SDE VS. EBITDA · LIVE RECONCILIATION
Same company. Two buyer assumptions.
SDE assumes one buyer-owner takes over the seller's work. Adjusted EBITDA preserves the cost of management a buyer still needs. Enter one set of numbers and see both without mixing their multiples.
Compare my SDE and EBITDAMetric reported across the first three Market Pulse bands
Metric reported across the next two Market Pulse bands
Buyer type and operating structure still decide the metric
ONE P&L · TWO BUYER ASSUMPTIONS
See exactly why SDE and EBITDA differ.
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WORKED EXAMPLE
The manager cost explains the gap.
Both measures start from the same period and documented adjustments. The assumptions diverge only where the buyer must decide who performs the owner's work.
Net income plus interest, income taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
Adds owner compensation and documented net adjustments.
The continuing annual cost of the owner's operating role.
Transferable earnings after preserving required management.
Q2 2026 REPORTED TRANSACTIONS
The market changes metrics as deal size changes.
This table reproduces the source's earnings-metric segmentation. It does not convert an SDE multiple into EBITDA or claim that every company changes method at exactly $2 million.
THREE DECISION RULES
Choose the buyer assumption before the multiple.
Who performs the owner's work?
If one buyer-owner takes over, SDE can show their total benefit. If a management role remains, its market cost belongs in EBITDA.
Is every adjustment supportable?
Owner compensation, one-time costs, personal expenses, and unusual income must tie to one consistent period and survive diligence.
Does the evidence match the metric?
Apply SDE only to SDE multiples and EBITDA only to EBITDA multiples. Their different bases make the headline multiples incomparable by themselves.
NEXT · COMPANY-SPECIFIC VALUE
Carry the right earnings number into the valuation.
The calculator above stores the selected amount only in this browser, then asks for industry and revenue inside your private account.
COMMON QUESTIONS
SDE and EBITDA without the shortcut myths.
What is the main difference between SDE and EBITDA?
SDE measures the financial benefit available to one working owner. Adjusted EBITDA measures transferable operating earnings after preserving the market-rate management cost a buyer still needs. In the side-by-side reconciliation, replacement-management compensation is the visible difference between the two results.
Should I use SDE or EBITDA to value my business?
Use SDE when the likely buyer will work in the business and replace one owner’s operating role. Use adjusted EBITDA when the company is management-run or a buyer must keep paying someone to perform that role. Company size is useful market evidence, but operating structure and buyer type determine the earnings definition.
Is there a revenue or earnings cutoff for switching from SDE to EBITDA?
There is no universal cutoff. The Q2 2026 IBBA and M&A Source Market Pulse reports SDE for transactions below $2 million of business value and EBITDA for the $2 million to $50 million bands. Those are reported market segments, not a rule that overrides how one company operates.
Can I add all owner compensation back to EBITDA?
Not when the buyer still needs the work performed. Adjusted EBITDA can add back owner compensation already in expenses, but it should also subtract market-rate replacement-management compensation. If the owner is underpaid, that normalization can reduce EBITDA.
Why can SDE and EBITDA multiples not be compared directly?
They capitalize different earnings bases and describe different buyer universes. A lower SDE multiple can still imply a similar or higher value if SDE includes owner compensation that EBITDA properly excludes. Compare the resulting enterprise-value evidence, not the multiple labels alone.