Short answer
Usually three years of financial statements and tax returns, current management accounts, the ownership documents such as the constitution, share register, trust deed or shareholders' agreement, the premises lease and key contracts, and notes on owner wages and one-off costs. Your accountant holds most of it. Everything comes through a secure upload link, never email.
The core list, and why each item matters
A valuer is answering two questions: what does this business reliably earn, and what exactly is being valued? Every item below feeds one of them.
| Information | Why the valuer needs it |
|---|---|
| Profit and loss and balance sheet for the last three financial years, plus tax returns | Shows the earnings trend and lets the valuer check the accounts against what was lodged. |
| Management accounts to the most recent month | Shows how the current year is tracking. A good year three months ago can look different today. |
| Owner wages, super, family wages and private costs run through the business | Profit is restated as if a manager were paid market wages, showing what a buyer would actually earn. |
| Constitution, share register, trust deed, unit register or partnership agreement, and any shareholders' agreement | Confirms who owns what. Transfer restrictions or a price formula in an agreement can change the value of a part interest. |
| Premises lease, major customer and supplier contracts, franchise or licence agreements | A lease with two years left, or one customer worth 40 per cent of sales, is a real risk and is priced as one. |
| Debtor and creditor lists, stock on hand, equipment register and loans, including owner loans | Separates the assets the business needs to trade from surplus cash and debt that sit outside the earnings. |
| Budget, forecast or notes on known changes | Useful if you have one. A contract lost or won after year end is exactly what the valuer needs to hear. |
If you do not have all of it
Most owners do not have every item on day one. Your accountant usually holds the financial statements and tax returns and can pull the pack together.
Tell us early what is missing. Never create documents after the event to fill a gap: a short written note explaining the gap is far more useful. Where up-to-date financial statements are not available, the work may fall outside the fixed fee. The fixed fee applies once we confirm the interest, purpose, structure and records fit the fixed-fee scope. Anything outside it is quoted in writing before we start.
For a valuation as at 30 June 2027, the records that matter are the ones to that date. A valuation as at 30 June 2027 is prepared after that date, once your records to 30 June 2027 are available. You can book your place now.
How documents reach us
- Secure uploadYou receive a secure upload link on your matter. Documents come only through that link, never by email and never through this website. We can sign a confidentiality undertaking first if you want one.
- Questions and reviewa suitably qualified business valuer at Valuation Group reviews the material and asks follow-up questions, usually about owner costs and one-off items.
- Representation letter and reportBefore the final report, you sign a representation letter confirming the information supplied is complete and accurate.
Delivery is 2 business days for turnover under $2 million and 3 business days for $2 million to $10 million. Delivery time starts once payment and all required information have been received, and pauses while we wait for answers to our questions or your signed representation letter.
Read the full guide
- Small business valuation for owner-run businessesIndependent Business Valuation values owner-operated businesses across Australia: the café, the trade business, the clinic, the online store. We...
- Our valuation process, from first question to signed reportEvery valuation at Independent Business Valuation follows the same eight steps, from a single cafe to a family group with three trusts. You know the...
- Business valuation timing: what sets the start and finishThe analysis in a business valuation is rarely the slow part. The waiting is: for records, for answers to the valuer's questions, for signatures...
- Preparing your records for a 30 June 2027 valuationAn item by item records checklist for owners and accountants, and why records made at the time beat anything rebuilt years later.
- How a valuation worksThe steps, what we analyse and what the report contains.
- What a valuation costsOne fixed fee for turnover under $10 million, confirmed in writing before we start.
Related questions
Can I just email the documents?
No. Financial records carry personal and business information, so they come only through the secure upload link on your matter. An accountant sending them uses the same link, with your written consent.
What if the business is less than three years old?
We work with what exists: every full year, management accounts since, and any budget. A short trading history usually means more weight on the current run rate and the contracts in place.
More short answers
- What is the difference between a valuation and a calculation engagement?In a full valuation, the valuer decides what work is needed and reaches a conclusion of value. In a calculation engagement, the valuer and client...
- Can I get a valuation as at 30 June 2027 after that date?Yes. Valuing a business as at a past date, called a retrospective valuation, is normal valuation work. A valuation as at 30 June 2027 can only be...
- Why do business valuation quotes vary so much?Mostly because quotes cover different work. A full valuation report reaches a conclusion of value; a calculation follows methods agreed in advance...
- How do accountants refer clients for a business valuation?Get the client's agreement, then choose a route: the single client referral form for one matter, a bulk quotation request for a list, or the...
Sources
Updated
General information only, not advice about your circumstances. A valuation depends on the facts of the business and the purpose it is for.