Decide which CFO you need
| Stage | What the seat owns | Who fits |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Series A | Runway, model, first controls | A fractional CFO, almost always |
| Series A to B | The raise, board reporting, unit economics | First full-time CFO, or fractional through the raise |
| Series B to D | Scale, systems, a finance team | A CFO who has built a function, not just run one |
| Pre-exit | Diligence, working capital, the process | A CFO who has been through one |
What the fully loaded number is
A UK CFO at £150,000 base costs roughly £172,000 once employer National Insurance and pension are in, before bonus or equity. Add a retained search fee at 30 per cent and the first year is around £217,000.
That is the number to compare against alternatives, not the salary.
Three questions that actually separate candidates
- Walk me through a forecast you got wrong. What did you miss, and what did you change afterwards? Anyone senior has one, and the ones who cannot name it have not owned a number.
- Describe a time you told a founder or a board something they did not want to hear. The job is largely this.
- What would you stop doing in your first month? Tests whether they have a view or a checklist.
When fractional is the better answer
If the honest requirement is two days a week of judgement rather than five days of a full-time officer, a fractional CFO fills the seat at a fraction of the loaded cost and can start in days rather than in six months.
The two are not exclusive. A fractional CFO covering the seat while a permanent search runs is the normal way to avoid a six-month hole, and it is why both sit on this site.
Questions
- How much does it cost to recruit a CFO?
- A retained search is 25 to 33 per cent of first-year earnings in the UK, so £37,500 to £49,500 on a £150,000 seat, plus VAT. The loaded cost of the hire itself is roughly fifteen per cent above salary before bonus.
- Should I hire a fractional or full-time CFO?
- Full-time when the seat genuinely needs five days and the company can carry the loaded cost. Fractional when the requirement is judgement rather than hours, or while a permanent search runs.