How to Sell a CPA or Accounting Firm in Florida (2026 Guide)

Florida's accounting profession is getting older faster than it is getting replaced. A large share of the state's firm owners are in their late fifties and sixties, the pipeline of young CPAs willing to buy into a partnership has thinned, and at the same time private equity has discovered that recurring tax and advisory fees look a lot like a subscription business. The result is the most active market for CPA firm sales Florida has ever seen. If you own a practice in Tampa, Orlando, Naples, or anywhere in between, that is good news — but only if you understand how these deals are actually priced and structured before you take the first call. This guide covers how Florida CPA and accounting firms are valued in 2026, who is buying, how Florida's ownership rules shape the deal, and what to fix before you go to market. ## Who Is Buying Florida Accounting Firms in 2026 The buyer universe for an accounting practice is much wider than it was ten years ago. Each buyer type values your firm differently, so knowing who is across the table matters as much as the number itself. - **Private equity-backed platforms** — Since 2021, PE investors have backed dozens of national and regional accounting platforms. They buy firms with strong recurring fees and a bench of managers, and they increasingly target the Southeast because of population and business growth. They typically pay more than any other buyer, but they expect partners to stay on for several years and often pay part of the price in rollover equity. - **Regional and super-regional CPA firms** — Established firms use acquisitions to enter a new Florida market or add a niche such as construction, healthcare, or high-net-worth tax. They often absorb your staff and clients into their systems. - **Local firms and individual CPAs** — The traditional buyer for smaller practices. Pricing is usually tied to retained client fees and paid over time. - **Wealth management and RIA firms** — Some advisory firms buy tax practices to deepen client relationships. These deals carry extra regulatory considerations and fit firms with a heavy individual tax book. A Florida practice with $1M in fees and a sole owner draws a very different crowd than a $6M multi-partner firm with audit, tax, and advisory lines. Positioning your firm to the right buyer group is the single biggest driver of the final price. ## How CPA Firms Are Valued in Florida Small accounting practices have historically traded on a multiple of annual fees. Larger firms — especially those attractive to PE — are priced on EBITDA, the same way buyers price any other professional services company. Where your firm lands depends on size, service mix, and how dependent the client base is on you personally.

Firm Profile	Typical Pricing Basis	Typical Range	Common Structure
Sole practitioner, under $1M fees	Multiple of annual fees	0.7x – 1.2x fees	Paid over 2–5 years, tied to client retention
Small multi-staff firm, $1M–$3M fees	Fees or SDE	0.9x – 1.4x fees	Cash at close plus retention-based payments
Established firm, $3M–$10M fees	EBITDA	5x – 9x EBITDA	Majority cash, partner employment agreements
Platform-grade firm, $10M+ fees	EBITDA	8x – 12x+ EBITDA	Cash plus rollover equity in the buyer platform

