Marblemont Lenders, a small-business funding service in Sherman, Texas, explains buying a tax or CPA practice: what drives the cost, how a buyer tests revenue and retention, questions to answer before signing, acquisition financing and earn-outs, with Grayson County accounting counts from the Census Bureau.
How Much Does It Cost to Buy a CPA Firm? How It Plays Out in Sherman, TX
No price can be given here; it depends on recurring revenue and how much of it stays. A practice built on monthly bookkeeping and payroll clients has revenue every month; one built on individual returns earns around deadlines. Buyers weigh fee levels, the client mix, the work the seller does personally and whether staff stay.
How to Buy a CPA Practice, With Grayson County, TX Numbers
Grayson County had 56 accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll employers in 2023, and 80.4% had fewer than five employees (County Business Patterns); 21 were offices of CPAs. Nonemployer Statistics, a separate program, counted 165 accounting businesses without paid employees in 2024. Practices that small are often one practitioner's client list, so the seller's role in the transition can matter as much as the price.
Accounting Practice Questions a Buyer Should Answer in Grayson County, TX
- What share of revenue recurs every month, and what share is deadline-driven returns work?
- How many clients make up half of the revenue?
- Which engagements does the seller handle personally?
- Will the staff stay, and on what terms?
- What software and data come with the practice, and do licenses transfer?
CPA Firm Acquisition Financing, Explained for Grayson County, TX
The purchase suits a term loan, often alongside a seller note and an earn-out tied to retention. A partner reads the practice's collections, the client concentration, the buyer's own practice and credit, and the transition terms. A line of credit set up before closing can carry payroll through the first slow months under the new owner.
Illustration only, invented figures: a buyer pays $240,000 for a tax and bookkeeping practice with $200,000 in annual collections. The seller carries $40,000 and $50,000 is an earn-out paid only if 85% of clients renew in year one. The buyer brings $30,000, so the term loan request is $120,000 ($240,000 - $40,000 - $50,000 - $30,000).
Engagement letters and client introductions
Clients do not transfer by contract alone. A seller who writes to clients introducing the buyer, attends early meetings and stays available through the first filing deadline under the new owner keeps more of them. Ask for engagement letters with each client, check which ones can be assigned, and agree how and when clients will be told.
The first filing deadline under a new owner
The first deadline after closing is when retention shows. Plan staffing for it before closing, keep the seller involved, and budget payroll through the slower months that follow, when the loan payment continues and new billing slows. That is the stretch an operating line of credit covers.
Fee levels and the price
A practice charging below what the buyer charges can be repriced over time, but raising fees right after a sale risks losing clients before they know the new owner. Model the first two years at the seller's fees, and treat any increase as upside rather than as the basis for the loan.
Notes on CPA Firm Financing for Sherman, TX Owners
Check the first year's payment against a cautious estimate of collections, not the seller's strongest year. If retention slips 10%, collections in the example fall to $180,000, and the payment should still fit. The accounting firm page covers operating funding for firms, county figures are on the Sherman, TX page, and more articles are on the blog.
By Marblemont Lenders · Updated
