How to hire a fractional CFO · what it costs · fractional or full-time

Hire a fractional CFO · the steps and the cost

To hire a fractional CFO, write down the finance problem the board needs solved, the days a week it needs and the budget.

Then test three to five candidates on the same tasks, check their qualification and directorships, and start with a defined first piece of work.

A fractional CFO is a part-time chief financial officer who owns the forecast, the cash runway and the board conversation for agreed days each week.

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

On every brief we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate or pay, availability and IR35 position set out.

Every candidate goes through five-stage vetting first.

Brief us on a fractional CFO →See the roles

The Fractional CFO briefChoose the question to explore

Part 01 / 04

Mandate

Name the decisions the Fractional CFO will own and the work another role will retain.

Mandate

Name the decisions the Fractional CFO will own and the work another role will retain.

Pattern

Agree the recurring days, decisions and cover between sessions for the fractional Fractional CFO.

Evidence

Use the same brief to compare each Fractional CFO candidate's relevant work, availability and stated pay or rate.

Start

Agree access, decision rights and the first piece of work before the Fractional CFO starts.

In the press

FM Magazine (AICPA & CIMA) How to make the fractional CFO-client relationship effective · 20 May 2026
Practitioners writing for the AICPA & CIMA title set out what makes a fractional CFO engagement work: agreed scope, real access to the numbers and a set rhythm of contact. Read it before you write the brief.

3–5

Shortlist · with day rate or pay, availability and IR35 set out

Vetting · stages before a candidate reaches you

£700–£1,400

Typical day rate · fractional CFO, average about £1,050

FD Capital, 2026

£176,500

Full-time CFO salary · median, Chief Financial Officer

Robert Half, 2026

15 minutes · video or phone

Book 15 minutes to hire a fractional CFO

Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with Fractional CFO 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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Pick a day that suits · live availability

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Fractional CFO jobs · last 3 months

Fractional CFO jobs on the board

3 on the board · 0 confirmed open

Browse every role on the board →

Live fractional CFO and finance leadership roles

How fractional recruitment agencies compare is set out in one place, including how we work: a Fractional CFO brief and a shortlist of three to five.

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£1,050Published band for a fractional CFO: £700–£1,400 a day (FD Capital 2026)Days a week2 days

Fractional CFO, a monthPermanent CFO, a month

At 4.7 days a week a permanent hire costs less.

At 2 days a week: fractional CFO £9,093 a month · permanent £21,327 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 £176,500 Robert Half 2026 median salary. The full calculator below adds the months, the totals and the currency tabs.

Fractional CFO at 2 days a weekInterim CFO, five days a weekPermanent CFO

The fractional CFO at 2 days a week never passes permanent inside 24 months.
Interim passes permanent at month 8.

Month 12: fractional CFO £109,116 · interim £285,780 · permanent £255,925

Our arithmetic, cumulative. Permanent = the salary’s 30% search fee in month 0, then salary ÷ 12 plus 15% employer NI each month. Interim = the midpoint of the published interim band (£1,100 a day, FD Capital 2026) × 5 days × 4.33 weeks. 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 CFO.

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

A fractional CFO 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 route Talk it through

03/ the role

Hire a fractional CFO: what you are buying

The seat is the one a full-time CFO holds: the forecast, the cash runway, the board pack and the conversation with investors and lenders.

What changes is the time, bought by the day for as long as the business needs it.

Most people looking for a fractional CFO for hire have a trigger in mind: a raise, a lender asking for better numbers, an exit, or a business that has outgrown its bookkeeper.

Name that trigger in the brief, because it decides which candidate fits.

Fractional, interim or part-time

An interim CFO holds the seat full-time for a fixed period: cover for a departure, a transaction or a turnaround.

A part-time CFO works the same days each week for one company.

A fractional CFO usually holds more than one client, on an ongoing basis rather than a fixed term.

If you have not yet decided which finance leader the business needs, start with how to hire a CFO.