These are general market ranges, not a quote. Two firms with identical revenue can land at opposite ends of a band. The factors that push a firm toward the top: - **Recurring revenue** — Monthly bookkeeping, outsourced CFO, payroll, and annual tax compliance clients who come back every year are worth far more than one-off engagements. - **Fee realization and pricing** — Firms that have moved to value pricing or fixed-fee packages, and that bill at or near standard rates, show buyers that clients pay for quality, not discounts. - **Client concentration** — If your top ten clients represent more than 30 to 40 percent of fees, expect buyers to discount the price or push more of it into retention-based payments. - **Staff depth** — A firm where managers and seniors handle client relationships is transferable. A firm where every client calls the owner is not. - **Technology** — Cloud-based workflow, document management, and practice software make integration easier and reduce the buyer's risk. - **Niche expertise** — Industry specialization, such as construction, dental, real estate, or nonprofit audit, commands a premium because it is hard to build from scratch. ## Florida-Specific Rules That Shape the Deal Selling an accounting firm is not like selling a landscaping company. Florida's licensing and ownership requirements directly affect who can buy your firm and how the transaction is built. ### CPA Ownership Requirements Under Chapter 473 of the Florida Statutes, a licensed CPA firm in Florida must have a simple majority of its ownership held by licensed CPAs. That rule is the main reason PE investors cannot simply buy a Florida CPA firm outright. Instead, most PE deals use what is called an alternative practice structure: the firm splits into an attest entity, owned by CPAs, that performs audits and other attest work, and a separate services company, which the investor can own, that handles tax, advisory, and back-office functions. The two entities are tied together by an administrative services agreement. If your firm does audit or review work, this structure will be part of any PE conversation. It works, but it adds legal complexity, and it requires independence safeguards. Your attorney and your advisor should be involved early, not at the letter of intent stage. ### Florida Board of Accountancy and Firm Licensing The buyer's firm must hold an active Florida firm license, and changes in ownership or firm name can trigger filing requirements with the Florida Board of Accountancy. Confirm the current requirements with counsel before you announce anything to clients. ### Taxes on the Sale Florida has no state personal income tax, so a Florida resident selling a firm pays federal tax only on the gain. How the price is allocated matters a great deal. Goodwill and client relationships allocated to the seller generally receive capital gains treatment, while consulting or employment payments after closing are taxed as ordinary income. Buyers often prefer to shift value into post-closing compensation; sellers usually prefer the opposite. This allocation is one of the most negotiated points in an accounting firm sale, and it should be modeled before you sign an LOI. ## Deal Structures You Will See Most accounting firm owners are surprised that a headline price is rarely paid in full at closing. Understanding the common structures helps you compare offers on an apples-to-apples basis. - **Retention-based payments** — Common in smaller practice sales. The buyer pays a percentage of fees actually collected from your clients over two to five years. If clients leave, the price goes down. The definition of a retained client is critical, so negotiate it carefully. - **Cash at closing with a clawback** — The buyer pays more up front but can reclaim part of the price if fee retention falls below an agreed threshold in the first year or two. - **Rollover equity** — In PE deals, sellers often reinvest 10 to 40 percent of their proceeds into the platform. If the platform sells again in four to six years, that equity can be worth more than the original cash. It can also be worth less. Treat it as an investment decision, not a bonus. - **Employment and transition agreements** — Nearly every buyer wants the selling owner to stay through at least one or two tax seasons to introduce clients and transfer relationships. Compensation, title, workload, and the end date should all be in writing. - **Seller financing** — Common when a local CPA or employee is buying, especially if SBA financing is part of the picture. SBA lenders generally require the seller note to be subordinated. ## Preparing Your Firm for Sale The firms that sell for the most are the ones whose owners started preparing 18 to 36 months before going to market. Here is where to focus. ### Reduce Owner Dependence Start shifting client relationships to managers now. Have staff lead meetings, sign engagement letters under firm processes, and become the first point of contact. Buyers pay for clients who are loyal to the firm, not to you. ### Clean Up Engagement Letters and Pricing Every recurring client should have a current, signed engagement letter. Raise fees for underpriced clients before the sale, not after; a buyer will value your book on what clients actually pay today. Consider letting go of the low-fee, high-effort clients that drag down realization. ### Document Your Workflow Written processes for tax preparation, review, quality control, and client onboarding make your firm easier to integrate. If you run a peer-reviewed practice, have your most recent peer review report ready. ### Know Your Numbers Prepare three years of financials, a fee schedule by client and service line, realization and utilization reports, and accounts receivable aging. Normalize owner compensation so buyers can see the firm's true profitability. CPAs are often the worst at preparing their own firm for sale — not for lack of skill, but because there is never time during busy season. ### Time the Market Around Tax Season Most accounting firm sales are timed to close after April 15 or after the October extension deadline. That gives the buyer a full cycle to transition clients before the next busy season and avoids disrupting your staff during peak workload. Working backward, that means starting the process six to nine months before your target closing date. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How much is my CPA firm worth in Florida? Small Florida practices typically sell for roughly 0.7x to 1.4x annual recurring fees, while larger firms are priced on EBITDA, commonly 5x to 12x depending on size and quality. The biggest variables are recurring revenue, owner dependence, client concentration, and staff depth. A formal valuation is the only way to get a defensible number for your firm. ### Can private equity buy my Florida CPA firm? Not directly, if your firm performs attest work. Florida requires CPAs to hold a majority of a licensed CPA firm's ownership, so PE deals typically use an alternative practice structure that separates attest work from tax and advisory services. Firms without attest services have more flexibility, but the structure still needs careful legal review. ### How long does it take to sell an accounting firm? Most accounting firm sales take six to twelve months from preparation to closing, and larger PE transactions can take longer because of quality of earnings work and legal structuring. Timing the closing around tax season usually adds a few months but protects client retention. ### Will my clients and staff find out before the sale closes? Not if the process is run correctly. A confidential sale uses blind marketing materials, signed NDAs from every buyer, and controlled disclosure. Clients and staff are typically told only after terms are agreed, with a joint transition plan from you and the buyer. ### Do I have to keep working after I sell? Almost always, at least for a transition period. Most buyers ask the selling owner to stay through one or two tax seasons. In PE deals, partners often sign multi-year employment agreements. The length and terms are negotiable and should be settled before the LOI is signed. ## Talk to a Florida Advisor Before You Talk to Buyers Unsolicited offers for Florida accounting firms are arriving more often than ever, and many owners are tempted to negotiate directly with the first buyer who calls. That is usually when the most value gets left on the table — in the retention terms, the price allocation, or the employment agreement, not just the headline number. A competitive process with multiple qualified buyers changes all of that. CBH Business Group advises Florida business owners through exits in Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Naples, Sarasota, Palm Beach, and across Central Florida, focusing on companies with $3M to $50M in revenue, including professional services firms. CBH was named among the Top 50 Brokers in Florida for 2024 and 2025 and was the #1 Top Dollar Producer in Central Florida in 2025. Start with a free valuation at https://cbhbusinessgroup.com/valuation-calculator to see where your firm stands. If you want to talk confidentially about your timeline, your buyer options, or how a PE structure would work for your practice, book time with Jesse Hastings at https://calendly.com/jesse-cbhadvisory or call (407) 908-3845.