For owners selling the business
Every dollar of exit planning has to happen before you sign.
Once the deal is signed, your options collapse to filing. QSBS, deal structure, charitable vehicles, and installment treatment are all decided in the weeks before closing, not after.
What we usually find
- A sale headed to closing with no pre-sale tax planning at all
- QSBS position never analyzed or documented
- Asset versus stock treatment decided for the buyer's convenience
- Earnouts structured with no thought to when the tax lands
The moves that matter
Document the QSBS position
If it qualifies, this is the single largest lever in the code. It has to be proven, not assumed.
Structure before signature
Deal form, allocation, and earnout timing change the tax by seven figures on a mid-size exit.
Set up vehicles early
Charitable and trust structures only work if they exist before the letter of intent is binding.
Estimator
An owner like this overpays about $125,000 a year
That is the example below: a $4M business paying $520,000 in total tax. Replace it with your own numbers and the range updates instantly.
Likely annual range
$104,000 to $146,000
That is 20 to 28% of what you paid, the band Brian typically works within for owners at this level. The only way to know your number is to have the return and structure reviewed.
Estimate only. Not tax advice and not a guarantee of results.
Not ready for a paid consult? Start with the curriculum: forty-eight courses across eight tracks, taught by Brian.
Most business owner selling the businesss start with the Tax Impact Audit.
$2,500 one-time. Full review of returns and structure, with dollar-sized opportunities.