Selling the practice you've spent a career building is one of the biggest decisions you'll make — and one most owners only do once. This is the complete, start-to-finish guide: what your firm is worth, when to sell, how to choose a buyer, what happens at each stage, the tax, and how to protect the clients and staff you care about. Read it top to bottom, or jump to the stage you're at — each section links to a full, in-depth guide.
1. Understand what your practice is worth
Value starts from your gross recurring fees and a quality multiple, then everything else moves the number. Get the fundamentals in how much is my practice worth?, see what pulls value down in what reduces value, and get an instant indicative figure from our valuation calculator.
2. Lift the value before you sell
Most of what determines your price is within your control if you start early. The seven highest-impact levers — led by reducing owner-dependency and re-pricing under-charged clients — are in how to increase the value of your practice. Track your progress with the right KPIs.
3. Get the timing right
The best time to sell is usually a year or two before you feel you have to. Read the personal and market signals in when is the right time to sell? and our take on the current market in is 2026 the year to sell?
4. Choose how to sell — and who to
Broker or direct buyer? Weigh fees, speed, confidentiality and control in broker vs direct, and understand the risks of aggressive consolidation in PE roll-ups vs selling direct. If continuity for your team matters, compare routes in MBO vs external sale and plan the wider picture in succession planning.
5. The process, step by step
A typical direct sale runs: confidential call → indicative valuation → due diligence → heads of terms → completion and handover. Know what a buyer reviews in due diligence, what to pin down in heads of terms, and how deferred payments work in earn-outs and deferred consideration. The full process is on our sell your practice page.
6. Get the tax right
Structure and timing decide how much of the price you keep. The decisions that matter — asset vs share sale, Business Asset Disposal Relief, how earn-outs are taxed — are in tax when you sell your accountancy practice. Take your own advice before you agree terms.
7. Protect your clients, staff and legacy
For most owners, a good home matters as much as the number. The right buyer respects the legacy, protects the team and keeps clients stable — which is why who you sell to matters as much as the price. That's the whole idea behind selling direct to an operator-led buyer.
The short version
- Know your number, then lift it — ideally 12–24 months ahead
- Sell from strength, not exhaustion
- Judge offers on structure and buyer fit, not just the headline
- Get the tax modelled before you agree terms
- Choose a buyer who'll look after what you built
Not sure where you are on this journey? A confidential call is the easiest place to start — even if you decide not to sell.
Thinking about your next chapter?
Start with a confidential, no-obligation call with the buyer — even if you decide not to sell.
Book a confidential call