A contractual provision stating that the seller of a business is to obtain additional future consideration based on the business achieving certain future business goals. An earn-out is a mutually beneficial tool to getting a deal done if it is structured appropriately. Is maximizes the selling price for the seller and it matches the Company’s future earnings with the payments made to the Seller. An earn-out should not provide a financial “burden” on the Company, but should be structured as a sharing of the future earnings. (Earn-outs are prohibited by the SBA.)