How much does a business valuation cost?
From €9 for an indicative range to €15,000 for a formal signed valuation. The difference is liability, not accuracy — and most owners only ever need the first.
Anywhere from a few euros to €15,000, and the spread reflects liability rather than accuracy. A formal valuation costs what it costs because someone signs it and carries professional risk for the figure — not because the arithmetic is different.
What each level buys
| Level | Typical cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Indicative report | €9 – €500 | A range, the assumptions, what moves it |
| Advisor's opinion | €2,500 – €7,500 | The above, reviewed and argued by a person |
| Formal valuation | €7,500 – €15,000 | A signed document with liability attached |
| Fairness opinion | €15,000+ | For contested transactions and courts |
When you genuinely need the expensive one
Only when a third party requires it: a tax authority testing a share transfer, a court in a dispute or a divorce, a lender securing finance, or a shareholder agreement that specifies an independent valuer. In each case the document is the deliverable, not the number.
When you do not
Deciding whether to start a sale process. Judging whether an approach is worth answering. Working out which of three improvements to make first. Settling an internal transfer where both sides trust the method. In all of these, what you need is a defensible range and a clear view of what drives it — and paying €10,000 to find out you are three years too early is a common and avoidable expense.
How to value a business covers the method; what buyers look for covers what they will recalculate regardless of who produced your figure.