Fractional Finance Director Salary

15 minutes · video or phone

Book 15 minutes to hire a fractional finance director

Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with Fractional finance director 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

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On the board · last 3 months

Fractional finance director jobs on the board

2 on the board · 0 confirmed open

Browse every role on the board →

Fractional finance director roles on the board

Fractional recruiting starts with the brief, not the CV pile. Send a Fractional finance director brief and we come back with a shortlist of three to five candidates, each through five-stage vetting.

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01/ the cross

Where a permanent hire becomes cheaper.

Move the day rate and the days a week: the rising line is a month of part-week cost, the flat line a permanent hire’s month. Where they cross, the seat should go full-time.

Day rate£800Published band for a fractional finance director: £600–£1,000 a day (FD Capital 2026)Days a week2 days

Fractional finance director, a monthPermanent finance director, a month

At 3.9 days a week a permanent hire costs less.

At 2 days a week: fractional finance director £6,928 a month · permanent £13,231 a month

Our arithmetic. Permanent a month = the salary ÷ 12 plus 15% employer NI, plus the 30% search fee spread over 12 months — the calculator’s inputs. Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for each step.

Permanent = the £109,500 Robert Half 2026 median salary. The full calculator below adds the months, the totals and the currency tabs.

Fractional finance director at 2 days a weekPermanent finance director

The fractional finance director at 2 days a week never passes permanent inside 24 months.

Month 12: fractional finance director £83,136 · permanent £158,775

Our arithmetic, cumulative. Permanent = the salary’s 30% search fee in month 0, then salary ÷ 12 plus 15% employer NI each month. No published interim band for this seat, so no interim line. Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for each month.

02/ 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 finance director.

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

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

The fractional finance director route Talk it through

03/ the role

How a fractional FD is paid, and what sets the rate

A fractional finance director runs a business’s finance for part of the week, usually for several businesses at once.

The ICAEW describes the FD as the most senior role in the finance function; a fractional FD holds that seat on a day rate, or on a fixed monthly retainer for an agreed number of days.

There is no salary, bonus or employer pension.

The work sets the rate.

FD Capital’s pricing guide puts an SME generalist at £550–£750 a day, a mid-market FD at £700–£900 and a sector specialist (tech, fintech, professional services) at £800–£1,000.

A PE portfolio FD is £850–£1,100, and an FD leading a transaction or a turnaround £900–£1,200.

Days a week set the bill.

FD Capital says most engagements run at one to two days a week, at typically £600–£1,000 a day, for £30,000–£70,000 a year.

Exec Capital puts a fractional FD at a growing business (£2m–£20m revenue) at £30,000–£80,000 a year for one to two days a week.

A finance director can also be employed part-time on a salary.

A part-time employee must not be treated less favourably than a comparable full-time one, with some benefits applied pro rata (GOV.UK).

For those roles, see part-time finance director jobs.

04/ scope

How to hire a fractional FD

1. Count the days the work needs

List what the FD must own: management accounts, cash forecasting, the bank, the audit, a refinancing.

Then estimate the days a month it takes.

The days set the retainer; the work sets the seniority.

2. Match seniority to the mandate

A first finance lead for an owner-managed business does not need a PE record.

A sale, a fundraise or a turnaround does, and FD Capital prices that work at £900–£1,200 a day against £550–£750 for an SME generalist.

3. Agree scope, access and rhythm

Write down which days, which meetings and which numbers the FD will have.

A retainer works when both sides know what it buys.

What we do on a fractional brief

We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent finance leaders, and non-executive directors.

We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, and every candidate goes through our five-stage vetting first.

For roles on the board, see fractional finance director jobs.

05/ the maths

What the seat costs, by the days a week

Move the day rate, the days a week and the months: the totals and the permanent comparison for the period. The curve above shows where a permanent hire becomes the cheaper seat.

Day rate£800Days a week needed2 daysMonths engaged12 months

The slider runs across the published band for a fractional finance director: £600–£1,000 a day (FD Capital 2026).

