How long does it typically take to sell a accounting & cpa business?

Well-prepped Main Street accounting & cpa businesses close in 6–9 months from listing. Add 3–6 months up front for financial prep and add-back documentation if books are cash-basis or informally kept.

Do I pay anything to be matched to a accounting & cpa broker?

The match is free. Brokers on the platform work success-fee-only — a percentage of the transaction, paid at close. You pay nothing until your business sells.

What size accounting & cpa businesses do the matched brokers work with?

Every broker on the platform specializes in Main Street sales — typically businesses with under $5M in annual revenue. If you're above that range we'll flag it and route you to the right lower-middle-market advisor.

For Accounting & CPA owners

Sell My Accounting & CPA Business

Accounting firms are in the middle of a generational consolidation — PE-backed platforms are paying multiples that would have looked absurd five years ago for the right combination of recurring revenue, staff retention, and vertical specialization.

Whether you sell for the top of the range or the bottom is decided months before you go to market. The accounting industry crossed a threshold in 2021 when TowerBrook took a majority stake in EisnerAmper — the first time a top-100 CPA firm went PE. Since then Ascend Partner Firms (backed by Alpine Investors), Aprio (Charlesbank), Baker Tilly (Hellman & Friedman + Valeas), Springline Advisory, Rise Growth Partners, Elliott Davis, and Citrin Cooperman have deployed billions to consolidate mid-market accounting. Sub-$5M-revenue independent firms are the primary bolt-on target. Multiples have moved from historical 1.0–1.2x revenue (or 4–6x EBITDA) to 1.4–1.8x revenue / 8–12x EBITDA for firms with strong recurring compliance work, an advisory practice, and demonstrable partner-succession bench. The CPA talent shortage is the single biggest structural tailwind — every acquirer is buying people at least as much as they're buying revenue.

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Accounting & CPA · instant estimate

What's your accounting & cpa business worth?

Real Main Street benchmarks. Numbers update as you type — no signup, no wait.

Annual revenue (TTM)

Owner benefit / SDE

Profit + owner comp + owner add-backs

Prep priorities

Move the multiple before you go to market

A accounting & cpa business that shows up well-prepped trades at a materially different price than an unprepped one. These four moves matter most.

Priority 01

Segment your revenue in your P&L: compliance, CAS/advisory, and other. Buyers cannot price what you cannot report.

Priority 02

Build (or acquire) an advisory / CAS practice — 20%+ of revenue from advisory is the multiple-moving threshold.

Priority 03

Identify and formalize a non-owner successor path — even one senior manager on the partner track meaningfully changes the story.

Priority 04

Diversify client concentration — get top-10 clients below 25% of revenue before you go to market.

Priority 05

Modernize your tech stack — a firm on legacy tax software will be discounted regardless of P&L quality.

Who buys

Active accounting & cpa buyers right now

Named PE platforms, franchisors, and strategic consolidators with active buying programs in accounting & cpa. Every listing is drawn from public disclosures and refreshed as deals close.

Buyer archetypes

PE-backed accounting platforms (Ascend, Aprio, Springline, Rise)
Regional / super-regional CPA firms with M&A programs
National CPA firms (Baker Tilly, EisnerAmper, Citrin Cooperman)
Adjacent professional-services strategic acquirers (wealth, HR, tech)
Individual practitioner rollups (sub-$2M revenue tuck-ins)

Active rollup platforms

• Ascend Partner Firms (Alpine Investors)
• Aprio (Charlesbank Capital Partners)
• Baker Tilly (Hellman & Friedman + Valeas Capital)
• EisnerAmper (TowerBrook)
• Citrin Cooperman (New Mountain Capital)
• Springline Advisory (Trinity Hunt)

Specialists

Accounting & CPA sell-side specialists

Every broker has closed accounting & cpa transactions in the last 24 months.

matched brokers

avg years experience

Matched pool

Accounting & CPA sellers

Shared specialties in this pool

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Common accounting & cpa exit questions

How long does it typically take to sell a accounting & cpa business?
Well-prepped Main Street accounting & cpa businesses close in 6–9 months from listing. Add 3–6 months up front for financial prep and add-back documentation if books are cash-basis or informally kept.
Do I pay anything to be matched to a accounting & cpa broker?
The match is free. Brokers on the platform work success-fee-only — a percentage of the transaction, paid at close. You pay nothing until your business sells.
What size accounting & cpa businesses do the matched brokers work with?
Every broker on the platform specializes in Main Street sales — typically businesses with under $5M in annual revenue. If you're above that range we'll flag it and route you to the right lower-middle-market advisor.

Related industries

Adjacent verticals we cover

Same category, different deal dynamics — every page has its own live valuation tool and buyer intel.

Insurance Agency

2.5x–4x SDE

By state

Sell your accounting & cpa business in your state

Each state has its own tax, licensing, and buyer-network dynamics. Jump to your state for specifics.

Sell in Florida

Sell in Texas

Sell in California

Sell in North Carolina

Frequently asked

Accounting & CPA sale FAQ

How is my accounting firm valued?

The market prices in both revenue multiples and EBITDA multiples in parallel. Sub-$2M revenue firms trade at roughly 1.0–1.4x annual revenue (or 4–7x EBITDA). Firms above $2M with 70%+ recurring compliance revenue and a real advisory book trade at 1.4–1.8x revenue / 8–12x EBITDA. Vertical specialization, staff retention, and partner-succession bench are the biggest multiple drivers at every scale.

How long does it take to sell an accounting firm?

Plan on 6–10 months from initial outreach to close. PE-backed acquirers move quickly on well-prepared firms (60–90 days from LOI to close) but the up-front prep — cleaning up your KPI reporting, documenting your CAS/advisory revenue split, and getting your partner-succession story straight — is where 3–4 months of the timeline hides.

What drives higher multiples for accounting firms?

In order of impact: (1) recurring compliance revenue above 70%, (2) a real advisory / CAS practice contributing 20%+ of revenue, (3) at least one non-owner partner or senior manager on the succession track, (4) vertical or niche specialization, (5) low client concentration (top-10 clients under 25% of revenue), (6) a technology stack modern enough that a buyer platform can absorb you without a rip-and-replace.

Should I sell to a PE-backed platform or a regional firm?

PE-backed platforms (Ascend, Aprio, Springline) offer the highest headline multiples but require 3–5 year post-close commitments and structure with heavier earn-outs and equity rollover. Regional firms typically offer cleaner cash-at-close at slightly lower multiples. Partners planning to retire within 24 months are usually better served by a regional firm; partners with 5+ years of runway who want a second bite at the apple often prefer the PE platforms.

What kills an accounting-firm deal in diligence?

Three things dominate: (1) inability to disaggregate compliance, CAS, and advisory revenue in your financials — buyers can't price what you can't segment, (2) undisclosed staff departures during the process (turnover is a live-wire diligence item in the CPA-shortage environment), (3) a partner-owner who's on every material client relationship — that's inherited transition risk, not a firm to buy.

Accounting & CPA brokers

Full directory

Accounting & CPA valuation guide

How the category is priced

How to sell a accounting & cpa business

Step-by-step playbook

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