An investor exit value needs the valuation date beside it

The number comes from an earlier business position

The investor wants an exit payment based on a valuation prepared months ago. Since then, the company has lost a contract, paid a dividend or incurred further obligations. Establish the valuation date and assumptions before treating the old number as the agreed price. Later events need considered review, not an improvised adjustment chosen by whichever party benefits.

Find the scope of the valuation

Obtain the complete report and the instructions under which it was prepared. Identify the interest valued, the date, assumptions and limitations. A business-wide indication may not answer the value of the investor's particular holding. Ask the valuer and professional advisers what the report can appropriately be used for in the proposed transaction.

Check the agreed exit mechanism

Business.gov.au's contract guidance recommends clear terms and understanding the agreement before signing. Provide the shareholder and funding documents to the lawyer, including any valuation mechanism or date requirement. Do not assume a later management report automatically replaces the agreed method. The commercial discussion and the contractual process need to be considered together.

Source: business.gov.au: Prepare a contract

Prepare a factual bridge for review

List material changes after the valuation date with supporting records, keeping transactions separate from estimates. For example, identify an actual cash distribution rather than simply saying the business is worth less now. Give the bridge to the accountant and valuer. Do not deduct the same event twice if its effect is already reflected in another updated figure.

Keep price and funding separate

Even if the parties settle the valuation question, the proposed buyer still needs to assess funding and the company's obligations. Clarify who is buying and obtain advice on the transaction. A revised value does not prove that immediate payment is affordable, lawful or required. Avoid treating agreement on the number as approval of every step needed to complete the exit.

Use an explained current decision

Record the report relied on, its date, any agreed adjustment and the advisers' relevant conclusions. Keep unresolved assumptions visible. The aim is a price discussion that acknowledges the information's timing and purpose, rather than arguing over a number detached from the business position it was originally intended to describe.