Business Liquidation Calculator: How Much Would You Actually Get?

When a business is wound down — whether voluntarily, through Chapter 7 bankruptcy, or through assignment for benefit of creditors — assets are typically sold at forced-sale prices dramatically lower than book value or going-concern value. This gap between what assets are worth on the balance sheet and what they yield in liquidation is the liquidation discount, and it can be 40-70% for most business asset types. Receivables sell for 60-85 cents on the dollar or less if aged. Inventory sells for 20-60% of cost depending on category and obsolescence. Equipment sells for 25-50% of book value at auction. Real estate may achieve 70-85% of market value in a forced sale. Intangibles — customer lists, software, brand value — typically yield little or nothing in an unorganised liquidation unless a strategic buyer is found. This calculator applies standard liquidation discount rates to each of your business asset categories, distributes the proceeds in legal priority order — secured creditors first, then priority unsecured, then general unsecured, then equity — and shows exactly what each class recovers. Critically, it shows what the business owner walks away with after all creditors are paid. For many small businesses, the answer is nothing. Updated 2026-03-06 · Samir Messaoudi.