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Find a Fractional CFO
Senior finance leaders on a part-time basis — typically 10–60 hours per month. Forecasting, fundraising support, board reporting, and strategic finance without the cost of a full-time hire.
When to hire
- Revenue is $1M–$25M and a full-time CFO ($250K+) isn't justified yet
- You're preparing for a capital raise, acquisition, or sale
- You can't trust the financials going to your board
- Cash flow is unpredictable and surprises keep happening
- Your founder/CEO is doing finance work that should be delegated
What they do
- 13-week cash flow forecasts and rolling annual budgets
- Monthly board packages with KPIs, variance analysis, and commentary
- Fundraising support: model building, data rooms, investor diligence
- Banking, lender, and investor relationships
- Hiring, evaluating, and managing the finance/accounting team
Typical fees
What it costs
Low end
$3,000
per month
High end
$15,000
per month
Notes
Light engagement (10–20 hrs/mo): $3K–$6K. Standard (20–40 hrs/mo): $6K–$12K. Active fundraising or transaction: $10K–$25K+.
Compare
Fractional CFO vs Controller
| Factor | Fractional CFO | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Forward-looking strategy and capital | Historical accuracy and close |
| Board / investor work | Owns it | Supports |
| Forecasting and modeling | Primary deliverable | Reviews, doesn't build |
| Typical engagement | 10–60 hrs/mo | Full-time or part-time staff |
| Monthly cost | $3K–$15K | $8K–$15K loaded for part-time |
Questions to ask
- How many companies do you serve concurrently, and at what stages?
- What industries and revenue ranges fit you best?
- Do you build the model from scratch or work in our existing tools?
- What's included in the monthly fee vs. billed separately?
- Have you led capital raises, and at what stage (seed, A, B+)?
- Will you sit in board meetings and own the board package?
Red flags
- Has never built a 3-statement model from scratch
- Has only worked as a controller — never a CFO
- Can't articulate unit economics for your business model
- Won't commit to a defined cadence or deliverable list
- Charges hourly with no scope cap
Documents to prepare
- Last 3 years of P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow
- Current month YTD financials and any existing forecast
- Cap table and any prior fundraising materials
- Banking, credit, and major vendor/customer contracts
- Org chart and any existing finance team responsibilities
By city
Fractional CFO Services in major U.S. cities
Related
Other specialties you might need
FAQ
Find a Fractional CFO — common questions
What does a fractional CFO actually do day-to-day?+
Builds and maintains the forecast, owns the monthly close-to-board-package cycle, runs cash management, leads fundraising or banking conversations, and manages the finance/accounting team.
When should I upgrade from fractional to full-time CFO?+
Common triggers: revenue $25M+, complex multi-entity structure, active M&A, IPO preparation, or when the workload consistently exceeds 60 hours per month.
How does a fractional CFO differ from an outsourced controller?+
A controller owns historical accuracy — close, reconciliations, financial statements. A CFO owns forward-looking strategy — forecasting, capital, board, KPIs. Many companies need both, often from the same firm.
Do fractional CFOs help with fundraising?+
Yes — model building, data room prep, investor diligence support, and term sheet negotiation are core deliverables for many engagements.
What's the typical engagement length?+
Most engagements run 6–24 months. Some are project-based (fundraise, audit prep, system implementation); others continue indefinitely until a full-time hire is justified.
This information is general and does not constitute professional advice. Consult a licensed professional for guidance specific to your situation.
Fractional CFO Services · Verified Directory
Executive finance leadership, on your terms
Part-time CFOs for growing companies. Strategic finance, board reporting, fundraising support, cash forecasting, and KPI dashboards — without a full-time executive hire.
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Fractional CFO Services accepting new clients
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Vetting checklist
Questions to ask before hiring fractional cfo
- 1Are you a licensed CPA or EA, and in which states are you registered?
- 2What does engagement scope, pricing, and turnaround actually look like?
- 3Who on your team will do the work, and how do we communicate month to month?
- 4How do you handle deadlines, IRS or state notices, and audit support?
- 5Can you share two references from clients similar to my business?
By city
Find Fractional CFO by city
Houston, TX
Houston CPAs serve energy, healthcare, and the city's vast small-business community.
Dallas, TX
Dallas accounting firms anchor finance, real estate, and corporate headquarters across DFW.
Los Angeles, CA
LA's accountants specialize in entertainment, real estate, and creative-industry tax planning.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco CPAs serve startups, venture-backed companies, and complex equity-comp clients.
New York City, NY
NYC's accountants cover Wall Street, media, real estate, hospitality, and the small businesses of all five boroughs.
Miami, FL
Miami's CPAs specialize in international tax, real estate, hospitality, and Latin American business.
Chicago, IL
Chicago accountants serve professional services, manufacturing, logistics, and the Midwest's largest corporate base.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta's CPAs support film, fintech, logistics, and one of the country's most dynamic small-business scenes.
Boston, MA
Boston-area accountants serve life sciences, higher education, financial services, and innovation-economy startups.
