Chief financial officer services · Finance director · fractional, interim, part-time, permanent

CFO Services · fractional, interim, part-time and permanent

CFO services come in four shapes: fractional, interim, part-time and permanent.

The CFO owns the numbers the board decides against: cash, capital, forecast and the finance function that produces them.

This hub sets out what the seat covers, which shape fits which situation, and what the market publishes on rates.

Each route has its own page; every brief gets a shortlist of 3–5 with rate, availability and IR35 position set out.

Submit a brief → →

How a brief runswhat we undertake

01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief

Shortlist3–5

£700–£1,400

Fractional day rate · FD Capital 2026

£650–£1,500

Interim day rate · FD Capital 2026

£132,500–£220,500

Permanent salary · Robert Half 2026

15 minutes · video or phone

Book 15 minutes to hire a CFO

Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with CFO Services candidates, their day rates and availability.

0115 minutes, video or phone
02We scope the role and the days a week
03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs

Prefer email? Use the booking page →

Pick a day that suits · live availability

Open the booking calendar →

01/ the role

What CFO services cover

The CFO owns the numbers the board decides against: cash, capital, forecast and the finance function that produces them.

In scope: the cash forecast and runway model the board actually decides against; fundraising, debt facilities and lender or investor relationships; unit economics, pricing and margin by product and channel; board and investor reporting that survives scrutiny; controls, audit readiness and the shape of the finance team.

Bookkeeping, payroll, VAT returns and statutory accounts preparation sit with your bookkeeper or accountant.

A CFO absorbed into that work has been mis-scoped and is the most expensive way to buy it.

What the seat does day to day is set out in the CFO role explained; executives looking for this work can see current CFO roles; the full cost picture is on the CFO cost guide.

02/ scope

Four ways to buy the CFO seat

Fractional CFO services

A fractional CFO holds the CFO seat on a standing weekly commitment, usually alongside a small number of other clients, and owns outcomes rather than hours.

A fractional CFO holds the seat on a standing weekly commitment, attends the board, owns the forecast and leads any raise, while your bookkeeper keeps the ledger.

It suits a business that needs CFO judgement every week but not CFO hours every day.

Fractional CFO services sets out the scope, the rates and how we shortlist.

Interim CFO services

An interim CFO works full-time for a fixed term to cover a gap, lead a change or see a transaction through, then hands over.

Interim executives are hired for immediate impact: they expect to take decisions from the first week.

Interim CFO services sets out the scope, the rates and how we shortlist.

Part-Time CFO services

A part-time CFO works set days each week for one organisation.

A part-time CFO works set days each week as part of your team, often employed on a pro-rata contract rather than holding a portfolio.

It suits a steady-state business that wants the same finance lead on the same days for the long term.

Part-Time CFO services sets out the scope, the rates and how we shortlist.

Permanent CFO

A permanent CFO is right when the seat is full-time work: a scale-up past its growth round, a business preparing for audit committee scrutiny, or a group with several entities to consolidate.

Our permanent CFO search page covers the process.

Outsourced CFO services

Sold as virtual CFO: a provider or a named individual off your payroll.

See outsourced CFO services.

03/ the route

Fractional, interim or permanent?

Four taps. The answer names the route for the seat and the page that covers it.

How much of the week does the work fill?

Is there a fixed end or a programme?

Does the seat sit on the board for years?

Is the need now, or can it wait for a search?

The route · Fractional

A fractional CFO services.

The work fills part of the week, so buy the days it needs.

A fractional CFO services holds the seat on agreed days for as long as the seat is needed, and works for other clients on the rest.

The fractional CFO services route Talk it through

04/ rates by stage

CFO rates what the published benchmarks say

Every figure is the named source’s own published band. Fractional Quest publishes no fees: each candidate on a shortlist states their own rate.

