What Does a Company Valuation Cost?

A company valuation costs anywhere from zero euros (online calculator, indicative first assessment) to five-figure amounts for a full opinion under IDW S1. What matters is the occasion: a sale needs a transaction-oriented assessment, tax or court proceedings need a formal opinion. Choose the wrong format and you either pay too much — or get a figure that is worth nothing at the decisive moment.

How a robust company valuation comes about in a sale is described on our service page.

What do the costs of a company valuation depend on?

Four factors determine the price: the purpose of the valuation (orientation, transaction, tax, court), the size and complexity of the company, the quality of the figures available and the question of whether the result has to meet formal requirements. An opinion for a compensation proceeding costs a multiple of an indicative valuation — not because more is calculated, but because more is documented, reviewed and taken responsibility for.

Billing by time spent is usual; hourly rates depend on the valuer's qualification and the complexity of the case. Fixed prices are also increasingly available. As a reference point for time-based billing by tax advisors, the Federal Chamber of Tax Advisors cites, for the time fee under the Steuerberatervergütungsverordnung, a range of EUR 16.50 to EUR 41 per quarter-hour begun. For opinions the rate is often freely agreed; the binding element is always the offer in the individual case.

The complete process can be found under Selling a company.

What do the valuation formats cost?

The range runs from the free online calculator through the indicative valuation and the short report to the full opinion under IDW S1. Two published fixed prices from providers show the order of magnitude: the Deutsches Institut für Unternehmensnachfolge e.V. cites on difu.org a fixed price of EUR 7,900 for a valuation under IDW S1, and a CVA-certified expert publishes on yannickmaar.de for 2026 a compact value assessment from EUR 3,700 and an IDW S1 opinion from EUR 9,700, in each case plus VAT. These are provider prices, not market averages; depending on size and complexity it will be considerably more. Short reports come in below that, usually in the four-figure range.

Format	Typical use	Cost range
Online calculator	First orientation	Free — with false precision
Indicative valuation (M&A advisor)	Preparing a sale/succession	Often part of the first meeting
Compact value assessment (expert)	Internal occasions, orientation	Provider example: from EUR 3,700 plus VAT
Full opinion IDW S1	Tax, court, compensation, squeeze-out	Provider examples: EUR 7,900 to from EUR 9,700; open-ended upwards

The figures are market observations from published offers, not price commitments — every reputable offer depends on the individual case. What lies behind the standard is explained in the article IDW S1; the methods behind it are put in context by What is my company worth?

What changed in 2026 in the IDW S 1 standard?

Since 2026 there has been a new version of the standard: the IDW's Technical Committee on Business Valuation adopted IDW S 1 as amended 2026 on 11 February 2026. It applies in principle to valuation dates after publication; application to earlier dates is permissible if expressly agreed in the valuation engagement. According to the IDW, the innovations include sharpened definitions of the objectified value, more precise requirements for the plausibility check of the planning and additional guidance on personal income taxes and on the market risk premium. Kleeberg additionally points out that a tax CAPM is now expressly permitted as well, if future earnings are reduced by personal income taxes.

For you as the client this means above all: the offer should state which version is used for the valuation. The standard changes nothing about the fact that an opinion for a sale is not strictly necessary — it concerns cases in which the valuation must stand up formally.

When is an indicative valuation enough?

Whenever the figure is meant to prepare a decision — sale, succession, search for investors. For that you do not need a hundred pages of opinion, but a realistic range derived from earning power and market multiples, plus an honest classification of what buyers are currently paying. An EBITDA multiple is a reality check here, not a price tag.

The reason is simple: in a sale, the real value is created in the negotiation, not in the formula. The price is ultimately set by a buyer who is willing to pay — not by an opinion. How the multiples logic works is shown by the multiples method.

When do you need a full opinion?

As soon as the valuation has to stand up formally: for tax occasions such as gift or inheritance, in company-law disputes, compensation or court proceedings. Here what counts is not proximity to the market, but methodological traceability under a recognised standard — in practice mostly IDW S1.

Whether such an occasion exists is something you clarify with your tax advisor or lawyer; this is not a question an M&A advisor decides for you. For the basics of valuation logic: Company valuation.

An example: the same company, three occasions

The example is constructed and simplified; it does not describe a real case. The owner of a service business with EUR 2 million annual revenue faces three questions that call for three different valuations.

1. Should I sell in the next few years? An indicative assessment is enough here. The free company value calculator provides a first range, a first meeting with an M&A advisor sharpens it. Cost: zero to low.
2. A shareholder is leaving and is to be compensated. The figure must stand up in a dispute; an opinion under a recognised standard makes sense here. Cost: an offer in the five-figure range is realistic.
3. The shares are being gifted to the next generation. Whether and which opinion helps with the tax office is clarified by the tax advisor. Cost: depends on the opinion format.

The same company therefore does not need one valuation, but the right one for each occasion. Anyone who commissions a full opinion for question 1 pays for formality they do not need; anyone who uses an online calculator for question 2 has nothing in hand in the dispute.

What does it cost not to know the value?

More than any opinion. The KfW Succession Monitor 2025 records that owners' price expectations have recently risen markedly: the average targeted purchase price is around EUR 499,000, on average 1.2 times annual revenue, whereas the median is only 0.6 times. The median rose from EUR 175,000 (2019) to EUR 375,000 (2025); in nominal terms, price expectations are around 34 percent above 2019, in price-adjusted terms around 9.5 percent. It cannot be inferred from this that buyers' willingness to pay automatically follows.

For context: if the owner's price expectation in the example above were at 1.2 times revenue (EUR 2.4 million) rather than at the median of 0.6 (EUR 1.2 million), that would be a EUR 1.2 million difference — compared with provider prices of under EUR 10,000 for an opinion. The values are averages across all industries and not an expectation for your company; they merely show how far anchors can lie apart.

An excessive demand burns serious prospects, one that is too low gives away a life's work. A realistic value assessment before the process is therefore not a cost item, but an insurance against the most expensive mistake in a sale: the wrong anchor. Which other mistakes cost money is shown in 5 mistakes in a company sale.

Frequently asked questions

What does an IDW S1 opinion cost specifically?

Depending on company size, data situation and provider: published fixed-price offers start at EUR 7,900 (difu.org) or from EUR 9,700 plus VAT (yannickmaar.de); for complex cases it will be considerably more. Only an individual offer is binding — reputable valuers calculate by effort.

Is IDW S 1 still available in the 2008 version?

Since 11 February 2026 there has been the new version IDW S 1 as amended 2026. It applies in principle to valuation dates after its publication; application to earlier dates is permissible if expressly agreed. Kleeberg points out that both versions remain relevant for some years, because valuations are often reviewed long after the valuation date.

Is a free company valuation reputable?

As a first orientation yes, as a basis for decisions no. Online calculators work with flat multiples and know neither your earnings quality nor your market position. They provide a rough figure — nothing more. For decisions you need an assessment by someone who knows current transactions.

How long does a company valuation take?

An indicative valuation takes a few days to two weeks if the data situation is good. A full opinion under IDW S1 takes several weeks, because the business plan, market analysis and documentation have to meet formal requirements. One provider cites two to four weeks after complete documents for the IDW S1 opinion.

The real value is created in the negotiation, not in the formula. For a realistic, independent assessment: IGCP Capital Partners. → igcp.at

Before you spend money on an opinion, the free preliminary step is worthwhile: calculate company value for free and only then decide which format you really need.

Status of the figures and sources: 30 September 2026.