Earnout

外汇网2021-06-19 15:58:47 133

A contractual provision stating that the seller of a business is to obtain additional future compensation based on the business achieving certain future financial goals.

The financial goals are usually stated as a percentage of gross sales or earnings.

Say an entrepneur selling a business is asking $2,000,000 based on projected earnings, but the buyer is willing to pay only $1,000,000 based on historical performance. An earnout provision structures the deal so that the entrepneur receives more than the buyer's offer only if the business achieves a certain level of earnings. The exact numbers would depend upon the business, but in this example a simplified provision might set the purchase price at $1,000,000 plus 5% of gross sales over the next three years. The earnout thereby helps eliminate uncertainty for the buyer.

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