If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “How much is my business worth… really?” you’re not alone.
Most owners only look for a valuation when something forces the question: an investor wants numbers, a buyer is circling, a partner is exiting, or life happens (divorce, estate planning, shareholder disputes).
The good news is: getting a business valuation in South Africa isn’t mysterious. It’s a structured process, done by the right professionals, using accepted valuation methods and your real financial information.
The tricky part is knowing who to use, what you’ll pay, what you’ll need to provide, and what kind of valuation you actually need (because not all valuations are created equal).
Let’s break it down in plain language.
What are business valuation services (and what you’re actually paying for)
A proper business valuation is more than a quick multiple like “3× profit” or a calculator estimate. Valuation services typically include:
- Understanding your business model (how the business really makes money)
- Cleaning up and normalising the numbers (removing once-offs and owner-specific expenses)
- Selecting the right valuation approach (market, income, asset-based—or a blend)
- Building the valuation workings and assumptions so the outcome is defensible
- Producing a report suited to the purpose (sale, funding, disputes, compliance, etc.)
Why does this matter? Because a valuation that’s meant to hold up under buyer due diligence, SARS scrutiny, or court proceedings needs to be objective and defensible, not just “a number that feels right.”
Who can do business valuations in South Africa?
You’ll see a lot of searches like: who does business valuations near me, who performs business valuations, who conducts business valuations, and can accountants do business valuations?
In practice, business valuations are commonly performed by:
1) Accountants (often Chartered Accountants) and audit/accounting firms
Yes—accountants can do business valuations, and many do, especially when they understand your financials and can normalise earnings properly.
Some accounting firms explicitly provide valuation services alongside advisory work.
2) Specialist valuation firms / corporate finance advisors
These are teams that focus heavily on valuation work (often led by CAs or corporate finance specialists), and they’re commonly used when independence, technical depth, or a high-stakes purpose matters (transactions, disputes, Companies Act requirements, B-BBEE-related transactions, etc.).
3) Larger advisory firms (for complex or regulated valuations)
Bigger transactions and financial reporting valuations (where fair value is required) are often handled by established advisory/corporate finance teams with specialist valuation capability.
So who should you choose?
If it’s a straightforward owner-use valuation (you want clarity and planning), a skilled accountant with valuation experience may be enough.
If it’s for a transaction, funding, disputes, divorce, or anything that needs to stand up to scrutiny, you generally want someone who can produce a proper independent valuation report and explain assumptions clearly.
Why is business valuation done (and when it becomes essential)
Business valuation is important any time a decision depends on value—not guesses. Common situations include:
- Selling a business (or bringing in a partner)
- Funding / investment (banks, investors, acquisition finance)
- Divorce or marital dissolution (where business value becomes part of the settlement)
- Shareholder disputes / partner exits (agreeing on a fair buyout)
- B-BBEE transactions and certain compliance contexts
- Estate planning (and other “what is it worth on this date?” scenarios)
Even if you’re not doing a deal right now, a valuation often becomes a planning tool—helping you understand what drives value (and what drags it down).
How business value is calculated (the 3 main valuation approaches)
Valuators don’t pull numbers out of thin air. Most valuations use one approach as the “main engine” and another as a sense-check.
1) Market approach (multiples / comparables)
This estimates value by comparing your business to similar businesses and applying market multiples (like EBITDA multiples), adjusted for your size, risk, and growth profile.
2) Income approach (DCF and capitalised earnings)
This is the “future cash flow” approach: forecast future cash flows and discount them back to today using a risk-adjusted rate (often a WACC-type logic). DCF is a well-known method here.
3) Asset-based approach
This looks at the fair value of assets minus liabilities. It’s commonly used for asset-heavy businesses (or as a floor value), but may understate value for service businesses where goodwill and earnings power matter more.
What method is “best”?
It depends on the business. A stable, cash-generative company may suit an income approach. A smaller owner-managed business might be more market-multiple driven.
Asset-based tends to matter more where assets are the value (property, equipment, stock-heavy operations).
How to get a business valuation in South Africa (step-by-step)
Here’s what the process usually looks like when you work with a professional:
Step 1: Clarify the purpose (this drives everything)
Before anyone talks numbers, you answer: Why do you need the valuation?
