The document checklist for a CGT business valuation.
What to gather before you commission a CGT valuation. Saves time, reduces back-and-forth, and improves the supportable position.
The documents required for a CGT business valuation typically include 3–5 years of financial statements, current year-to-date management accounts, asset register, shareholder or unit-holder register, related-party transactions schedule, customer concentration data, key contracts summary, lease summary, add-back evidence and forecasts where available. Missing documents do not block the engagement — we work with what is reasonably available and disclose limitations.
Core financial documents (always required)
- ·Financial statements for the last 3–5 financial years (Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow)
- ·Current year-to-date management accounts
- ·General ledger or trial balance
- ·Tax returns for the relevant years
- ·BAS statements (current year)
Ownership and structure documents
- ·ASIC company extract or trust deed
- ·Shareholder or unit-holder register
- ·Class structure documentation (where applicable)
- ·Shareholders' agreement or unit trust deed
- ·Related-party transactions schedule
- ·Recent transfers in the same class (if any)
Business operations documents
- ·Asset register and depreciation schedule
- ·Customer concentration data (top 10 customers as % of revenue)
- ·Key contracts summary (top 5 customers and suppliers)
- ·Lease summary (premises, equipment)
- ·Employee schedule with key person identification
- ·Insurance schedule
Methodology-relevant documents
- ·Add-back evidence (invoices, board minutes, supporting documentation)
- ·Forecast or budget for current year and forward (if prepared)
- ·Industry reports or third-party research relied upon by management
- ·Prior valuation reports (if any)
- ·Recent comparable transaction evidence (if known)
What to do when documents are missing
Missing documents do not block the engagement. We work with what is reasonably available, adopt conservative assumptions where information cannot be obtained, and disclose the limitations clearly in the report. The trade-off is that fewer documents may narrow the supportable range — where evidence is thin, the supportable position is necessarily more conservative.
Common questions.
Can my accountant prepare some of these documents?+
Yes — most of the financial documents come from the accountant. Where the valuation is referred by the accountant, we work directly with them on document collection. The client typically provides ownership documents, operational records and forecast information.
How long does document collection take?+
For well-documented businesses, 1–2 weeks. For businesses where records need to be reconstructed or sourced, 3–4 weeks. The engagement does not start the methodology stage until the document completeness check is passed.