Practice valuation

What your practice would sell for, 2026.

Six sliders and four questions give a range in about three minutes. Each service line is priced at what buyers paid in 2026, then adjusted for how much of the client base stays. Prefer one question at a time?

Practice valuation Rev. 2026-09
A Fees by service line Collections, last twelve months
Form 1040 and related. Mostly January to April.
$420,000
1120-S, 1065, 1120, 990 and related annual compliance.
$260,000
Monthly engagements billed through the year.
$180,000
Attest work.
$0
Ongoing engagements. Tax planning retainers, fractional CFO, controller work.
$60,000
Litigation support, valuations, clean-ups, one-time consulting.
$30,000
Total fees
$950,000
B Client base
Your role after closingSellers who stay through a tax season keep more clients for the buyer.
Work the client expects you, not staff, to do or sign.
60%
Concentration above 25% lowers the multiple for small practices.
20%
Long-standing clients are more likely to stay after a sale.
60%
Estimated value, before terms

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Expected 24-month retention0%
Retention index (vs 80% average)1.00
Items that affect the range0

The range, the schedule by service line and the items that move it open with your email.

How it works

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%. Above 1.00 it raises the top of the range. Below 1.00 it lowers both ends. The range is held between 0.8x and 1.8x of gross.

What it does not cover

Terms, which is where cash at close, seller notes, holdbacks, and earnouts move money between buyer and seller. The after-tax calculator covers the effect of a structure. The earnings calculator covers SDE and EBITDA for buyers who price on earnings.

Sources and assumptions

Published sources

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. BizBuySell, Accounting & Tax Practice Valuation Multiples (sold deals, 2021 to 2025). Median 1.02x revenue, interquartile 0.92 to 1.17x.
  5. 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 0.95 to 1.25x; business and entity tax 1.05 to 1.40x; bookkeeping, payroll, CAS and outsourced CFO 1.20 to 1.70x; attest 0.95 to 1.25x; recurring advisory 1.15 to 1.60x; one-off projects 0.45 to 0.85x.
  • The top of each range sits above the broker guides listed here because those guides describe individual-CPA buyers, and the capital-backed buyers competing for California practices in 2026 pay more.
  • Size: total fees under $500K subtract 0.10x from both ends. $2M and above add 0.10x to the top of the range.
  • 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: the top is the service-mix high plus the size adjustment, times the retention index. The bottom is the service-mix low, less any size deduction, times the retention index when that index is below 1.00. Both held between 0.8x and 1.8x of gross.
  • This is an estimate, not an appraisal, an offer, or advice.
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Our CPA team takes the fee history and the client base on one confidential call and sends the written range, with terms. You can also write to [email protected] or reach us through your broker.

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