BenchmarkPublished figureSource

Fractional CFO day rate£700–£1,400FD Capital 2026

Interim CFO day rate£650–£1,500FD Capital 2026

Permanent CFO salary (25th–75th percentile)£132,500–£220,500Robert Half 2026

05/ comparison

Four ways to buy a CFO fractional, interim, part-time or permanent

The same CFO seat can be filled four ways. The difference is commitment, contract and how long you need it.

FractionalInterimPart-timePermanent

CommitmentDays a week, ongoingFull-time, fixed termSet days each weekFull-time, open-ended

Usual contractContract for services, often via the executive’s companyDay-rate contract for the mandateOften pro-rata employment; sometimes a contractorEmployment contract

Clients at onceA small portfolioOneOneOne

Best whenYou need CFO judgement every week, not every dayYou need full-time cover or a change led nowYou want the same person on the same days for the long termThe seat is full-time work for years

ExitNotice period, or convert to permanentHand-over at the end of the mandateEmployment noticeResignation or redundancy

06/ timing

Which shape fits your situation

Match the shape to the work, not the title.

Scenario 01

Weekly judgement

Fractional

You need a CFO to own decisions every week, but the work does not fill five days.

A raise or refinance on the horizon, a lender asking for a plan, revenue that has outgrown the accountant, or a board that no longer trusts the forecast.

Scenario 02

Now, full-time

Interim

A resignation or exit leaves the board without its finance lead mid-year.

An interim CFO holds the seat full-time, keeps the audit and the lenders on track, and hands over to the permanent appointment.

Scenario 03

Long term

Part-time or permanent

A part-time CFO works set days each week as part of your team, often employed on a pro-rata contract rather than holding a portfolio.

It suits a steady-state business that wants the same finance lead on the same days for the long term.

A permanent CFO is right when the seat is full-time work: a scale-up past its growth round, a business preparing for audit committee scrutiny, or a group with several entities to consolidate.

07/ vetting

How we vet the shortlist

Five stages: qualification, mandate fit, reference deep-dive, shortlist and analysis, kick-off.

01
Qualification screen
Verify CFO Services tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING
02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING
03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY
04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5

08/ before you brief

Before you buy CFO services what to decide first

The decisions.

Write down the three decisions the CFO will own in the next ninety days.

That list decides the shape: weekly decisions point to fractional, a time-bound programme to interim, a steady load to part-time.

The neighbours.

A CFO answers "what happens if we do this"; a financial controller answers "what happened last month".

In the UK the same seat is often sold as finance director at smaller revenue.

The checks.

Check a finance leader’s professional standing before you sign: see ICAEW’s directory of chartered accountants.

For a contractor engagement, agree how it will run in practice, because that decides IR35 status; HMRC’s guidance for clients sets out who makes the determination.

09/ questions

CFO services FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in a CFO.

Ways of filling the CFO seat without, or before, a permanent hire: fractional (days a week, ongoing), interim (full-time, fixed term) and part-time (set days, one employer), alongside a permanent search. The CFO owns the numbers the board decides against: cash, capital, forecast and the finance function that produces them.

Fractional when you need CFO judgement every week but not every day; interim when you need full-time cover or a change led now; part-time when the load is steady and you want the same person long term; permanent when the seat is full-time work for years.

Published UK bands: Fractional CFO day rate £700–£1,400 (FD Capital 2026); Interim CFO day rate £650–£1,500 (FD Capital 2026); Permanent CFO salary (25th–75th percentile) £132,500–£220,500 (Robert Half 2026). Fractional Quest publishes no fees; each candidate on a shortlist states their rate.

Bookkeeping, payroll, VAT returns and statutory accounts preparation sit with your bookkeeper or accountant. A CFO absorbed into that work has been mis-scoped and is the most expensive way to buy it.

You brief us on scope, shape and start date. We come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.

Book 15 minutes · shortlist of 3–5

Bring the brief. We architect the team.

A shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.

Book a call →Submit a brief