Business Valuation in Virginia Divorce
Where a Northern Virginia marital estate contains a business interest, valuation becomes the centre of the case. Va. Code 20-107.3 requires the court to determine value before it can distribute, and in this region the business is frequently a government contractor whose worth depends on contract vehicles and cleared personnel rather than on tangible assets. Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. handles these disputes. Call (888) 437-7747.
What Makes a Contractor Different
A contracting business may hold most of its value in things that resist conventional valuation: contract vehicles and their remaining periods of performance, past performance qualifications, small business or set-aside status, and a workforce holding clearances. Several of those are not transferable in the ordinary sense, and whether they survive a change of ownership is a question the appraisal has to address rather than assume.
Classification Before Valuation
A business founded before the marriage is separate in origin, but where marital effort or marital funds increased its value during the marriage, the increase creates a hybrid interest under Va. Code 20-107.3. Establishing value at the date of marriage, and what caused the growth since, is therefore as important as establishing value today, and the records supporting it are often incomplete.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I have to sell my business?
Usually not. The common structure is that the owning spouse retains the interest and the other receives offsetting value from elsewhere in the estate or a payment over time. A forced sale is a remedy of last resort.
Is a company I started before the marriage safe?
The entity is separate in origin, but growth in its value attributable to marital effort or marital funds creates a hybrid interest under Va. Code 20-107.3. Documentation of value at the date of marriage is what protects the separate portion.
How is a government contractor valued?
By an appraiser who addresses what actually carries the value, including contract vehicles and their remaining performance periods, past performance qualifications, set-aside status and cleared personnel, and whether those survive a change of ownership.
About Mr. Sris
Mr. Sris, Owner and Founder of Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C., has practiced since 1997. He is a former prosecutor, and that experience shapes how he builds a documentary record. He is admitted in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, and New York. His background at George Mason University in accounting and information systems applies to complex financial cases, which is where a contested Virginia divorce usually turns. Mr. Sris testified before the Virginia House Courts of Justice Committee in support of 2019 HB 635 (chief patron Del. David Bulova). Mr. Sris and the firm’s Of Counsel attorneys handle Virginia matters together.
Speak With Mr. Sris
Request a consultation. Reach our location at (888) 437-7747. Bring tax returns, statements for every account, any agreement signed before or during the marriage, entity documents for any business interest, and a short written timeline. That material lets the first conversation move past intake and into the questions that decide the case.
Last updated: August 25, 2026
This page provides general information about Virginia family law and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Case results depend on a variety of factors unique to each case. Results may vary.
Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C., principal office: 4008 Williamsburg Court, Fairfax, VA 22032. By appointment. Call (888) 437-7747 to schedule.
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