Business valuation preparation pack

Use this pack to gather what a valuer will ask for and to brief them clearly. Work through it with your accountant. Not every item applies to every business: tick what you have, mark what does not apply, and note what you cannot get.

Part 1: Core documents (every business)

Financial statements

Profit and loss and balance sheet for the last three complete financial years
Management accounts for the current year to date, and for the same period last year
Income tax returns for the same years, for each entity involved
Business activity statements for the last four quarters
A reconciliation if the management accounts and tax returns differ

Earnings adjustments

What each owner and family member was paid, including super, and what they actually do
Personal or private expenses paid by the business, with amounts
One-off income or costs in the last three years, with evidence (invoices, settlement letters)
Rent or other payments to related parties, and the market rate if known

Balance sheet detail

Balance sheet at, or as close as possible to, the valuation date
Loan and equipment finance agreements, including any Division 7A loan agreements
Bank and loan statements at the valuation date
Aged debtors and aged creditors lists
Stocktake or inventory listing, noting slow-moving or obsolete stock
Fixed asset register, and any recent equipment valuations
Loans to or from shareholders, directors or related entities
Tax debts, payment plans and employee entitlement balances

Legal and ownership

Any previous valuations, offers received, and past share or unit transfers with their prices
Company constitution and shareholders agreement (or trust deed and unit holders agreement)
Share or unit register
Premises lease, including options and assignment clauses
Key customer and supplier contracts, franchise agreement if any
Licences, permits or accreditations needed to operate

Operations

Revenue by customer for the last two years (top ten customers at least)
Staff list with roles, tenure and pay (names can be removed)
Budget or forecast for the current and next year, with assumptions
Anything unusual: disputes, regulatory matters, lost contracts, new contracts

Part 2: Extra items by type of business

Retail, hospitality and food

Weekly or monthly sales history for two years
Point-of-sale reports reconciled to the accounts
Lease outgoings and any turnover rent
Food safety or liquor licence details

Professional services and agencies

Work in progress and unbilled time at the valuation date
Revenue by client and by fee earner
Recurring retainers versus project work
Restraints and employment terms for key staff

Trades, construction and manufacturing

Order book or contracted work at the valuation date
Contract margins on recent jobs
Plant and equipment list with age and condition
Builder or trade licences held by the business or by individuals

Online and subscription businesses

Monthly recurring revenue and churn history
Customer acquisition cost and marketing spend by channel
Platform, domain and intellectual property ownership
Supplier and fulfilment arrangements

Healthcare practices

The payroll tax position on practitioner arrangements
Fee and billing reports by practitioner
Practitioner agreements (employment, contractor or service fee)
Accreditation status
Lease of consulting rooms and equipment

For healthcare practices, Medival, part of Valuo, handles healthcare practice valuations.

Part 3: Briefing template

Complete this with your accountant and send it with the documents. Short answers are fine.

Question	What to cover
Purpose	Why is the valuation needed? (sale, purchase, shareholder exit, tax or restructure, family law, finance, planning). Who will rely on it?
Interest to be valued	The business assets, all the shares in a company, a particular shareholding, or units in a trust? Name the entity and the number of shares or units.
Valuation date	The date the value is needed at. A past date is possible; say why that date matters.
Basis of value	Market value, or a value set by an agreement (for example a formula in a shareholders agreement)? Attach any clause that applies.
The business in brief	What it does, where, since when, how many staff, and how it wins customers.
The owners' roles	What each working owner does each week, and roughly what it would cost to employ someone to do it.
Earnings adjustments	Personal expenses, related-party rent, one-off items. List each with an amount and the evidence.
Recent changes	New or lost customers, price changes, staff changes, new premises, anything that makes the last year unrepresentative.
Outlook	What you expect for this year and next, and why.
Known risks	Dependence on you or a key person, customer concentration, lease expiry, disputes, regulatory change.
Contacts	Your accountant and lawyer, and who should receive the report.

Valuo Insights, 14 November 2026. https://valuo.com.au/insights/resources/business-valuation-preparation-pack/. Free to share unchanged with this credit. General information only, not advice.

Next steps

Gaps are normal. Note what you cannot get and why; a valuer can usually work around a missing item if they know about it early. Read preparing financial information for a valuation for how to present the numbers, and use the earnings normalisation worksheet for the adjustments.