Signed business valuations for Sydney companies, trusts and partnerships, from $1,495 + GST.
Fixed-fee valuations for CGT events, restructures, related-party transfers and shareholder exits. Prepared to the ATO's market valuation guidance, signed by the valuer and delivered in 2 business days for a small business.
In short
A signed business valuation report from Oliver Group is $1,495 + GST for a business with annual turnover under $2 million, with a draft in 2 business days; $2,495 + GST for turnover between $2 million and $10 million, with a draft in 3 business days; and $3,495 + GST for turnover over $10 million or a start-up, with the delivery date agreed before commencement. Delivery time starts once payment and all required information have been received.
Get a fixed fee.
Small Business Valuation
$1,495 + GST
For a business with annual turnover under $2 million. Signed and delivered 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.
Larger business? Tell us in the form and we recommend the right package. All fees
Oliver Group prepares independent business valuations for Sydney businesses and for the accountants and lawyers who advise them. Reports support CGT events, restructures, related-party transfers, share buybacks, small business CGT concession claims and shareholder exits. Every report is prepared to the ATO's market valuation guidance, signed by the valuer responsible for it and delivered in 2 business days for a small business at a fixed fee from $1,495 + GST. We are based in Melbourne and work with Sydney clients remotely, which is how most valuation engagements run in any case: financial statements, a call with the owner and a signed report. Oliver Group is not a registered tax agent.
We value businesses, not real property. If you need land, premises or a dwelling valued, you need a certified practising valuer, which is not what we do. Where an engagement involves both, we value the business and separate the land component for a suitably qualified valuer.
State-specific considerations.
In NSW, transfer duty on business assets such as goodwill, intellectual property and statutory licences was abolished on 1 July 2016. Duty still applies where a sale includes NSW land or an interest in land, and landholder duty under Chapter 4 of the Duties Act 1997 (NSW) can apply when shares or units are acquired in an entity holding $2 million or more of NSW land. We coordinate with the client's lawyer on the duties dimension and do not provide duty advice ourselves.
What actually differs in NSW.
Sydney rents and wages are the first normalisation adjustment.
Sydney carries the highest commercial rents in the country and wage costs to match, and both sit inside the maintainable earnings figure that a valuation capitalises. A cafe in Surry Hills paying market rent looks very different from one paying a related-party landlord below market, and an owner drawing no salary looks different from one paying a manager. We restate occupancy costs and owner remuneration to market before selecting a multiple, because a Sydney business that only makes money on a below-market lease or on unpaid founder hours is worth less than its accounts suggest. Lease term matters too. A business with two years left on a CBD lease and no option carries a risk that a buyer will price in, so the report prices it in as well.
Professional services firms turn on the personal goodwill question.
Sydney is the largest market in Australia for law, accounting, financial advice, architecture and consulting firms, and a large share of the valuations we prepare here are for partner admissions, partner exits and practice sales. The recurring issue is how much of the earnings belongs to the firm and how much walks out the door with an individual. The ATO's market valuation guidance expects a valuer to separate personal goodwill from transferable goodwill rather than capitalise the lot, and a purchaser does the same through earn-outs and restraints. We look at client concentration by partner, referral sources, staff-to-partner leverage and what happened to revenue the last time someone left. A boutique firm with a single rainmaker is valued on that basis, and the report explains why.
Land inside the group changes what you are actually valuing.
Many Sydney family groups hold the trading business and the premises through the same company or trust, or through entities that are run as one in practice. When shares or units in that entity change hands, landholder duty can apply if the entity holds $2 million or more of NSW land, which at Sydney land values covers a great many industrial units in Wetherill Park and shopfronts in Parramatta. The duty question belongs to your lawyer and Revenue NSW, but it drives the structure of the deal, and the structure decides whether we are valuing goodwill and plant, the shares of a landholding entity, or both. We ask about property holdings at scoping so the report values the right thing the first time.
Family law matters in Sydney: our dedicated family law practice.
