Every practice has files where a market value is needed and no valuation exists. A client converted a home to a rental in 2017. A property moved into a trust at a friendly figure. An estate is being wound up eight years after the death. The return cannot be lodged without a number, and the number has to come from somewhere.
The ATO does not maintain a register of approved valuers. What it assesses is whether the value is objective and supportable, and it treats a valuation by a qualified professional valuer as more credible than an estimate from someone without those qualifications. Where a figure cannot be supported, section 284-90 of Schedule 1 to the Taxation Administration Act 1953 imposes shortfall penalties of 25 per cent for failure to take reasonable care, 50 per cent for recklessness and 75 per cent for intentional disregard. Interest applies on top, and general interest charge has not been deductible since 1 July 2025.
Instructing a professional valuer properly is the conduct that demonstrates reasonable care. It also moves the exposure off your file and onto a signed, independent report.
Firms that want to offer valuations under their own brand can use firm-branded ordering, set out below.
The Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026, enacted 26 June 2026, treats affected CGT assets as disposed of and reacquired at market value on 1 July 2027. Every client holding an investment, commercial, partly income-producing or pre-1985 property across that date has a split to work out, and a choice between a market valuation and the apportioning method under subsections 112-155(3) and 112-165(3).
For a working triage list, see the 1 July 2027 valuation checklist for accountants.
The property CGT calculator gives you a per-client starting point. Pick the market, the property type and the year the client bought, and it sets out the tax under both methods side by side.
Three practical consequences for a practice:
Practices that pull the list early can write to affected clients once, batch the orders, and treat it as a planned workflow rather than a scramble. Detail on the 1 July 2027 valuation page.
Three files to help you work through the client list. No sign-up.
The single most common cause of a report that does not fit the file is a valuation date that was never pinned down. What we need:
If a date looks difficult, for example a rural property in a thin market forty years ago, we say so before you commit, not after the report is delivered.
| Report | Fee (AUD inc. GST) | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Residential, current or retrospective | $297 | 24 to 48 hours |
| Commercial, current or retrospective | $595 | 24 to 48 hours |
Retrospective dates cost the same as current dates. Complex or unusual assets are quoted individually before any work starts.
The fee is not a dead cost to the client. A valuation obtained to establish a cost base element generally forms part of the cost base as an incidental cost, and where it is obtained in managing tax affairs it may instead be deductible. You will apply whichever treatment fits the matter.
Firm-branded ordering lets your practice offer property valuations under its own name. Your clients order CGT, retrospective, 1 July 2027 and SMSF valuations through an order page carrying your firm's brand. Each report is prepared and signed by an independent Certified Property Valuer.
The order page is not the only part that carries your firm. You can also tailor:
The details every valuation needs stay in each order: the property address, the valuation date and the purpose. Tell us what you want changed in the enquiry form below and we set it up with your page.
The ordering is branded. The report is not, and that is deliberate. A valuation's weight under review comes from an independent, qualified valuer putting their name to it, and from a fee that does not depend on the result. Your client receives a report that reads as what it is: an independent opinion your firm arranged.
We do not market to your clients. If a valuation is queried, you deal directly with the valuer who prepared it.
Tell us about your practice and we will set out the next steps.
Yes, and it is how most of our work arrives. Reports can be addressed to your firm, to the client, or to both, and billed to whichever you prefer. Firms that want their own brand on the order page can use firm-branded ordering. Our fee is fixed and never tied to the value, which is what keeps the report independent.
The ATO does not approve valuers or valuations in advance. It assesses whether the value is objective and supportable: an appropriate method, documented comparable sales from the relevant period, stated reasoning, and a qualified independent valuer. It treats a professional valuation as more credible than an estimate from someone without those qualifications.
The ATO does not rank valuations by whether the valuer inspected the property. Its guidance lists the date of inspection as something a report includes only if applicable, and looks at whether the value is objective, supported by evidence and prepared by a professional valuer. For a past date, an inspection today shows the property as it is now.
Yes. Send the addresses and dates in one order and each property is quoted at the standard fee. Bulk 1 July 2027 work is best staged across the year rather than lodged at once, so tell us your preferred sequence.
The report is signed by the valuer who prepared it and the reasoning is documented in it, so a query is answered from the report itself in most cases. Where more is needed, you are dealing directly with the person who did the work rather than a call centre.
The ordering is branded. The report is not. Clients order through a page carrying your firm's name, and the report is prepared and signed by the valuer in his own name. A report with no accountable valuer behind it would lose the independence that makes it credible to the ATO.
No. We do not market to your clients. Contact with a client is limited to what their order needs, such as confirming a property detail or the valuation date.
