Free resources / U.S. business owners
Business-sale proceeds worksheet
Separate the headline sale price from the money available at closing.
Use the worksheet ↓Your figures
Start with your numbers.
Replace the hypothetical example with your own figures. All amounts are U.S. dollars.
Use cash actually payable to you before the obligations below. Do not enter total enterprise value or include contingent payments.
Include only debt you must pay from that cash; do not subtract debt already deducted from the closing figure.
Legal, advisory and other costs you pay from closing cash, without double-counting amounts already deducted.
This tool does not calculate sale taxes. Use a transaction-specific estimate, including applicable federal and state taxes.
Your own planning target. This worksheet does not determine the amount needed to fund retirement.
Optional seller financing, earnout or retained equity. Shown separately; it is not cash available at closing and may not be realized.
Your illustration
What the numbers show
- Cash remaining after entered obligations
- $3,250,000
- Closing-cash shortfall
- $0
- Shortfall against your proceeds target
- $750,000
- Cash above your proceeds target
- $0
- Deferred or contingent value (excluded)
- $0
Future payments are not included in cash available today. A negative closing position also increases the amount needed to meet your target.
Find your specialist ↗Keep a copy for your CPA ↓Illustrative worksheet · USD
Reviewed September 22, 2026
What this estimate includes
Cash at closing less entered debt repayments, transaction costs and tax reserve. Deferred payments and retained equity are excluded from available cash. No valuation, tax rate, future return or retirement-income assumption is made. Asset and equity sales can have different consequences. The actual tax reserve must account for the transaction, basis, asset allocation and applicable taxes. Count each obligation only once. The worksheet does not assess the likelihood or present value of future payments.
IRS: sale of a business ↗Questions for your CPA
- How much is unconditional cash at closing?
- Which obligations are already deducted from the offer?
- What must happen for deferred payments to be received?
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Your PWG worksheet
PRESERVE WEALTH GROUP Business-sale proceeds worksheet Illustrative worksheet · USD · September 22, 2026 model YOUR INPUTS Cash paid at closing (USD): 5,000,000 Debt repaid from closing cash (USD): 500,000 Transaction costs (USD): 250,000 Tax reserve estimated by your CPA (USD): 1,000,000 Your net-proceeds target (USD): 4,000,000 Deferred or contingent value (USD): 0 RESULTS (rounded to nearest dollar) Cash remaining after entered obligations: $3,250,000 Closing-cash shortfall: $0 Shortfall against your proceeds target: $750,000 Cash above your proceeds target: $0 Deferred or contingent value (excluded): $0 Future payments are not included in cash available today. A negative closing position also increases the amount needed to meet your target. ASSUMPTIONS Cash at closing less entered debt repayments, transaction costs and tax reserve. Deferred payments and retained equity are excluded from available cash. No valuation, tax rate, future return or retirement-income assumption is made. Asset and equity sales can have different consequences. The actual tax reserve must account for the transaction, basis, asset allocation and applicable taxes. Count each obligation only once. The worksheet does not assess the likelihood or present value of future payments. QUESTIONS FOR YOUR CPA How much is unconditional cash at closing? Which obligations are already deducted from the offer? What must happen for deferred payments to be received? REFERENCE IRS: sale of a business: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/sale-of-a-business Find your specialist: https://preservewealthgroup.com/apply Educational illustration, not personalized financial or tax advice.