The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia sits in Sydney and Parramatta, and the Family Law Rules 2021 direct that expert evidence on an issue be given by a single expert witness where practicable. In practice that means the parties' solicitors jointly appoint one valuer for the business, with instructions and questions shared with both sides at the same time. For separation, mediation and family law proceedings, including single expert reports, we have a dedicated family law practice, Family Law Valuations, at familylawvaluation.com.au.
Medical and dental practices carry a NSW payroll tax overlay.
Since the Thomas and Naaz decision, Revenue NSW has treated payments to contractor practitioners as wages for payroll tax in some medical centre arrangements, and that liability flows straight through to maintainable earnings. A Sydney general practice or dental group being valued for a sale, a partner buy-in or a restructure needs its payroll tax position settled before the earnings are capitalised, because a buyer's due diligence will find it. We flag the exposure, adopt the position your adviser has taken, and show the valuation with and without it where the answer materially changes. The same care goes into Medicare billing patterns, practitioner concentration and the terms of the service agreements.
Construction and trades businesses need work in progress and retentions done properly.
Sydney's construction pipeline supports a large population of subcontractors, fit-out firms and trades businesses across Western Sydney, the north shore and the Illawarra. Valuing them means getting work in progress and retentions right, understanding the claims under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW) on both sides of the ledger, and testing whether current margins reflect a few large head contracts that will end. A trades business with three years of steady maintenance contracts and a spread of clients earns a very different multiple from one riding a single tower project.
Industries we commonly value in Sydney.
- ·Professional services firms
- ·Medical and dental practices
- ·Hospitality and food service
- ·Construction and trades
- ·Technology and e-commerce
- ·Property and real estate services
Sydney questions we get asked.
How much does a business valuation cost in Sydney?
The same fixed fees as everywhere in Australia. Fees are set by the annual turnover of the business: a Small Business Valuation is $1,495 + GST for annual turnover under $2 million, a Medium Business Valuation is $2,495 + GST for turnover between $2 million and $10 million, and a Large Business Valuation is $3,495 + GST for turnover over $10 million. The fee is agreed in writing before work starts and does not change with the size of the answer.
Do you need to visit our Sydney premises?
Usually not. Most engagements run on financial statements, tax returns, management accounts and a call with the owner. Where the value sits in plant, stock or a specific site, we say so at scoping and arrange an inspection or a specialist for that component rather than work around it.
Is stamp duty payable when I sell or transfer a Sydney business?
Not on the business assets themselves. NSW abolished transfer duty on goodwill, intellectual property and statutory licences from 1 July 2016. Duty can still apply to any NSW land or interest in land included in the deal, and landholder duty can apply when shares or units are acquired in an entity holding $2 million or more of NSW land. Your lawyer or Revenue NSW confirms the position. We value the business and do not advise on duty.
Can you act as the single expert valuer in our family law matter?
Yes, through our dedicated family law practice, Family Law Valuations (familylawvaluation.com.au). It prepares valuations for separation, mediation and family law proceedings, including single expert reports.
How long does a Sydney business valuation take?
Small-business reports are delivered in 2 business days and medium-business reports in 3 business days, and the delivery date for a Large Business Valuation is agreed before commencement. Delivery time starts once payment and all required information have been received. You can start online at any time, or book a 15-minute call if you want to talk it through with the valuer first.
Do you cover Parramatta, the Central Coast, Wollongong and Newcastle?
Yes. NSW engagements are managed remotely, so there is no travel loading for Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, the Illawarra or the Hunter. Regional NSW businesses are covered on our NSW page, and the fees and turnaround are the same.
- ·Buying a business: transfer duty, Revenue NSW
- ·Agreements for the sale of business: overview, Revenue NSW
- ·Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Family Law) Rules 2021, Part 7.1, Federal Register of Legislation
- ·Market valuation of assets, Australian Taxation Office
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.
0433 475 518Mon to Fri, 9am to 5:30pm AEST
Send the form and we reply within one business day. No documents needed to start.
Small Business Valuation
$1,495 + GST
For a business with annual turnover under $2 million. Signed and delivered 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.
Larger business? Tell us in the form and we recommend the right package. All fees