Who you will need for tax, legal and finance, and when.
Before a sale you will need people for tax, legal and finance. This page tells you who they are and when to bring them in; it does not give tax, legal or financial advice.
Part of the Reads Pre-Sale Programme.
Why these people need to be in place early.
The structure of a sale settles things that are hard to change afterwards: how much tax you pay, what warranties you give, and how much of the price is deferred. Bringing your advisers in by heads of terms, rather than halfway through due diligence, leaves more room to get those things right.
Business Asset Disposal Relief shows why timing matters. The rate is 18% for disposals from Mon 6th Apr 2026, up from 14%, with a lifetime limit of £1m, and the completion date decides which rate applies. Whether it applies to you is a question for your tax adviser.
Who you will need.
Your accountant
From the start of the programme, for the accounts a buyer will read and the figures behind any adjusted profit. Financial preparation works alongside your accountant, not instead of them.
A tax adviser
A year or more before a sale, to look at how the sale is structured, Business Asset Disposal Relief and your wider personal position.
A corporate solicitor
By the time heads of terms are agreed, for the sale agreement, warranties and indemnities, the disclosure letter and how TUPE applies to your engineers. Ideally one who handles company sales regularly.
Funding for the buyer
If a buyer needs acquisition finance to complete, a management team for example, Reads Commercial Finance handles it.
Who to talk to first.
Start with your own accountant, who already knows the business. If you do not yet have a tax adviser or a corporate solicitor, ask Simon when you speak and he can tell you what kind of adviser to look for. The choice is yours, and the advice comes from them.
When each one comes in.
Your accountant from the start, a tax adviser a year or more out, a solicitor by heads of terms, and funding whenever a buyer needs it.
See every stage of the programme · Next: Selling your business
Ask us who to bring in first.
We can point to where your sale is likely to need specialist help, so you can brief the right people early.