Questions, answered

Any private company issuing stock options is required to get one. This includes most startups that grant options as part of employee compensation — a 409A sets the strike price those options are granted at.

A 409A is generally valid for 12 months, or until a material event — a new financing round, a material change in revenue, an acquisition, or a new partnership — makes it stale sooner.

If the IRS determines your valuation doesn't meet the safe-harbor standard, the shares you granted at that price can become subject to immediate income tax, plus penalties. A defensible, well-documented 409A is what protects your option holders from that outcome.

Most companies see a first draft in 3–5 business days from when we have the information we need. Complex cap tables or multi-entity structures can take a little longer.

No. We work with whatever cap table platform you're already on — you send us the details we need, and we handle the rest.

Depending on your stage and available data, we apply the market, income, or asset approach to determine enterprise value, then allocate to common stock using OPM, PWERM, or a hybrid method, and apply a discount for lack of marketability (DLOM).

Your annual 409A, ongoing monitoring for the events that trigger a refresh, a dedicated valuation expert as your point of contact, and a board- and auditor-ready reporting package — all on one managed calendar.

A standalone 409A is a single report. Managed Services adds ongoing oversight — we track your cap table for material events, keep your renewal on schedule, and stay reachable when your board or auditor has a question.

Yes. Many companies start with a single 409A and move to Managed Services once they're granting options more frequently or approaching a material event.

Your dedicated valuation expert does, working from the cap table and company updates you share with us — a new financing, a material change in revenue, or an acquisition all trigger a review.

Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) status under IRC Section 1202 can let founders and early investors exclude some or all of their gain when they sell qualifying shares. An attestation letter documents that your company met the relevant tests at the time the stock was issued, so you have a record ready when it matters.

As early as possible — ideally alongside the 409A closest to when the stock was issued, while the company's financial position at that date is easiest to document.

No attestation can guarantee a future tax outcome, which depends on your own holding period and facts at the time of sale. What it gives you is a director-reviewed, contemporaneous record that your company met the relevant tests — the documentation your tax advisor will want when you claim the exclusion.

Business valuations, gift & estate tax valuations, portfolio valuations, intangible asset valuations, tax & regulatory valuations, fairness opinions, alternative investment fund valuations, impairment testing, ESOP valuations, and financial due diligence reports — see the Products page for details on each.

Yes. Beyond 409As, we prepare business valuations, fairness opinions, and purchase price allocations that come up during a financing, acquisition, or sale process.

Each report is scoped to the complexity of the underlying asset, entity, or transaction. Tell us what you need on the Get Started page and we'll follow up with a quote.