Are free business valuations reliable?

Most free online valuations come from brokers seeking a sale instruction, so the figure has a job to do other than being accurate. They can be useful as a very rough sense-check, but they are not suitable for tax, dispute, divorce or transaction purposes.

What does a paid business valuation include?

A professional valuation report typically includes a normalised earnings analysis, a balance-sheet review, sector multiple benchmarking, a written explanation of methodology and assumptions, and a defensible figure or range suitable for the stated purpose.

Insights

How much does a business valuation cost in the UK?

Q: How much does a business valuation cost in the UK?

Fixed-fee independent valuations for UK SMEs typically range from £450 to £2,500, depending on the size and complexity of the business and the purpose of the valuation. Larger or more complex assignments — formal expert reports for court, HMRC or shareholder disputes — can run from £3,000 to £15,000 or more.

It's a fair question to ask before you commission one. Fees for UK business valuations vary widely — from nothing at all to five figures — and the reason for the spread is rarely complexity alone. What you're really paying for is independence, the depth of analysis, and whether the figure will hold up when it's tested.

Typical UK fee ranges in 2026

As a working guide for owner-managed UK businesses:

£0 — "free" broker valuations. Indicative figures produced by business-sale agents, usually as a route to a sale instruction. Quick, but they carry an incentive.
£450 – £1,500 — fixed-fee independent valuations. A written report from an independent valuer for a typical SME. Suitable for planning, internal share transfers, MBOs, and most owner-driven purposes.
£1,500 – £3,500 — more complex SMEs or specific purposes. Groups, multiple trading entities, or valuations with a defined audience (HMRC, lenders, incoming investors).
£3,500 – £15,000+ — formal expert reports. Court-compliant reports for divorce, shareholder disputes, or contentious tax positions. Priced by scope and time, often hourly.

What drives the price

Three things move the fee more than anything else:

Purpose. A figure for internal planning needs far less scaffolding than one that has to survive cross-examination or HMRC scrutiny.
Complexity. A single trading company with clean accounts is straightforward. Group structures, intercompany trading, property held outside the trade, or messy historic figures all add work.
Quality of information. Timely management accounts and a clear picture of owner adjustments save hours. Reconstructing the numbers does the opposite.

Free vs paid: what you're really comparing

A free broker valuation and a paid independent valuation aren't different price points for the same product — they're different products. A broker's figure is a marketing exercise: it has to be attractive enough to win the instruction. An independent valuation has no stake in the outcome, which is precisely why it's the figure you'd want in front of HMRC, a buyer's advisor, a judge, or the other side of a shareholder dispute.

If you only need a rough sense of scale, a free figure may do. If the number is going to be relied upon, paying for independence is usually the cheaper route in the end.

What a fixed-fee valuation should include

A proper report — at any price point — should set out the methodology, the adjustments made to reported profit, the multiples or comparable transactions used, the risk factors considered, and a defensible figure or range. It should be readable by a non-accountant and robust enough for the audience it's written for.

What we charge

At The Business Valuers we produce independent, written valuations for UK SMEs on a fixed fee, typically £495, delivered in 72 hours. Because we don't sell businesses, the figure carries no incentive in either direction. More involved assignments — formal reports for divorce, HMRC, or shareholder disputes — are quoted up front based on scope, so you know the cost before you commit.

If you'd like a fixed quote for your situation, get in touch.