How long a business valuation takes depends mostly on how quickly complete financial information arrives. After that, timing turns on follow-up questions, the complexity of the business and the review before the report is issued. At Valuo, your delivery date is confirmed in writing with your engagement terms, before you pay.
What does the time depend on?
The time a valuation takes depends mostly on how quickly complete financials arrive. After that, it depends on how many questions need answering, how complex the business is, and the review before the report is issued.
Think of it in four parts:
| Stage | What happens | What speeds it up |
|---|---|---|
| Getting documents | You upload financials, tax returns and other records | Sending a complete set at the start |
| Questions | The valuer asks about owner pay, one-off items and how the business runs | Short, clear answers with any supporting records |
| Analysis | The valuer adjusts earnings, chooses a method and reaches a conclusion | Clean records and a simple structure |
| Review | The report is checked before it is issued | Nothing on your side, other than prompt replies |
The first two stages are largely in your hands. The last two depend on the work itself.
Why do documents matter so much for timing?
A valuer cannot finish until the information is in. Work can start on what has arrived, but a missing year, a missing balance sheet or an unexplained number holds up the conclusion.
Common gaps include year-to-date figures when the financial year is well advanced, a list of debts, and details of what the owners pay themselves. Our documents checklist sets out what to gather and why.
The Australian Government's guide to valuing your business lists financial statements, debts, assets, leases and other records as information to gather. Having these ready before you order saves back-and-forth.
Why do questions add time?
Questions are how the valuer understands what the numbers mean. Each one needs an answer before the related adjustment can be made.
For example, a hypothetical café shows a large repair bill in one year. The valuer needs to know whether it was a one-off or something that will come back. That answer changes the earnings the valuation is based on, so it cannot be skipped.
At Valuo, questions come to you in writing. Answering them promptly, with a document where you have one, keeps the work moving.
Does complexity change how long it takes?
Yes. More moving parts mean more work to check and explain.
Things that add work include:
- two or more entities, such as a trading company and a trust that owns the equipment
- valuing a part shareholding rather than the whole business
- a valuation date in the past
- records that do not reconcile, such as totals that differ between reports
- unusual assets or arrangements, such as related-party leases or loans
A report that another party will read also takes more work, because the method, adjustments and evidence must be documented so that reader can follow them. See estimate vs signed report for the difference.
Why is there a review step?
A review checks the numbers, the method and the reasoning before the report goes out. It is a quality step, not a formality.
At Valuo, a valuer reviews every report before it is issued. Software helps organise and check the numbers, for example by flagging missing years. A valuer makes the adjustments, chooses the method and reaches the conclusion. A Professional Valuation Report is signed by the valuer responsible.
How does timing work at Valuo?
Valuo does not publish a standard turnaround. Your delivery date is confirmed in writing with your engagement terms, before you pay, and it runs from when payment and all the information needed have been received.
The steps are:
- Get your fixed fee and answer a few short questions.
- Accept your engagement terms and pay, then receive your secure upload link and an information list tailored to your business.
- Upload your financials. A valuer works through them and sends any questions in writing.
- Your report is reviewed, then delivered securely.
You can see each stage as it changes: awaiting payment, awaiting information, information received, under review, valuation in progress, quality assurance, report ready and complete. More detail is on how it works.
How can I speed things up?
Send everything at once, answer questions quickly, and tell the valuer the purpose and any deadline at the start.
- Upload two or three years of financial statements and the latest tax return together.
- Include year-to-date figures if the year is well advanced.
- Write a short note on owner pay, one-off items and anything unusual.
- If a lender, buyer or adviser needs the report, ask them what they require before you order. They decide for themselves what they accept.
Get started
See your price and start your order: Get your fixed fee. Fees for every revenue band are on the pricing page.
If you are separating, Family Law Valuations handles family law valuations, which follow their own rules and are scoped individually.
Questions
What is the biggest cause of delay in a business valuation?
Missing or incomplete information. The valuer cannot finish the analysis until the financial statements, tax return and answers about the business are in. Sending a complete set at the start is the simplest way to keep things moving.
When does Valuo confirm the delivery date?
Your delivery date is confirmed in writing with your engagement terms, before you pay. It runs from when payment and all the information needed have been received.
Does a signed report take longer than an estimate?
Usually there is more work in a signed report, such as explained adjustments, market evidence where relevant and a review of key assumptions. More work generally means more time, so allow for it if you have a deadline.
Can I track where my valuation is up to?
Yes. Each Valuo valuation moves through set stages, from awaiting information to report ready, and you are told when yours changes. The status is the one the team has recorded, not an estimate.
I have a deadline. What should I do?
Say so when you order, and give the date and who needs the report. Then send complete financials straight away. A deadline that depends on a third party, such as a lender or a buyer, is worth checking with them too.
General educational information, not advice. Examples are hypothetical and do not value a real business. The right treatment depends on the purpose, the evidence and the agreed scope.