- Start with three to five years of financial statements and tax returns, plus management accounts to the valuation date.
- Ownership documents show exactly what is valued: share register, constitution, trust deed or partnership agreement.
- Leases and key contracts often drive value as much as profit does.
- Date-specific records, such as a balance sheet, debtors and pipeline at the valuation date, are the hardest to rebuild later.
- If something is missing, the report says so. Incomplete information is better disclosed than guessed.
Why the documents matter
The ATO's guidance says a valuation should be based on the most relevant and reliable information that is known, or could reasonably be foreseen, at the valuation date. It also says the taxpayer is responsible for giving the valuer correct information, and that where information is missing, the report should identify it.
So the documents are not a formality. They are the evidence the value stands on.
The core list
Financial records
- Financial statements for three to five years before the valuation date, and for the year that includes the date if it has ended. Profit and loss, balance sheet, and notes.
- Tax returns for the same years.
- Management accounts to the valuation date: a profit and loss for the part year and a balance sheet at the date.
- Asset register and depreciation schedule.
- Loan details: bank and finance facilities, and loans to and from owners and related parties.
- Budgets and forecasts that existed at the valuation date.
Ownership documents
These show exactly what is being valued, and the rights attached to it.
- Company: share register, constitution, and any shareholders agreement.
- Trust: trust deed and any variations, and the unit register for a unit trust.
- Partnership: the partnership agreement and each partner's share.
- A structure chart if more than one entity is involved.
Leases and premises
- the premises lease, including term, options, rent and any assignment terms
- any agreement for premises owned by a related party, and the rent paid
Key contracts
- major customer contracts, retainers and recurring service agreements
- supplier, distribution, franchise or licence agreements
- employment contracts for key staff, and any restraints
- any agreement to buy or sell the business or shares, including options
Business information
- customer list with revenue by customer
- staff list with roles, length of service and pay
- licences, registrations and permits the business relies on
- intellectual property: trade marks, domain names, software and who owns them
Date-specific items
These are the records most often lost, and the hardest to rebuild. Each should be as at the valuation date.
- balance sheet at the date
- aged debtors and creditors at the date
- stock on hand at the date, and any slow or obsolete stock
- work in progress at the date, for service businesses
- pipeline: quoted, booked and contracted work at the date
- the share, unit or partner register at the date
- any event close to the date: a new contract, a lost customer, a dispute, a key staff member leaving
For a 30 June 2027 valuation, save these in the first days of July 2027. For a past date, gather what still exists from the time. See valuing at a past date.
Information about you and the purpose
The valuer also needs to know:
- the CGT purpose: for example a gift to family, a transfer to a related entity, the small business concessions, an inheritance, leaving Australia, or the 30 June 2027 split
- the valuation date, and why that date
- who owns the asset or interest, and how
- the owner's role and pay, so a market-rate wage can be used in the earnings
- any personal or one-off costs run through the business
Your accountant can usually confirm the purpose and the date. We confirm both in writing before you pay.
What if a document is missing?
Tell us early. Some gaps can be filled from another source, such as the accounting system or the bank. Some cannot. Where information is missing, the report says what was not available and how it was dealt with. It is better to disclose a gap than to fill it with a guess.
Never create a document after the fact to look as if it existed at the date. Keep what genuinely existed.
What the valuation report covers for this purpose
The report lists the information relied on, its source and the extent of checking. It also covers the purpose, the asset and interest, the date, market value as the standard of value, the method and cross-check, assumptions, limitations and the signature of the valuer responsible. See what a CGT valuation report contains.
What we need from you
Upload the core list through the secure link we send after you accept your engagement terms. If the business is in a group, include each entity's statements. We then send a short list of questions about the business at the date.
Get a fixed fee
Our fee is fixed by the business's annual revenue, from $1,495 + GST for revenue under $1 million, and confirmed in writing before you pay. See how it works or choose your revenue band below.
General information only, current at 10 November 2026. We value businesses and business interests; we do not give tax advice. Your accountant or tax adviser decides whether a rule applies to you.