Transactions · Australian business guide

Buying or Selling a Business

Choose share sale or asset sale, investigate the target, allocate liabilities and make completion mechanics work in the real world.

At a glance

  1. 01

    Choose the deal perimeter

    Decide whether shares, assets, contracts, employees and IP are transferring.

  2. 02

    Run due diligence

    Verify ownership, liabilities, registrations, disputes and change-of-control risks.

  3. 03

    Control completion

    Coordinate conditions, consents, adjustments, releases and handover.

Selected reading

Understand the issue before deciding what to do next

Start with these articles for the key rules, then check the official sources before you act.

Share sale vs asset saleQuestions before buying

Primary sources

Source links checked 20 July 2026. Confirm the current rule before acting.

Need help putting this into practice?

Put the right documents and advice behind your decision

This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. The right path depends on the entity, documents and commercial facts.