Cost over 12 months

£83,200

104 working days · 2 d/wk · 12 mo · before tax

Fractional finance director£83,200

Permanent finance director, same period£158,775

Fractional costs less over 12 months£75,575

Fractional finance director, 12 months£83,200

Fractional finance director, a month at 2 d/wk£6,928

Permanent finance director, same period£158,775

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Our arithmetic, indicative. Permanent = the £109,500 Robert Half 2026 median salary pro rata for the same months, plus 15% employer NI, plus a 30% search fee on the annual base (UK retained search runs 25–35%, Headhunters.co.uk). Excludes pension, bonus and equity.

06/ the week

How a week divides.

The days you buy are yours; the rest of the week goes to other clients. Move the days a week in the calculator above and the week redraws.

Your companyAnother clientA third client

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Illustration only: one way a fractional finance director’s week can divide at 2 days a week for you. Each block is half a day.

07/ the board

What the board holds.

A read of the roles on the board on this page, counted as they stand: how each is engaged, whether the posting gives the days and the rate, and where the work happens.

On this board, last 90 days · 2 roles · Fractional finance director

Engagement

Interim2

Days a week

Stated in the posting1
Not stated1

Day rate

Verified rate1
Estimated (est)1
Rate not stated0

Work arrangement (as the job feed classifies it)

Remote1
Hybrid0
On-site1

Newest posting on the board: 12 Sept 2026.

08/ rates by stage

Fractional finance director salary day rates by profile

Day rates as FD Capital, a recruiter, publishes them in 2026. Its fractional FD pricing guide gives the rates by engagement context; its finance director salary guide gives the general band and the specialist band. The two pages differ at the top end, so both are shown.

FD profileDay rateBasisSource

SME generalist fractional FD£550–£750Established FD background, smaller business focusFD Capital, 2026

Mid-market fractional FD£700–£900Senior FD with a mid-market recordFD Capital, 2026

Sector-specialist fractional FD£800–£1,000Tech, fintech, professional servicesFD Capital, 2026

PE portfolio fractional FD£850–£1,100Investor-grade reporting and sponsor engagementFD Capital, 2026

Transactional fractional FD£900–£1,200M&A or fundraise leadershipFD Capital, 2026

Turnaround fractional FD£900–£1,200Crisis stabilisationFD Capital, 2026

Typical fractional FD£600–£1,000Pricing guide; one to two days a weekFD Capital, 2026

Part-time and fractional FD£600–£1,100Salary guide; by experience, sector and complexityFD Capital, 2026

PE or fundraising specialism£900–£1,300Salary guideFD Capital, 2026

09/ rates by commitment

Fractional FD rates by days a week, a month and a year

FD Capital’s 2026 monthly retainers by days a week, from its finance director salary guide. The annual column is the monthly retainer × 12: our arithmetic, a comparison and not a salary.

Days a weekMonthly retainerA year (× 12, our arithmetic)Source

1 day£2,000–£3,200£24,000–£38,400FD Capital, 2026

2 days£3,500–£6,000£42,000–£72,000FD Capital, 2026

3 days£6,000–£10,000£72,000–£120,000FD Capital, 2026

10/ economics

Rate is not income: what a fractional FD keeps

The day rate is what the client pays, not what the FD takes home.

Most fractional FDs invoice through their own limited company and take money out as a salary through PAYE and as dividends from profit, after Corporation Tax.

Out of the same income they fund their pension, holidays, insurance and the days they do not sell.

Tax status changes the number too.

Under the off-payroll working rules (IR35), a medium or large client makes the status determination; for a small client outside the public sector, the FD’s own company decides.

The rules apply contract by contract, so a fractional FD with three clients can have three different answers.

HMRC’s CEST tool gives its view on one engagement; our IR35 guide sets out the tests.

11/ vetting

How we vet fractional finance directors

What we undertake on every brief, before a candidate reaches you.

01
Qualification screen
Verify Fractional finance director 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

12/ the year

How much do fractional FDs make in a year

How much do fractional FDs make?

