Tax Implications of Selling a Business: Strategies for Maximizing After-Tax Profits

From capital gains to depreciation recapture—get the insights you need to structure a tax-efficient transaction

Selling a business is a major financial event that brings a host of tax considerations—often with high-dollar consequences. Whether a transaction is structured as an asset sale or a stock sale, each approach has distinct tax impacts for both buyers and sellers. Understanding these implications is crucial to minimize tax liability, avoiding surprises, and achieve the most favorable outcomes for all parties involved.

This session by tax attorney, Nicholas Preusch, provides an in-depth exploration of how business sales are taxed under U.S. law. Participants will learn the tax treatment of various deal structures, including asset vs. equity transactions, and the resulting implications for capital gains, depreciation recapture, and ordinary income. The course also covers planning techniques such as installment sales, earnouts, and other deferral strategies to help manage tax burdens over time.

Additional focus is given to merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, including tax-efficient transaction structuring, due diligence pitfalls, and post-sale planning. With practical case studies and real-world examples, this course equips professionals to provide sound tax guidance to clients or stakeholders navigating a business exit.

Webinar Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Differentiate between asset sales and stock sales and explain their respective tax consequences.
• Evaluate the impact of capital gains taxes, depreciation recapture, and ordinary income treatment.
• Utilize installment sales, earnouts, and other strategies for deferring tax liability.
• Identify key tax planning considerations in mergers and acquisitions.
• Advise clients on how to structure business sales to achieve optimal after-tax results.

Webinar Highlights

• Understanding Deal Structures: Differences between asset sales and stock sales and their tax consequences.
• Tax Treatment of Business Sales: Insights into capital gains taxes, depreciation recapture, and ordinary income implications.
• Tax Deferral Strategies: Using installment sales, earnouts, and other methods to manage tax burdens.
• M&A Tax Considerations: Key tax planning strategies, due diligence pitfalls, and post-sale tax planning.
• Real-World Applications: Case studies and practical examples to navigate tax-efficient business sales.

Who Should Attend

• Business Owners Planning an Exit
• CFOs / CEOs
• Tax Professionals & CPAs
• M&A Advisors & Legal Professionals
• Financial Planners & Wealth Managers
• Tax Attorneys

Credit(s)

IRS CPE Credits: 1 Tax hour