Financial controller · interview questions

Financial controller interview questions

The short answer · updated 3 October 2026

A good financial controller interview tests command of the month-end and the ledgers, financial controls, the year-end and audit, VAT and payroll reporting, cash, and leading a small finance team. Ask every candidate the same core questions, press for the last real example, set a short technical exercise, and check qualifications with the awarding body.

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Questions about the month-end and the ledgers

A financial controller makes sure the numbers are complete and correct, so the finance director, CFO and board can rely on them. The month-end is where that is proved. Write the questions from the financial controller job description and the state of your own close.

Acas advises preparing a set of questions, asking each applicant the same ones where possible, and interviewing with more than one person. Ask for the last real example every time; a controller who knows their close can describe it without notes.

“Talk us through your month-end, day by day. Where does it slow down?” A timetable they own, the bottlenecks named, and what they have done about them.
“Which reconciliations do you review personally, and what do you look for?” Bank, debtors, creditors, accruals and intercompany, with unexplained items chased, not carried forward.
“How do you handle accruals and prepayments when the information arrives late?” Sensible estimates, a record of the basis, and a true-up the following month.
“Tell us about an error that reached the management accounts. How did it happen, and what did you change?” Ownership, a root cause, and a control that stopped it recurring.
“How have you shortened a month-end close?” Specific changes to process or systems, and a result they can describe.

Questions about controls and the accounting records

Section 386 of the Companies Act 2006 requires every company to keep adequate accounting records, sufficient to show and explain its transactions and disclose its financial position with reasonable accuracy at any time. In practice it is often the financial controller who makes that true.

“Which controls would you test first here, and how?” Payment approvals, segregation of duties, supplier master-data changes and reconciliations, tested rather than assumed.
“How do you stop a fraudulent change to a supplier’s bank details?” Independent call-back on a known number, dual approval, and a report of every change.
“Tell us about a fraud or irregularity you found. What happened next?” Calm escalation, evidence preserved, and a gap closed.
“How do you keep control when the team is small and one person does several jobs?” Compensating checks, review by the controller, and rotation where possible.
“What would you document in your first three months?” Procedures for the close, payments and payroll, so the function does not depend on one person.

Questions about the year-end, audit and tax

The controller usually prepares the year-end file and the statutory accounts. A company that does not use IFRS, FRS 101 or FRS 105 reports under the FRC’s FRS 102, and the standard’s latest periodic review brings amendments that are now taking effect, so ask what the candidate has done about them. A VAT-registered business must submit a VAT Return for every period, even when there is no VAT to pay or reclaim.

“Describe the last audit you ran. What did the auditor raise, and how did you close it?” A clean file, a working relationship with the auditor, and points closed for good.
“Which accounting standard do you report under, and which recent changes have affected your accounts?” Current working knowledge, and a judgement area they can explain plainly.
“How do you check a VAT Return before it is submitted?” Reconciliation to the ledgers, review of unusual items, and clear ownership of the deadline.
“Who prepares payroll and its journals, and how do you check them?” A reconciliation each month and a separation between who changes pay and who approves it.
“Have you prepared statutory accounts yourself, or reviewed someone else’s?” An honest answer about their level of hands-on experience.

Questions about cash, reporting and the team

A controller also manages cash day to day, produces the management accounts and often leads a small team. Ask how they have done all three.

“How do you build a short-term cash forecast, and how accurate was your last one?” A weekly view, a comparison with actuals, and action when it drifted.
“What goes into your management accounts pack, and what do you explain in the commentary?” Variances explained in plain words, and a pack the finance director or managing director actually reads.
“How do you chase overdue debtors without damaging customer relationships?” A process agreed with sales, early contact, and escalation that is firm but fair.
“Tell us about someone in your team you developed. What did you do?” Training, delegation, and a result they can point to.
“How have you handled someone in the team who was not performing?” Fairness, speed, a clear record and support offered first.
“Do you want to become a finance director? What would you need to learn?” Ambition matched by a realistic view of the gap.

Questions for a fractional, part-time or interim financial controller

A fractional financial controller works a set number of days a week or month for one or more companies; a part-time controller works fixed days for one employer (see part-time financial controller jobs); an interim financial controller works full-time for a fixed period, often to fix a close or cover a gap.

A controller working through their own company may fall within the off-payroll working rules (IR35). Status depends on how the engagement runs in practice, not on the contract’s label, and a medium or large client makes the determination. Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.

“How many days would our close need from you, and on which days of the month?” They size the work from the brief and fit their days around the timetable.
“What would you deliver in the first 90 days?” Specific outcomes: a faster close, reconciliations up to date, an audit closed, procedures written down.
“What stays with the bookkeeper or the team on the days you are not in?” A clear split, so routine work does not wait for them.
“How would you hand over at the end?” Documented procedures, a trained team, and nothing left only in their head.
“How would the engagement run day to day, and how do you expect IR35 status to be assessed?” A realistic account of the working arrangements, without a promised outcome.

Questions a candidate should ask

Acas advises ending each interview by asking the applicant if they have any questions. A financial controller candidate should use that time to find out the state of the books they would inherit. Candidates comparing roles can see financial controller jobs.

“How long does the month-end take now, and who relies on the numbers?”
“Who does the financial controller report to, and is there a finance director?”
“What did the last audit and the auditor’s management letter raise?”
“Which systems does the team use, and what is not working?”
“How big is the team, and which roles would report to me?”
“For a fractional or interim role: how many days, which outcomes, and how will IR35 status be decided?”

How we assess candidates

We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent executives, and non-executive directors. For a financial controller brief we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after our five-stage vetting. To start a search, see how to hire a fractional FC.

Whoever runs the process, check the qualification with the body that awarded it. The ICAEW’s online member directory is a free way to verify ICAEW membership, and ACCA lets you search its member directory by name.

Questions people ask

What questions should you ask a financial controller in an interview?

Ask about the month-end and the ledgers, reconciliations and controls, the year-end and audit, VAT and payroll, cash and management accounts, and leading a small team. Ask every candidate the same core questions and press for the last real example.

What questions should you not ask in a financial controller interview?

Nothing about a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, such as age, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, religion or sexual orientation, and nothing about children or plans to have them. Health and disability questions are allowed only where an exception applies, such as reasonable adjustments. See Acas on discrimination law in recruitment and GOV.UK on questions you cannot ask.

Who should interview a financial controller?

The person the role reports to, usually the finance director, CFO or managing director, with a second interviewer such as a non-executive director or a senior member of the finance team. Acas advises that more than one person interviews, to reduce the risk of discrimination. See Acas on interviewing.

Should a financial controller interview include a technical test?

A short one helps: a reconciliation with deliberate errors, a set of management accounts to review, or a month-end timetable to critique. Tell candidates in advance, keep it brief, and score every candidate against the same answers.

Are financial controller and finance director interview questions different?

Yes. A financial controller interview tests the accuracy of the numbers: the close, the controls, the audit and tax. A finance director interview leans towards strategy, funding and the board. See the finance director interview questions.

What should we pay a financial controller?

It depends on the size of the company, the scope of the role, the location and whether the role is permanent, interim or fractional. See financial controller salary for sourced pay figures; we set out pay or day rate on every shortlist.

How do I hire a financial controller?

Define the finance problem, choose between permanent, interim, part-time and fractional, write the job description around that problem, interview every candidate against it with a short technical exercise, and check qualifications and references. We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out. See how to hire a fractional FC.