Fractional CFO cost by funding stage
The day rate for the seat barely moves between stages. Days a week moves a great deal, and it is what decides the monthly figure. A pre-seed company and a Series B company hiring the same person at the same rate will pay six times the difference, because they are buying different amounts of the week.
The UK band for this seat is £800 to £1,500 a day, taken from live listings on the bench rather than a salary survey. Where that comes from is set out in full.
By stage
£1,533 to £2,875 a month
The model, the runway number, and enough structure that a seed investor can diligence it.
Half a day a week, often fortnightly in practice. At this size the work is finite and the alternative is the founder doing it badly at midnight.
£3,067 to £5,750 a month
Board reporting, cash discipline, and the first proper forecast anybody is held to.
One day a week is where most seed companies land. Enough to own the numbers, not enough to manage a function, which is correct because there is not one yet.
£6,133 to £11,500 a month
Cohort economics, the monthly pack, hiring plan costed fully loaded, and the raise after this one.
Two days is the usual floor once a board exists. Below that the seat advises rather than owns, and a Series A board is asking somebody to own it.
£9,200 to £17,250 a month
A finance team, audit readiness, revenue recognition that survives diligence.
Three days is where fractional starts costing more than it saves. By Series B the honest answer is usually a permanent finance leader with a fractional CFO above them, or a full-time CFO outright.
How the monthly figure is worked out
Day rate, times days a week, times 3.83 weeks a month. That last number is 46 billable weeks a year divided by twelve, not 4.33.
The difference matters more than it looks. Using 4.33 assumes a 52-week year, which is an operator who never takes a holiday, and it overstates every monthly figure in this market by about thirteen per cent. A company that budgets on the inflated number and then negotiates against it is negotiating against nothing.
The calculator runs your own numbers, and the full-time comparison adds employer national insurance, pension and a recruitment fee to the other side.
Common questions
How much does a fractional CFO cost at Series A?
Most Series A companies engage at two days a week, which at the published UK band of £800 to £1,500 a day is £6,133 to £11,500 a month. Two days is the usual floor once a board exists, because below that the seat advises rather than owns and a board is asking somebody to own it.
How much does a fractional CFO cost at seed stage?
One day a week is where most seed companies land, which is £3,067 to £5,750 a month. That is enough to own the numbers and the board reporting, and not enough to manage a finance function, which is correct because at seed there is not one yet.
What does a fractional CFO cost at pre-seed?
Half a day a week, often fortnightly in practice, so £1,533 to £2,875 a month. The work at that size is finite: a model, a runway number and enough structure that a seed investor can diligence it.
At what stage does a fractional CFO become a full-time hire?
Usually around Series B, and the trigger is not revenue. It is the function growing a team that needs managing daily, and the work shifting from building reporting to running it. Both arrive before the revenue figure people quote as the threshold.
Is the day rate different at different funding stages?
Barely. The published band moves with the complexity of the work rather than the size of the company: fundraise and exit work, regulated sectors and turnarounds sit at the top of it. What changes by stage is days a week, and that is what changes the monthly cost.
See the rate before the conversation
Browse fractional CFOs with the day rate on each profile, and approach directly at no cost. Or send a brief and three researched candidates come back against it in five business days.