Fractional CFO services typically cost $3,000–$15,000 per month, or $150–$400 per hour for project-based work. The wide range reflects everything from a startup needing monthly closes to a Series B company preparing for acquisition.
If you're Googling this, you're probably trying to decide whether hiring fractional makes financial sense. Short answer: for most companies under $20M in revenue, it does. Here's the full breakdown.
| Engagement Type | Typical Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer (10–20 hrs/mo) | $3,000–$7,000/mo | Seed–Series A startups |
| Monthly retainer (20–40 hrs/mo) | $7,000–$15,000/mo | Series A–B, pre-exit |
| Interim / full-time equivalent | $15,000–$25,000/mo | Turnarounds, M&A |
| Project-based (fundraise, audit) | $5,000–$25,000 flat | One-off needs |
| Hourly advisory | $150–$400/hr | Board prep, investor Q&A |
For context: a full-time CFO in the US costs $180,000–$350,000 in base salary alone, plus equity, benefits, and management overhead. Fractional is 60–80% cheaper for equivalent strategic output.
1. Hours committed per month Most fractional CFOs price on a retainer tied to expected hours. Ten hours a month gets you clean books and a monthly financial review. Twenty-plus gets you active investor relations, board-level reporting, and cash flow forecasting.
2. Company complexity Multi-entity structures, international revenue, or fundraising in progress adds scope. Expect to pay 20–40% more than baseline if any of these apply.
3. The CFO's background Former Big 4 partners and ex-public-company CFOs charge more — typically $300–$400/hr versus $150–$250/hr for early-career practitioners. If you're raising a Series B or preparing for an audit, the premium is usually worth it.
4. Geography San Francisco and New York CFOs charge 15–25% more than those in secondary markets. Since most fractional work is remote, you're not locked into local talent.
5. Engagement duration Month-to-month contracts cost 10–20% more than 6–12 month commitments. Most fractional CFOs offer a discount for longer contracts because they prefer stable utilization.
A fractional CFO typically handles: