PHIXSyndicatedFractional
Part time / Fractional Finance DirectorFractional CFO consultancy · CFO consultancy · fractional and interim CFOs
Fractional CFO Consultancy · a CFO consultancy firm, or a CFO in the seat
Fractional CFO consultancy is bought two ways: from a CFO consultancy firm that supplies a CFO from its own team, often alongside other finance services, or by recruiting a fractional CFO who holds the seat on a standing weekly commitment and contracts with you directly. Fractional Quest is a recruitment agency, not a consulting firm: we do not employ consultants or run consulting projects. We find the interim, fractional or permanent leader for your brief, and they contract with you directly.
Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 23 October 2026 · 5 sources linked below
- 3–5our shortlist
Fractional seats our founder has held
Climatise
One Up Productions
CK Delta
In the press
- Financial TimesThe executives going ‘fractional’, not freelance
- International FinanceRenting the C-suite, and why the fractional executive era has arrived
The agency
What fractional CFO consultancy means
This page sets out what each model gives you, the questions that separate them, and what the market publishes on CFO rates. The board below shows current CFO and finance director roles.
CFO consultancy in the firm sense is a business that sells CFO-level finance work — a fractional CFO from its team, a financial model, a fundraising process — often packaged with bookkeeping, management accounts or software. The firm holds the client relationship; the CFO who does the work is the firm’s person.
A fractional CFO in the seat is one named chief financial officer or finance director, recruited for your brief, who attends your board, owns the forecast and leads any raise for a set number of days a week. They contract with you, so the relationship and the continuity are yours.
Fractional Quest is a recruitment agency, not a consulting firm: we do not employ consultants or run consulting projects. We find the interim, fractional or permanent leader for your brief, and they contract with you directly.
The discipline as a whole: finance consultancy. The people: CFO consultants. The seat itself: fractional CFO; every shape of the seat: CFO services.
On the board · last 90 days
Current CFO and finance director roles on the board
From our jobs feed. Where a posting states no rate, “est” is our estimate from the seat’s published band; ◆ marks days a week the posting states.
8 of 8 roles
Function
Engagement
- CivSec GroupSyndicatedFractionalAcquisition CFO / Finance Director (Fractional)
- fin-houseSyndicatedContractFinance lead - fast track to fractional cfo
- fin-houseSyndicatedFractionalFractional CFO
- KeelCFOSyndicatedFractionalFractional CFO
- Global Digital GroupSyndicatedFractionalFractional CFO (Path to Group CFO)
- AmitoursSyndicatedFractionalFractional CFO
- JuroSyndicatedInterimInterim Finance Director
Every fractional role in the UK is on the fractional jobs board.
Three seats
What does a fractional seat look like in practice?
Three fractional seats our founder has held. Real companies, named with their permission; we state only what the seat covered.
Fractional seats our founder has held
ClimatiseFractional · go-to-marketA carbon-reporting software company that needed go-to-market leadership before a full-time hire.
- Seat
- Fractional go-to-market lead
- Days
- Two days a week
- Scope
- Go-to-market
One Up ProductionsFractional · go-to-marketA production company that needed both the go-to-market strategy and its execution.
- Seat
- Fractional go-to-market: strategy and execution
- Days
- Two days a week
- Scope
- Go-to-market
CK DeltaFractional · technologyTechnology work: tech stack implementation.
- Seat
- Fractional technology lead
These are seats our founder has held, not placements.
The scope
What a fractional CFO owns — and what a consultancy package often adds
The CFO seat. 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.
Not CFO work. 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.
Where the two models differ. A firm may bundle the bookkeeping and the CFO; recruiting a fractional CFO keeps them separate, so you can keep the accountant you have. Neither is wrong — decide whether you want one supplier or one named leader.
When companies look for fractional CFO consultancy: 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.
The process
How does a brief become a shortlist?
Six steps, one accountable person at each. We don’t promise a shortlist by a date; the weeks below are what a well-scoped brief usually takes.
- Day 001The 15-minute callThe seat, the engagement shape, the days or hours, the start date and the budget. No account needed; a call or a written brief.You and us
- Week 102Scope agreed in writingThe outcome the seat exists for, which days, and how the engagement will run for IR35. A brief that describes a person rather than a job, we rewrite with you.Us
- Weeks 1–203Search and approachWe approach people who aren’t looking and verify prior tenure in the seat at your scale and stage.Us
- Weeks 2–304References, taken by usFrom recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.Us
- Week 305Shortlist of three to fiveEach with day rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out. You interview and decide.You
- Week 406Kick-offScope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.You, them and us
What it costs
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.
| Benchmark | Published figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Your figures
What does part of a CFO’s week cost?
Rate × days × weeks, against a loaded full-time package. Move the sliders; the numbers redraw.
- CFO band £700–£1,400 (FD Capital 2026)
Year-one cost, fractional
£96,600
Fractional costs less in year one by£105,625
Our arithmetic. £176,500 Robert Half 2026 median salary + employer NI at 15% above £5,000 (HMRC) = £202,225. Excludes pension, bonus and any search fee.
Against the alternatives
CFO consultancy firm or a fractional CFO recruited for you
The same CFO problem, bought two ways — plus the interim and permanent shapes for comparison.
| CFO consultancy firm | Fractional CFO (placed by us) | Interim CFO | Permanent CFO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who you contract with | The firm | The CFO, directly | The CFO, directly | Your employee |
| Who does the work | A CFO from the firm’s team | One named CFO you chose | One named CFO, full-time | Your CFO |
| Other finance services | Often bundled | Kept separate; your accountant stays | Kept separate | Your finance team |
| Best when | You want one supplier for finance end to end | You want CFO judgement every week, from one person you keep | The seat is empty or a transaction needs full-time cover | The seat is full-time work for years |
The decision
When fractional CFO consultancy is the right call
Three situations, and the shape that fits each.
- Before a raiseInvestors will ask who owns the numbersAn exit, acquisition or funding round needs a CFO who has run the process before and can give it full-time attention until completion.
- OutgrownPast the accountant, short of a CFOA 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.
- GapThe CFO has leftA 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.
Vetting
How do we vet a fractional CFO?
Five stages before anyone reaches a shortlist of three to five.
- Pedigree screenTenureWe verify prior tenure in the seat, at the scale and stage you need. No consultant presenting as an executive.
- Mandate fitFitFit to your stage, sector and the problem the seat exists to solve, not a CV keyword.
- Reference deep-diveVerifyWe take references ourselves, from recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.
- ShortlistShortlistThree to five candidates, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
- Kick-offStartScope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.
The full process is on how we vet.
questions to ask
Four questions for any fractional CFO consultancy firm or individual
Who is the CFO? Ask for the named person who will attend your board, and whether they can be changed without your agreement.
What else am I buying? If bookkeeping, software or management accounts are bundled, decide whether you want them from the same supplier.
Who keeps the work? The model, the data room and the board papers should be yours at the end of the engagement.
Standing. Check professional qualification — ICAEW, ACCA or CIMA — on the body’s own directory. ICAEW’s directory of chartered accountants confirms chartered status.
how we work
If the answer is a leader, not a fractional CFO consultancy brief to shortlist
Brief. A scoping call on the problem, the shape (fractional days, an interim mandate or a permanent seat), the start date and what success looks like in the first ninety days.
Shortlist. We search for your brief and come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.
Contract. You choose; the leader contracts with you directly, usually through their own company for fractional and interim work. Agree how the engagement will run in practice, because that decides its IR35 status — HMRC’s guidance for clients sets out who makes the determination.
Standing. Check professional standing before you sign: ICAEW’s directory of chartered accountants — a check that a finance leader is an ICAEW Chartered Accountant; ACCA — the global body for professional accountants.
The right route
Agency, recruiter, interim or permanent?
Three taps. Say how much senior work there is, for how long, and whether it is one leader or a run of hires; the tool names the route.
The route · Fractional recruiter
An embedded fractional recruiter.
A hiring plan to work through below the leadership team is a talent-acquisition job: a recruiter inside your business for part of the week, paid for their time. We don’t supply them; the page below explains the role.
The route · Non-executive director
A non-executive director.
Independent oversight and constructive challenge, not executive direction. We recruit NEDs through the same brief process.
The route · Advisor
An advisor, not yet a seat.
Less than a day a week of senior input is advisory. Buy it as a scoped engagement; when it grows into a day or more, brief us for a fractional executive.
The route · Interim
An interim executive.
Four or five days for a fixed period is interim: cover for a departure, a turnaround or a transaction. The IIM puts the UK average at £907 a day and ten months.
The route · Permanent
A permanent search.
Four or five days of work, ongoing, is a full-time seat. We recruit permanent executives through the same brief process.
The route · Fractional executive
Brief a fractional recruitment agency.
Senior judgement for part of the week: a fractional CFO, CTO, CMO or COO on one to three days. We come back with a shortlist of three to five, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
We recruit executives. We don’t supply embedded fractional recruiters; where that is the right route, the tool says so.
Clients
What do companies say about our fractional work?
From a company where our founder has held a fractional seat. Name and logo given with the client’s permission.
“Excellent fractional support for building both our go-to-market strategy and our execution.”
Charlie AndersonDirector, One Up ProductionsWhere we are
Where is Fractional Quest?
Where we are
71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ
Fractional Quest Ltd, registered in England and Wales, no. 17322105. This is our registered office; meetings are by appointment, and most briefs start on a 15-minute call.
Questions
Fractional CFO Consultancy questions, answered
Either a firm that supplies a fractional CFO from its own team, often with other finance services, or — as buyers also use the phrase — the fractional CFO service itself. Through Fractional Quest it means a named CFO recruited for your brief, who contracts with you directly.
A CFO consultancy firm sells you its CFO and holds the relationship; a fractional CFO recruited for you is your own appointment on a standing weekly commitment. The work in the seat can be the same; the continuity and who you contract with differ.
Usually, yes. The accountant prepares the accounts and the returns; the fractional CFO owns the forecast, the cash, the board pack and any raise. Most businesses that use a fractional CFO keep both.
Fractional Quest is a recruitment agency, not a consulting firm: we do not employ consultants or run consulting projects. We find the interim, fractional or permanent leader for your brief, and they contract with you directly.
A consultancy firm prices its own way; we cannot speak for it. For the leader in the seat, the market publishes 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 own rate, so the cost is the rate times the days you agree.
It depends on how the engagement runs in practice — control, substitution and whether the fractional CFO is part and parcel of your organisation — not on the label "consultant" or "consultancy". For medium and large private-sector clients the client makes the status determination. Every candidate on our shortlist states their IR35 position.
Sources
Where does every figure on this page come from?
The primary publisher for each number, linked. Where a figure is our own arithmetic, the page says so where it appears.
- FD Capital
- HMRC
- legislation.gov.uk
- 1How much does a CFO earn? 2026 FD CapitalFractional CFO £700–£1,400 a day; London premium of 15–20%.
- 2Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRCStatus depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
- 3Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 HMRCEmployer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year.
- 4
- 5Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.ukThe law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.