Seattle, WA
Seattle CPAs serve tech, aerospace, and the Pacific Northwest's deep entrepreneurial bench.
Washington DC, DC
Washington DC accountants serve federal contractors, nonprofits, associations, and the law firms that anchor the capital's economy.
Baltimore, MD
Baltimore CPAs serve healthcare systems, port and logistics operators, biotech, and the city's deep nonprofit and higher-ed community.
Richmond, VA
Richmond CPAs serve Fortune 500 headquarters, banking and insurance, tobacco-to-tech manufacturers, and Virginia's state-capital legal and government economy.
Birmingham, AL
Birmingham CPAs serve banking, healthcare, steel, and the Magic City's small-business economy.
Anchorage, AK
Anchorage CPAs serve oil and gas, fisheries, federal contracting, and the state's tourism economy.
Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix CPAs serve semiconductors, real estate, healthcare, and one of the country's fastest-growing small-business markets.
Little Rock, AR
Little Rock CPAs serve healthcare, logistics, agriculture, and the state's government and legal economy.
Denver, CO
Denver CPAs serve tech, aerospace, cannabis, and the Front Range's outdoor and energy economies.
Hartford, CT
Hartford CPAs serve insurance, reinsurance, manufacturing, and the broader Connecticut River Valley economy.
Wilmington, DE
Wilmington CPAs serve banking, corporate trust, pharma, and the Fortune 500 entity-formation economy.
Honolulu, HI
Honolulu CPAs serve tourism, military contracting, real estate, and the islands' small-business community.
Boise, ID
Boise CPAs serve tech, agriculture, manufacturing, and a fast-growing relocation-driven small-business economy.
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis CPAs serve manufacturing, life sciences, logistics, and motorsports.
Des Moines, IA
Des Moines CPAs serve insurance, agribusiness, biofuels, and the state's growing tech economy.
Wichita, KS
Wichita CPAs serve aviation, aerospace, energy, and agriculture.
Louisville, KY
Louisville CPAs serve bourbon, equine, automotive manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics (UPS Worldport).
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans CPAs serve maritime, tourism, oil and gas, and the city's film and hospitality economies.
Portland, ME
Portland CPAs serve tourism, fisheries, forestry, and the state's growing remote-work and craft economies.
Detroit, MI
Detroit CPAs serve automotive, mobility, healthcare, and the broader Southeast Michigan manufacturing base.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis CPAs serve Fortune 500 headquarters, medical devices, agribusiness, and finance.
Jackson, MS
Jackson CPAs serve manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and the state's government and legal economy.
St. Louis, MO
St. Louis CPAs serve agribusiness, defense, biosciences, financial services, and logistics.
Billings, MT
Billings CPAs serve agriculture, energy, healthcare, and Montana's tourism economy.
Omaha, NE
Omaha CPAs serve insurance, financial services, agribusiness, and the Berkshire Hathaway ecosystem.
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas CPAs serve gaming, hospitality, entertainment, real estate, and a fast-growing logistics base.
Manchester, NH
Manchester CPAs serve advanced manufacturing, biotech, healthcare, and a thriving small-business community.
Newark, NJ
Newark CPAs serve pharma, financial services, logistics, ports, and the NYC-metro small-business economy.
Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque CPAs serve federal labs and defense, oil and gas, film, and tourism.
Fargo, ND
Fargo CPAs serve agriculture, energy, manufacturing, and the Red River Valley's tech and healthcare economy.
Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma City CPAs serve oil and gas, aerospace, agriculture, and the state's growing healthcare and bioscience industries.
Portland, OR
Portland CPAs serve tech, athletic apparel, forestry, and the Pacific Northwest's craft beverage and outdoor industries.
Providence, RI
Providence CPAs serve financial services, healthcare, defense manufacturing, and tourism.
Charleston, SC
Charleston CPAs serve ports, aerospace, automotive, hospitality, and a growing tech economy.
Sioux Falls, SD
Sioux Falls CPAs serve financial services, credit card processing, trust administration, and healthcare.
Nashville, TN
Nashville CPAs serve healthcare, music and entertainment, hospitality, and the state's franchise and excise tax compliance.
Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City CPAs serve the Silicon Slopes tech corridor, outdoor recreation, mining, and financial services.
Burlington, VT
Burlington CPAs serve craft food and beverage, tourism, healthcare, and outdoor brands.
Charleston, WV
Charleston CPAs serve coal and natural gas, chemicals, healthcare, and state government.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee CPAs serve manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, and the Lake Michigan industrial corridor.
Cheyenne, WY
Cheyenne CPAs serve energy, ranching, trust administration, and a growing data-center and tech economy.
Common questions
About fractional cfo services
When does a company need a fractional CFO?+
Typically between $1M and $20M in revenue, or when raising a priced round, preparing for a sale, or scaling past the bookkeeper-plus-controller stage.
How does pricing work?+
Most fractional CFOs charge $3K–$15K/month depending on scope and time commitment, far less than a full-time CFO's $250K+ all-in cost.
This information is general and does not constitute professional advice. Consult a licensed professional for guidance specific to your situation.