What stays with the rest of the team

A fractional CFO rarely runs the ledger, the month-end close or the tax return.

Those stay with your bookkeeper, accountant or financial controller.

Bringing in help does not move the legal duty.

Companies House guidance says directors who hire a professional such as an accountant are still legally responsible for the company’s records, accounts and performance.

If the CFO joins the board, the seven general duties of a director under the Companies Act 2006 come with the seat.

Companies House notes they also apply to someone who acts as a director without being formally appointed.

04/ scope

How to hire a fractional CFO: six steps

1. Name the trigger and the outcome

Write one paragraph on why now: a raise, a lender, an exit, a board that wants numbers it can act on.

Then list what should exist at the end of the first engagement, such as a rolling cash forecast, a monthly board pack or a data room.

2. Set the days and the budget

Decide how many days a week the work needs, and which of them must be on site for the board or investors.

Multiply the day rate by those days to set the budget; the cost section below works it through.

3. Write the brief

Set out the stage, the finance team already in place, the systems, the days, any on-site days and the IR35 position you expect.

Our CFO job description gives a structure to start from.

4. Search beyond the people already looking

Ask your investors, auditors and non-executives for names, and look at how other businesses frame fractional CFO jobs.

Strong candidates are often busy with other clients, so someone has to approach them.

A search for “hire fractional CFO” returns firms selling a service as well as individuals.

A firm with a bench of analysts sells a service; a fractional CFO is personally in the seat, so decide which you want first.

5. Test the work, not the title

Give every candidate the same three tasks: walk through a board pack they built, rework your cash forecast, and set out a plan for the raise or the lender.

Score the answers against criteria agreed in advance, with a panel rather than one interviewer.

Verify the qualification at source, through ICAEW membership verification, the ACCA member directory or the AICPA & CIMA directories.

Then search the candidate’s past directorships on the Companies House register.

6. References, IR35 and a first piece of work

Take references yourself from a chair, an investor or an auditor who sat across the table.

Ask whether the forecasts held, not whether the candidate was pleasant to work with.

If the CFO works through their own company, the off-payroll working rules (IR35) may apply.

Status depends on how the engagement runs in practice, and a medium or large client makes the determination.

HMRC’s CEST tool gives its view on a specific engagement, and our IR35 guide sets out the tests.

Start with a defined first piece of work with a clear end, and review it before you extend.

What we do on a fractional CFO brief

We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate or pay, availability and IR35 position set out.

Every candidate goes through our five-stage vetting first.

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£1,050Days a week needed2 daysMonths engaged12 months

The slider runs across the published band for a fractional CFO: £700–£1,400 a day (FD Capital 2026).

Cost over 12 months

£109,200

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

Fractional CFO£109,200

Permanent CFO, same period£255,925

Fractional costs less over 12 months£146,725

Fractional CFO, 12 months£109,200

Fractional CFO, a month at 2 d/wk£9,093

Permanent CFO, same period£255,925

Book a 15-minute call →

Our arithmetic, indicative. Permanent = the £176,500 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 CFO’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 · 3 roles · Fractional CFO

Engagement

Fractional3

Days a week

Stated in the posting0
Not stated3

Day rate

Verified rate0
Estimated (est)1
Rate not stated2

Work arrangement (as the job feed classifies it)

Remote1
Hybrid0
On-site2

Newest posting on the board: 9 Oct 2026.

08/ comparison

Four ways to fill the finance seat

Choose by how much senior finance work the business generates each week, not by the title.

Fractional CFOFull-time finance directorInterim CFOPart-time CFO

TimeAgreed days a week, ongoing, often alongside other clientsEvery day, open-endedFull-time for a fixed periodThe same days each week, one company

OwnsThe forecast, cash runway, board pack and raiseThe close, the controls, the team and the reportingThe whole seat while it is empty or in transitionThe finance seat on a steady weekly pattern

Pay basisDay rate × days (FD Capital: £700–£1,400 a day typical)Salary (Robert Half: £109,500 national median), plus NI, pension and bonusDay rate, full-timeDay rate or a pro-rata salary

SuitsA raise, a lender, an exit or a first finance leaderA business whose finance work fills the weekA departure, a transaction or a turnaroundSteady CFO work that does not fill a full week

09/ vetting

How we vet fractional CFOs

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

01
Qualification screen
Verify Fractional CFO 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

10/ how much does it cost to hire a fractional CFO

How much does it cost to hire a fractional CFO?

