery call sets the scope. A document request follows, typically three to five years of financial statements and tax returns, a current balance sheet, customer and revenue breakdowns, and details on owner compensation and one-time expenses. We normalize earnings so the business is judged on what a new owner would actually keep, then analyze it under the income, market and asset approaches as appropriate. You receive the written report and a walkthrough where we explain what moved the number and what could move it next.
Cheaper options, and where they fall short
- Online calculators. Fast and free, but they apply a generic multiple to a number you type in. Useful for curiosity, not for a decision.
- A broker's opinion of value. Often free, because it is a sales tool. It suggests a listing price. It does not tell you what a buyer's lender or a court will accept.
- Your CPA's estimate. Your CPA knows your books, but valuation is its own discipline with its own standards. Most CPAs will tell you the same and refer you to a credentialed valuator.
Each of those has a place. None of them holds up when someone with money on the line questions the number.
How to keep the cost down
- Get your books in order before the call. Reconciled statements and filed returns save hours.
- Know what the valuation is for. The purpose decides the level, and the level decides the price.
- Have your documents ready. The list above covers most of it.
- Start with the level you need now. You can upgrade later without starting over.
Is it worth it?
Against the price of a business, the fee is small. The cost of guessing is not. An owner who lists at the wrong price either leaves money on the table or scares off buyers and loses months. A buy-sell agreement with an outdated number can hand one partner a windfall at the other's expense. A valuation is inexpensive insurance against both.
The fastest way to know which level fits your situation is a 15-minute discovery call. We'll ask about your business and your timeline, recommend a scope, and confirm the price, with no obligation.