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Part-Time Financial controller services

Part-Time Financial Controller Services · a part-time financial controller, briefed and shortlisted

Part-Time financial controller services put a part-time financial controller into your business on set days each week.

The financial controller runs the machinery of finance: the close, the reconciliations, the controls and the reporting calendar.

This page sets out what the service covers, when part-time is the right shape, what the market publishes on rates, and how we come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position set out.

Submit a brief → →

How a brief runswhat we undertake

  1. 01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
  2. 02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
  3. 03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
  4. 04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
  5. 05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief

Shortlist3–5

£63,000–£92,500
Permanent salary · Robert Half 2026 · pro rata for part-time
Set days, one employer
Commitment

15 minutes · video or phone

Book 15 minutes to hire a part-time financial controller

Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with Part-Time Financial Controller Services candidates, their day rates and availability.

  1. 0115 minutes, video or phone
  2. 02We scope the role and the days a week
  3. 03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
  4. 04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs
Prefer email? Use the booking page →

Pick a day that suits · live availability

01/ the role

What part-time financial controller services cover

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

A part-time financial controller works fixed days each week, typically on a pro-rata contract, running the close and controls for a business too small for a full-time controller.

The service covers the month-end close and balance sheet reconciliations, management accounts and the reporting calendar, financial controls and approval workflows, and audit preparation and statutory deadlines and supervision of bookkeeping, payables and receivables.

If you are weighing the options, the same seat is also bought as fractional financial controller services, interim financial controller services, outsourced financial controller services, or permanent financial controller search.

What the seat does day to day is set out in the financial controller role explained; executives looking for this work can see current financial controller roles.

02/ scope

What is in scope — and what is not

In scope

The month-end close and balance sheet reconciliations; management accounts and the reporting calendar; financial controls and approval workflows; audit preparation and statutory deadlines; supervision of bookkeeping, payables and receivables.

Not in scope

Strategy, capital raising and board-level commercial decisions sit with the CFO or finance director.

A controller makes the numbers right; the CFO decides what to do with them.

Financial controller or a neighbouring seat?

The controller owns accuracy and process; the finance director owns the function and the CFO owns capital and strategy.

Many businesses buy a controller and a fractional CFO together.

The scoping test: write down the three decisions you need the financial controller to own in the next ninety days. If you cannot, you are not ready to brief.

03/ the week

How a week divides.

Part of a week is the point of the model: the days you buy are yours, the rest of the week goes to other clients. Move the days a week and the week redraws.

Your companyAnother clientA third client

Illustration only: one way a part-time financial controller’s week can divide at 2 days a week for you. Each block is half a day.

04/ 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 financial controller services.

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

A fractional financial controller 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 financial controller services routeTalk it through

05/ rates by stage

Financial controller 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. A part-time employee is usually paid the permanent salary pro rata to the days worked; a part-time contractor is paid by the day.

BenchmarkPublished figureSource
Fractional financial controller day rate£400–£650Accountancy Capital 2026
Permanent financial controller salary (25th–75th percentile)£63,000–£92,500Robert Half 2026

06/ comparison

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

The same financial controller 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 financial controller 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

07/ timing

When part-time financial controller services are the right call

Three situations where the part-time shape beats the alternatives.

Scenario 01

Steady state

The same person, the same days

A part-time financial controller works fixed days each week, typically on a pro-rata contract, running the close and controls for a business too small for a full-time controller.

Scenario 02

Scope

A defined weekly load

The work — the month-end close and balance sheet reconciliations, audit preparation and statutory deadlines — is regular and predictable, so a fixed pattern of days covers it.

Scenario 03

Retention

Senior people who want fewer days

Many experienced financial controllers choose part-time work for the long term; a part-time role can attract someone a full-time salary could not.

08/ vetting

How we vet the shortlist

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

  1. 01

    Qualification screen

    Verify Part-Time Financial Controller Services tenure, sector context and stage fit.

    SOURCING
  2. 02

    Mandate fit

    Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.

    MATCHING
  3. 03

    Reference deep-dive

    We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.

    VERIFY
  4. 04

    Shortlist

    Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.

    SHORTLIST OF 3–5

09/ how it runs

How a part-time financial controller engagement runs from brief to hand-over

Brief.

You tell us the scope, the days each week and the start date, and what success looks like in the first ninety days.

A clear brief names the decisions the financial controller will own.

Shortlist.

We come back with 3–5 part-time financial controllers against the brief, each with day rate or salary expectation, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.

Rhythm.

A part-time financial controller works best with the same days every week, so the team knows when decisions get made.

Agree in writing which meetings fall on their days and how urgent issues are handled on the others.

Hand-over.

If the seat grows into full-time work, the part-time financial controller can help recruit the permanent successor, or convert themselves.

10/ before you sign

Before you buy part-time financial controller services three checks

Standing.

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

Status.

Decide whether the role is employment or a contract for services, and write the contract to match how it will actually run.

Scope.

Write down what is out of scope.

Strategy, capital raising and board-level commercial decisions sit with the CFO or finance director.

A controller makes the numbers right; the CFO decides what to do with them.

11/ questions

Part-Time Financial Controller services FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in a part-time financial controller.

The financial controller seat’s full scope: the month-end close and balance sheet reconciliations; management accounts and the reporting calendar; financial controls and approval workflows; audit preparation and statutory deadlines; supervision of bookkeeping, payables and receivables. Strategy, capital raising and board-level commercial decisions sit with the CFO or finance director. A controller makes the numbers right; the CFO decides what to do with them.
A part-time financial controller on an employment contract is usually paid the permanent salary pro rata. Robert Half 2026 puts the permanent band at £63,000–£92,500 (25th–75th percentile). Each candidate on our shortlist states their own rate or salary expectation.
An interim financial controller works full-time for a fixed term, usually to cover a gap or lead a change. A part-time financial controller works set days each week for one organisation, for as long as the business needs it.
A close that takes weeks, reconciliations nobody has checked, an auditor raising control points, or a finance director spending their days in the ledger. Part-time is the right shape when the workload is steady and you want the same person long term.
A part-time financial controller on your payroll is an employee, so IR35 does not arise. If they work through their own company, the off-payroll rules apply as for any contractor: for medium and large clients the client makes the status determination.
You brief us on the scope, the days and the start date. We come back with a shortlist of 3–5 part-time financial controllers, each with day rate or salary, 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

12/ related

Keep exploring

Adjacent roles and reading.

/financial-controller-servicesAll financial controller services

Fractional, interim, part-time and permanent, side by side.

/fractional-financial-controller-servicesFractional Financial Controller Services

An ongoing weekly commitment.

/interim-financial-controller-servicesInterim Financial Controller Services

Full-time for a fixed term.

/what-does-a-financial-controller-doThe financial controller role explained

What the seat does day to day.

/vettingHow we vet

The five-stage process behind every shortlist.

Executive servicesFinancial Controller services hubThe financial controller seat, fractionalThe financial controller seat, interimIR35 guide

For hiring managers

Bring the brief. We bring the shortlist.

Sign up now →Book a call

  1. A shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position
  2. Fractional, interim, part-time, temporary or permanent — and non-executive directors
  3. Every candidate through our five-stage vetting
  4. Your briefs and their candidates, in one room
Fractional Quest logo — how to brief part-time financial controller services, part-time financial controller services