What is EBITDA normalisation? ▾
EBITDA normalisation adjusts your reported profit for owner-specific costs (excess salary, personal vehicle, family wages above market) and one-off items (legal disputes, COVID costs). This reveals what the business truly earns under normal ownership — which is what a buyer actually pays for.
Can I upload my existing P&L? ▾
Yes — upload as PDF, Excel (.xlsx/.xls) or CSV and ValQ extracts the key figures automatically using AI. You can review and correct extracted figures before running the valuation.
What's the difference between EBITDA and SDE? ▾
SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings) adds back the owner's salary on top of normalised EBITDA. It's used for smaller businesses (typically under $2M earnings) where the owner is also the primary operator. EBITDA multiple is used for larger businesses with a management team in place.
Is this a substitute for a formal valuation? ▾
No. ValQ provides an indicative, data-driven estimate suitable for negotiation positioning, initial listing price guidance and due diligence preparation. For formal transactions, court proceedings or audit purposes, engage a qualified business valuator or CPA. In Australia, business valuators may be subject to APES 225 Valuation Services standards.
Can I use this for multiple businesses? ▾
Yes — the M&A Professional plan supports up to 10 companies with bulk export and API access, ideal for brokers and advisory firms managing multiple client valuations.