Selling? Funding? Divorce? Internal planning? Shareholder exit?
That one answer affects the depth of work, the report format, the valuation basis, and sometimes the assumptions.
Step 2: Provide the information pack
You don’t need perfect records, but you do need enough information to make the valuation credible.
Most valuators will ask for things like:
- Annual financial statements (usually 2–3 years)
- Recent management accounts
- Tax info (where relevant)
- A brief overview of operations, customers, staff, and suppliers
- Debt schedules and major contracts
(If you’re thinking “we don’t have all of that neatly,” that’s normal—part of the process is cleaning up what’s available.)
Step 3: Normalise the numbers
This is where the valuation becomes “real world.” The valuator typically adjusts for items like:
- Owner salaries that are above/below market
- Personal expenses run through the business
- One-off costs or once-off income
- Abnormal year events (major repairs, once-off contracts, etc.)
Step 4: Apply methods and build the valuation
A professional will use one or more valuation methods (market, income, asset-based), then test assumptions against business reality and market conditions.
Step 5: Draft, review, and finalise the report
You’ll usually review factual accuracy (not “can you make the number higher?”), then the report is finalised.
How long does a business valuation take?
Timing depends on complexity and how quickly documents arrive. As a practical benchmark, many professional valuations land in the “a few weeks” zone, but it can be faster for simpler businesses and longer for complex ones.
Some industry guidance puts a thorough valuation around a couple of weeks on the quick side, and up to several weeks (or more) as complexity increases.
In the real world, the biggest delay is usually information flow: if the financials are clean and you can supply what’s needed quickly, everything moves faster.
How much does a business valuation cost in South Africa?
This is the big one: how much do business valuations cost / how much should I pay for a business valuation?
A helpful way to think about cost is: you’re paying for scope + defensibility.
- Basic/entry-level valuation reports can be priced in the low thousands (especially when they’re more “calculation of value” or limited-scope reports). For example, some providers publicly list business valuation pricing starting around R3,600 excl. VAT for a basic “calculation of value”-type report, and around R6,500+ excl. VAT for a business valuation report as a guide price.
- More comprehensive independent valuations (sale, funding packs, shareholder disputes, divorce matters, or anything needing stronger documentation) typically cost more because they require deeper analysis, better evidence, clearer assumptions, and sometimes multiple valuation approaches.
What drives the price up (or down)?
Instead of guessing a number, ask what your quote includes. Fees usually shift based on:
- Business size and complexity (one branch vs multi-branch, multiple revenue streams, etc.)
- Quality of bookkeeping and financial statements
- Whether forecasts are needed (common in DCF work)
- The purpose (internal planning vs dispute-ready report)
- How much supporting documentation is required
And one important note: online calculators can be useful for a quick ballpark, but they’re generally not a substitute for a professional report when defensibility matters.
How long is a business valuation good for?
A valuation is always “as at” a specific date. In many cases, a valuation report is treated as valid for a limited window—often around 6 to 12 months—but it can become outdated faster if the business or market changes materially.
If you sign a major new contract, lose a key customer, change margins, take on new debt, or the economy shifts sharply, it’s usually time for an update.
How to choose the right valuation expert (without overthinking it)
If you’re searching who provides business valuations near me, here are the questions that quickly separate a “nice number” from a valuation you can use with confidence:
- What is the valuation for (and what report format will you deliver)? A proper provider will scope this clearly.
- Which valuation methods will you use—and why those methods suit my business? You want logic, not templates.
- What information do you need from me, and what happens if it’s incomplete? Good valuators have a process for messy real-world data.
- Will the report be defensible for my purpose (buyer due diligence, SARS, court, shareholders)? This matters more than most owners realise.
- What’s the timeline and what do you need from me to hit it? This prevents the slow “drip-drip” process.
Next step: getting your valuation done (without wasting time)
If you’re ready to move from curiosity to clarity, the simplest next step is to request a proper valuation scope and quote based on your situation (selling, funding, divorce, partner exit, planning, etc.).
Zuva’s Business Valuation service page is a good place to start if you want a South Africa-focused valuation process and a report you can actually use for decision-making.
