# Accounting Firm Value

> Business valuation report types compared: what each is accepted for, who may sign it, what it must contain, and the purpose that quietly rules the cheap ones out.

## Key facts

- The IRS Business Valuation Guidelines require a valuation report detailed enough for a reader to reach a clear understanding of the analyses and to see how the conclusions were reached, with a signed certification.
- The IRS directs its own valuation personnel to give consideration to all three approaches: the asset-based approach, the market approach and the income approach.
- A qualified appraisal for a charitable contribution must be signed no earlier than 60 days before the date of the contribution and no later than the return due date including extensions.
- A qualified appraiser must have verifiable education and experience: either professional or college-level coursework plus two or more years valuing that type of property, or a recognised appraiser designation.
- A qualified appraisal must state the method of valuation used and the specific basis for the valuation, and carry a declaration acknowledging the penalty under section 6695A.
- A calculation of value discloses its own scope limitation, which is why it is adequate for internal planning and weak in front of anyone who did not agree that limitation.
- Both the buyer and the seller of a business must use the residual method to allocate the consideration across the assets transferred, which is a negotiation rather than a consequence of the price.

## Key pages

- [Which business valuation report does your purpose require?](https://accountingfirmvalue.com/): the main tool, answer above the fold.
- [Calculation of value or conclusion of value: which you need](https://accountingfirmvalue.com/calculation-vs-conclusion-of-value/): The difference is a scope restriction agreed in advance, disclosed in the report. Where that is fine, where it is fatal, and what it does to the fee.
- [What a business valuation report must contain](https://accountingfirmvalue.com/what-a-valuation-report-must-contain/): The IRS reporting standard for its own personnel, and the prescribed contents of a qualified appraisal. Two different specifications, both checkable.
- [Who may sign: qualified appraiser requirements](https://accountingfirmvalue.com/qualified-appraiser-requirements/): For a charitable contribution the appraiser is defined by regulation: verifiable education and experience, two years or a recognised designation, and hard dating rules.
- [The valuation report for a sale, and the allocation nobody plans for](https://accountingfirmvalue.com/valuation-report-for-a-sale/): A sale needs a conclusion of value, not a calculation. And the price is only half the negotiation: the residual method allocation is the other half.
- [Business valuation report types and what each is accepted for, 2026](https://accountingfirmvalue.com/#data): original data table, updated 2026-08-15.
- [Full site content as markdown](https://accountingfirmvalue.com/llms-full.txt)

## Data

- Business valuation report types and what each is accepted for, 2026. Methodology: Requirements are taken from primary sources read on 15 August 2026 and cited in full below. The reporting standard for a valuation report, the instruction to consider all three approaches, and the certification requirement come from the IRS Business Valuation Guidelines at IRM 4.48.4, which is the manual the IRS applies to its own valuation personnel. The qualified appraisal and qualified appraiser requirements, including the prescribed report contents, the appraiser's education and experience routes and the 60 day and return due date timing limits, come from 26 CFR 1.170A-17. The tax treatment of a sale, including the residual method allocation, comes from IRS guidance on the sale of a business. No fee, price or valuation figure appears in this table: valuation fees are set by firms, are not published by any authority, and a range here would be a guess given the appearance of a benchmark. The acceptance column states what a report of that type is accepted for by the reader it is written for; it is not a statement that any particular report will be accepted, which depends on its contents.
- Last updated: 2026-08-15. Every figure cites its source inline.
- Source: IRS Internal Revenue Manual 4.48.4, Business Valuation Guidelines: https://www.irs.gov/irm/part4/irm_04-048-004
- Source: 26 CFR 1.170A-17, qualified appraisal and qualified appraiser (Cornell LII): https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/26/1.170A-17
- Source: IRS Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated Property: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p561.pdf
- Source: IRS, sale of a business: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/sale-of-a-business
- Source: SBA, close or sell your business: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/manage-your-business/close-or-sell-your-business
- Source: AICPA, forensic and valuation services: https://www.aicpa-cima.com/resources/landing/forensic-and-valuation-services

## Citation

Cite as: "Business valuation report types and what each is accepted for, 2026", Accounting Firm Value, https://accountingfirmvalue.com/ (updated 2026-08-15).

## About

- Accounting Firm Value is an information site. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Internal Revenue Service, the AICPA, the Small Business Administration or any valuation firm, and it is not an appraisal firm, a law firm or a tax adviser. Nothing here is a valuation or advice on a filing. We take no commission from any firm and carry no paid placements, and no fee, price or valuation figure appears anywhere on this site, because no authority publishes one and a range without quotes behind it launders a guess into a benchmark. Every requirement stated is taken from a primary source cited on this page and read on the date shown.
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