Practice valuation calculator, 2026.
This sheet estimates what an accounting or tax practice would sell for. It prices each service line separately, because buyers pay different multiples for seasonal tax work, monthly bookkeeping, attest, advisory, and one-off projects. It then adjusts for how much of the client base is likely to stay with a buyer.
The multiples come from broker guides updated in 2026 and from sold-deal data. The retention weighting is ours. Sources and assumptions are at the bottom of the page.
$0 to $0
0.00x to 0.00x gross
Items that affect the range
This is a price range before terms. The same practice can sell at 1.1x with a four-year look-back or at 0.9x all cash. Worksheet 03 shows what a payment structure leaves after tax.
| Service line | Fees | Share | Multiple range | Contribution |
|---|
Contribution is fees times the range, after the size adjustment and the retention index. The range for each line is a multiple of that line’s fees.
Service lines are priced separately
Monthly bookkeeping renews without a decision by the client. A 1040 renews once a year. Published data puts outsourced CFO and client accounting services at 1.5 to 2 times the multiple of seasonal tax-prep revenue. Practices with more than 70% project-based compliance sit at the bottom of the range.
Retention adjusts the result
Published multiples assume average retention. About 75 to 80% of clients stay after a sale. With a transition plan, 90% or more stay. The retention index is your expected retention divided by 80%. It scales the range up or down inside the published limits.
What the sheet does not cover
Terms. Cash at close, seller notes, holdbacks, and earnouts move money between buyer and seller. Worksheet 03 covers the after-tax effect of a structure. Worksheet 02 covers SDE and EBITDA for buyers who price on earnings.
Published sources
- Accounting Practice Sales, One Times Gross: Is That the Law? One times gross is the common rule of thumb; 80 to 120% of gross is the realistic range.
- CT Acquisitions, Accounting Firm Business Valuation (updated June 2026). Revenue multiples by size: 0.7 to 0.9x under $500K, 0.9 to 1.2x for $500K to $2M, 1.0 to 1.3x for $2M to $10M. Below 0.8x when the seller is lead reviewer or concentration exceeds 25%. Outsourced CFO and CAS revenue at 1.5 to 2.0 times the multiple of seasonal tax-prep revenue. A discount when more than half of revenue lands January to April.
- Poe Group Advisors, What Is the Value of an Accounting Practice? (2026). Well-structured firms at 1.1 to 1.3x gross, 1.4x in rare cases. Recurring compliance and advisory revenue preferred over project work. Client concentration and key staff without retention agreements as negative factors.
- BizBuySell, Accounting & Tax Practice Valuation Multiples (sold deals, 2021 to 2025). Median 1.02x revenue, interquartile 0.92 to 1.17x.
- Client retention after a sale: 75 to 80% on average (AICPA succession survey figure as quoted by ABA Advisors). 90% or better with a transition plan (Midwest Business Brokers).
Weighting used here
- Multiple range by line, applied to that line’s fees: individual tax 0.85 to 1.05x; business and entity tax 0.95 to 1.15x; bookkeeping, payroll, CAS and outsourced CFO 1.10 to 1.35x; attest 0.85 to 1.05x; recurring advisory 1.05 to 1.30x; one-off projects 0.40 to 0.70x.
- Size: total fees under $500K subtract 0.10x from both ends. $2M and above add 0.05x.
- Retention: 80% base. Seller steps back at close, minus 7 points. Stays one season, plus 3. Two or more, plus 10. Owner delivers more than 70% of fees, minus 6 (40 to 70%, minus 3). Top ten clients above 40% of fees, minus 5 (20 to 40%, minus 2). Clients of five years or more above 60% of fees, plus 3 (below 30%, minus 3). Result held between 55 and 95%.
- Final range is the service-mix range plus the size adjustment, times the retention index, held between 0.6x and 1.4x of gross.
- This is an estimate. It is not an appraisal, an offer, or advice.
Questions about a sale
A first call is thirty minutes, confidential, and with a principal. You can also write to [email protected] or reach us through your broker. A written indication of value takes about two weeks and uses the actual client list and fee history.