What's the typical multiple for a accounting & cpa business sold in New York?

Baseline multiples are set nationally by industry, not state — SDE 1.5x–2.75x and EBITDA 3.5x–6.5x for well-run accounting & cpa businesses. New York's tax posture and buyer capacity shift NET proceeds but not the headline multiple.

Do I need a New York-licensed broker to sell my accounting & cpa business?

New York requires business brokers to hold an active real estate broker's license. Verify the license number on the state real estate commission's public roster before signing.

Accounting & CPA · New York

Sell My Accounting & CPA Business in New York

Selling a accounting & CPA business in New York sits at a less-concentrated intersection than the biggest Sun Belt or Southeast accounting & CPA markets — but 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. Even in secondary markets, well-prepared accounting & CPA operators in New York find buyers, particularly when brokers can reach out-of-state acquirers.

Combined with New York's state-specific factors — graduated state income tax plus nyc surcharges; effective top rate can exceed 14% for nyc residents. and real estate license required — the accounting & CPA exit path in New York has three variables you control: prep quality, broker choice, and process structure. Owners who prepare 12–18 months in advance and run a real multi-bidder process (rather than accepting the first proactive offer) consistently see materially higher outcomes.

4 brokers serve Accounting & CPA deals in New York, including 4 headquartered in the state. Each holds a CBI credential from IBBA and an active New York real estate license (required by state law), works success-fee-only, and has closed accounting & cpa transactions in the last 24 months.

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Prep priorities

Prep your accounting & cpa business before you go to market

Accounting & CPA businesses that show up well-prepped consistently trade at 20–40% higher multiples. These are the moves that matter most — same nationwide, but the ones New York buyers scrutinize most closely too.

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.

New York-specific

Selling in New York: tax, licensing, timing

Tax posture

Graduated state income tax plus NYC surcharges; effective top rate can exceed 14% for NYC residents.

Broker licensing

New York requires business brokers to hold an active real estate broker's license — verify before signing any engagement.

Market context

New York state's Main Street market is bifurcated between the NYC metro (dense, competitive, professional-services-heavy) and upstate (traditional trades and manufacturing, less institutional buyer competition). The state's tax burden makes multi-year residency and structure planning materially valuable before sale. Business brokers must hold an active New York real estate license.

More resources for accounting & cpa × New York

Sell any accounting & cpa business

National owner guide

Sell any business in New York

New York-specific tax + licensing

Accounting & CPA brokers in New York

Full directory + credentials

How to sell a accounting & cpa business

Step-by-step playbook

Common accounting & cpa sale questions in New York

What's the typical multiple for a accounting & cpa business sold in New York?
Baseline multiples are set nationally by industry, not state — SDE 1.5x–2.75x and EBITDA 3.5x–6.5x for well-run accounting & cpa businesses. New York's tax posture and buyer capacity shift NET proceeds but not the headline multiple.
Do I need a New York-licensed broker to sell my accounting & cpa business?
New York requires business brokers to hold an active real estate broker's license. Verify the license number on the state real estate commission's public roster before signing.

Accounting & CPA in nearby states

Same industry, Northeast region

Adjacent industries in New York

Same category, different deal dynamics

Insurance Agency in New York

Frequently asked

Accounting & CPA sale in New York — FAQ

How is my accounting & CPA business valued in New York?

New York accounting & CPA businesses trade in the same base multiple range as national comps — 1.5x to 2.75x SDE below roughly $1M in SDE, transitioning to 3.5x to 6.5x EBITDA above. Where you land in the range depends on business quality (recurring revenue, management depth, financial hygiene) rather than geography — but New York's deep SBA lending network keeps the low end of the range accessible to more buyers.

How long will it take to sell my accounting & CPA business in New York?

From engaging a broker to closing, plan on 6–9 months for a Main Street accounting & CPA sale in New York. Signed LOI to close is typically 90–120 days. SBA-financed buyers add 60–90 days versus institutional acquirers. If your accounting & CPA business is under-prepped — cash-basis books, high owner dependence, high customer concentration — expect the process to run longer or the offer to be discounted.

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.

Should I use a accounting & CPA specialist broker or a generalist in New York?

Specialists win. accounting & CPA has industry-specific buyer networks and diligence patterns that generalists don't know intimately — from Ascend Partner Firms (Alpine Investors) and Aprio (Charlesbank Capital Partners) on the buyer side to the specific operating metrics buyers underwrite (recurring compliance revenue percentage, in particular). Every broker on this platform matched to your request specializes in accounting & CPA deals AND serves New York.

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