Unsure about a business valuation report you've received?

If you've been handed a business valuation and you're not certain the number holds up, an independent review tells you whether it does. We assess the report against recognised methodology and the evidence behind it, and give you a clear, objective read on how reliable the figure is.

This matters most when the business valuation is about to be relied on in a negotiation, a dispute, or a transaction, because that's when the other side has a reason to test it. Finding the weak points before they do puts you in a far better position.

What does a business valuation review look for?

We check the report for the errors that most often undermine a business valuation, including:

• unsupported assumptions

• inappropriate or unexplained discounts

• methodology that doesn't suit the business

• the wrong multiple, or a multiple applied without support

• earnings normalised incorrectly

• calculation inconsistencies

These are the issues that move the number, and they're the first things a capable reviewer on the other side will go after. Where we find them, we set out what the problem is and why it matters to the figure.

Reviews in family law matters

A business valuation review is particularly useful in a family law matter, where a business often sits at the centre of the property pool and a single expert has usually been appointed to value it. You can't simply commission a competing business valuation, but you can have the single expert's report independently reviewed.

Working as a shadow expert, we review that report behind the scenes for your legal team. We assess the methodology, the assumptions and the evidence, identify where the business valuation could be questioned, and help your lawyer frame the questions to put to the expert. The work supports your legal team's position without being filed as a competing report.

This gives you a clear view of whether the single expert's figure is sound before it drives a settlement, and it can make a real difference to the outcome where the business is a significant asset.

What you receive

A clear, objective review of the business valuation, written up so you can see where it stands. We talk through the findings with you, and provide the outcome in writing so you have something to act on and, if needed, to put in front of the other party.

What we need from you

To review a business valuation properly, we'll need:

• a copy of the business valuation report

• the material supporting information, which usually means the financial statements, tax returns, and any questionnaires completed as part of the original valuation

The more of the underlying material we can see, the more thoroughly we can test the report against it.

How much does a business valuation review cost?

The fee is $2,200 including GST per business. An engagement letter setting out the full terms is issued before the work begins, so the scope and cost are clear from the start.

Why get an independent review?

Because the person who prepared the business valuation had a view of the answer, and a second set of eyes with no stake in it will see things they didn't. An independent review isn't about assuming the original is wrong. It's about knowing whether it would survive scrutiny before you rely on it in a sale, a shareholder matter, a family law proceeding, or an ATO review. If the report is sound, you proceed with confidence. If it isn't, better to know now than in the middle of a negotiation.