Multiply the rate by the days sold.

At FD Capital’s £600–£1,100 band, each day a week sold for 52 weeks bills £31,200–£57,200 (our arithmetic, before any weeks off).

FD Capital’s own worked examples use 50 working weeks: one day a week at £650 is about £32,500 a year, and two days at £800 about £80,000.

In practice the diary rarely fills every week.

Holidays, the gaps between clients and the time spent finding the next one all come off the total.

What a fractional FD earns is the profit of a small business, not a rate multiplied by a full year.

To model your own position, start from the days you can realistically sell and use the rate calculator.

13/ the comparison

Full-time salary vs fractional pay: comparing like with like

A permanent FD is paid a salary and package, with employer’s National Insurance, pension and often a bonus on top; see finance director salary for those benchmarks.

An interim is paid by the day for full-time cover over a fixed period; see interim finance director salary.

A fractional FD is paid only for the days bought.

Compare the total cost for the days the business needs, not the headline figures.

14/ questions

Fractional finance director salary FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in a fractional finance director.

A fractional FD has no salary from the client: they are paid a day rate or monthly retainer. FD Capital’s 2026 guide puts the rate at £600–£1,100 a day and one day a week at £2,000–£3,200 a month, or £24,000–£38,400 over a year (× 12, our arithmetic). Annual income depends on how many days they sell across clients.

FD Capital’s 2026 salary guide puts part-time and fractional FDs at £600–£1,100 a day, and £900–£1,300 with a PE or fundraising specialism. Its pricing guide gives a typical £600–£1,000, from £550–£750 for an SME generalist to £900–£1,200 for transactional or turnaround work.

FD Capital’s 2026 retainers: £2,000–£3,200 a month for one day a week, £3,500–£6,000 for two days and £6,000–£10,000 for three. At two days a week it puts the annual cost at £42,000–£72,000.

There is no single fractional finance director salary. At FD Capital’s £600–£1,100 band, each day a week sold for 52 weeks bills £31,200–£57,200 (our arithmetic). From that come the costs of running their own company, their pension, unbilled days and tax, which depends on IR35 status engagement by engagement.

Count the days the work needs, match the seniority to the mandate, and agree scope, access and rhythm before the rate. See hire a fractional finance director for the steps.

The day rate times the days. FD Capital puts the typical rate at £600–£1,000 a day at one to two days a week, or £30,000–£70,000 a year; Exec Capital gives £30,000–£80,000 a year for one to two days a week at a £2m–£20m revenue business. We set out the day rate for every candidate on the shortlist.

It decides how the fees are taxed. A medium or large client makes the status determination for each engagement; for a small private-sector client, the FD’s own company decides (HMRC). Status depends on how each engagement runs in practice, so it is set per contract, not per person.

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

15/ related

Keep exploring

Adjacent roles and reading.

/fractional-finance-directorFractional finance director

What a fractional FD does and when to bring one in.

/fractional-finance-director-jobs-hire-fdFractional finance director jobs

Fractional FD roles on the board, and how to hire one.

/part-time-finance-director-jobs-hire-fdPart-time finance director jobs

A finance director employed for part of the week.

/finance-director-salaryFinance director salary

Permanent base, bonus and package, by size and region.

/interim-finance-director-salaryInterim finance director salary

What an interim FD is paid by the day.

/what-does-a-finance-director-doWhat does a finance director do?

The role, who it reports to, and how to hire one.

/fractional-head-of-finance-salaryFractional head of finance salary

What a fractional head of finance earns for part of the week.

/procurement-director-salaryAverage procurement director salary

What a permanent procurement director is paid, source by source.

/fractional-procurement-director-salaryFractional procurement director salary

The permanent salary spread across part-week days, our arithmetic.

Rate calculatorHow we vet candidatesFractional finance director jobsIR35 guideHMRC: CEST toolHMRC: Corporation Tax rates

What a fractional finance director earns, by the day, the week and the year