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Which Property Valuation Do I Need? Desktop, On-Site or Retrospective

From $279 desktop · on-site from $646. All prices include GST. Your fixed price is confirmed before you proceed. Full pricing
Valuer-signed An independent valuation by a qualified valuer, prepared to be ATO-acceptable. Not "ATO-approved" - no such status exists.
Any past date A retrospective valuation assesses market value as at a past date - a date of death, the day a home became a rental, a separation date, or the end of 30 June 2027. Earlier is easier: evidence goes cold.

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The purpose decides, not the price of the property. A figure that someone else may test, such as the ATO, a court, the other party or an auditor on a related-party deal, usually calls for an on-site valuation with a full inspection. A figure for your own decision, or an SMSF’s yearly accounts, can usually be a desktop assessment. A value at a past date is a retrospective valuation: the valuer sets the inspection scope, and it is quoted separately.

Answer a few questions
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The short answer, by purpose
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This is what the questions above work out, for a house, unit or townhouse. Commercial, industrial and development property is quoted by a specialist, from $2,145.

What the figure is forWhat it usually calls forFrom
The 1 July 2027 CGT cost-base resetOn-site valuation as at the end of 30 June 2027$646
Another CGT figure, at today’s dateOn-site valuation$646
Another CGT figure, at a past dateRetrospective valuation, scoped by the valuerQuoted separately
A deceased estate (date of death)Retrospective valuation, scoped by the valuerQuoted separately
A separation or family law settlementOn-site valuation$646
A transfer between family members or trusts, or stamp dutyOn-site valuation$646
An SMSF transaction with a related partyOn-site valuation$646
An SMSF’s yearly accountsDesktop assessment, signed by a valuer$279
Market rent that a tenant or landlord may testOn-site valuation$646
Your own decision onlyDesktop assessment, signed by a valuer$279
A bank or lenderNot something to buy yourself: the lender orders its own–

A family law, transfer or SMSF figure at a past date is still an on-site valuation, quoted separately. All prices include GST. Your fixed price is confirmed for your property before you proceed.

Where the rule comes from. The Australian Property Institute’s Levels of Property Valuation Advice guide (26 August 2026) points a figure that someone else may test to a full inspection (Level 1). Under the API Rules, a desktop assessment is never a valuation compliant with the International Valuation Standards. The ATO asks for a value that is objective and supportable, and its guidance treats an inspection as needed where the valuation requires one. Desktop or on-site? explains the difference in full.

Can I use a desktop assessment for CGT?
For a CGT figure the Australian Property Institute’s guide points to a full inspection, because the ATO may test the number years later, so this chooser suggests an on-site valuation. A desktop assessment is signed by a valuer but involves no inspection, and it gives an indicative value.
What about a date in the past?
A retrospective valuation. An inspection today shows the property as it is now rather than as it was then, so the valuer decides the inspection scope for that date and records why. It is quoted separately, and it gets harder the further back the date.
Do I need a valuation for the 1 July 2027 reset?
It is optional: the Treasurer’s apportioning method is the free alternative. If you choose a valuation, it is as at the end of 30 June 2027 and can only be finalised after that date. Your accountant can say which suits your property.
Does an SMSF need a new valuation every year?
Funds report assets at market value each year, but an external valuation isn’t required every year: the ATO accepts a previous independent valuation supported by current evidence, until it becomes materially inaccurate or the value changes significantly.
Is this advice?
No. It is general information about which level of valuation a purpose usually calls for. It is not a valuation, or tax, legal or financial advice. Your accountant, lawyer or the fund’s auditor can confirm what your situation needs.

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