How much does it cost to hire a fractional CFO comes down to two numbers: the day rate and the days.

FD Capital’s 2026 CFO salary guide says a fractional CFO typically charges £700–£1,400 a day, averaging about £1,050.

The same guide puts PE and VC specialists, and those with fundraising track records, at £1,200–£1,600 a day.

FD Capital is a firm that places finance leaders, and these are its published figures.

The rest is our arithmetic, day rate × days.

At one day a week the typical band comes to £700–£1,400 a week; at two days, £1,400–£2,800.

Our fractional CFO cost page sets out the published figures in more detail.

On every shortlist we set out each candidate’s day rate, so you can compare like with like.

11/ fractional CFO or full-time finance director

Fractional CFO or full-time finance director: the scale-up question

Fractional CFO or full-time finance director turns on one question: how much senior finance work does the business generate each week?

If the close, the controls, a finance team and the board fill every day, a full-time finance director (or CFO) is the better fit.

If the senior work comes in bursts (a raise, a lender, a monthly board pack, an exit), a fractional CFO gives the board that judgement for the days it is needed.

Many scale-ups pair one with a bookkeeper or a financial controller who runs the day to day.

Robert Half’s 2026 salary guide puts the national median for a Finance Director at £109,500, and for a Chief Financial Officer at £176,500.

Both are before employer National Insurance, pension and bonus.

The titles overlap.

A finance director is usually more operational (the close, the team, the controls) and a CFO more strategic; if the operational side is the gap, look at a fractional finance director.

Funding shifts the answer.

The British Business Bank says lenders and investors weigh the financial fundamentals, and that an expansion capital investor will usually take a seat on your board.

So a raise on the horizon is a reason to bring in CFO-level judgement early, even if the full-time seat comes later.

When the work fills the week, make the permanent appointment.

12/ questions

Hiring a fractional CFO FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in a fractional CFO.

Name the trigger (a raise, a lender, an exit, outgrowing the bookkeeper), set the days and the budget, and write a brief. Test every candidate on the same board-pack, forecast and funding tasks, verify the qualification at the institute, take references yourself and start with a defined first piece of work.

Start with the outcome, not the title: what should exist at the end of the first engagement, and how many days a week it takes. That one paragraph shapes the brief, the budget and the questions you ask at interview.

FD Capital’s 2026 guide says a fractional CFO typically charges £700–£1,400 a day, averaging about £1,050, with PE, VC and fundraising specialists at £1,200–£1,600. Multiply the day rate by the days you need; on every shortlist we set out each candidate’s day rate.

If the close, the controls, a team and the board fill every day, appoint a full-time finance director or CFO. If the senior work comes in bursts (a raise, a lender, a monthly board pack, an exit), a fractional CFO gives you that judgement for the days it is needed, usually alongside a bookkeeper or financial controller.

Through your investors, auditors and non-executives, and through a recruiter who sets out day rate, availability and IR35 position on the shortlist. We send a shortlist of 3–5 on every brief, after five-stage vetting.

No. An interim CFO works full-time for a fixed period, often to cover a departure or a transaction. A fractional CFO works agreed days each week on an ongoing basis, often for more than one client.

It depends on how the engagement runs in practice, contract by contract: a medium or large client makes the status determination, and for a small client the CFO’s own company decides. HMRC’s CEST tool gives its view on a specific engagement.

Most hold a chartered qualification (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) and have run board reporting as a CFO or finance director. Check membership at the institute, for example through ICAEW membership verification, rather than relying on a CV.

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