What a fractional executive costs a month
Day rates are how this market quotes and months are how companies budget, so the conversion is where most of the confusion lives. Below is every seat at one, two and three days a week, in three currencies, computed from the same function the calculator uses so nothing here can disagree with anything else on the site.
The arithmetic, before the tables
Day rate, times days a week, times 3.83 weeks a month.
That figure is 46 billable weeks a year divided by twelve. The number you will see elsewhere is 4.33, which is 52 weeks divided by twelve, and it describes an operator who takes no holiday, has no gap between clients and spends no time on their own business. Nobody bills 52 weeks. The gap is about thirteen per cent, which on a two-day CFO seat is well over a thousand pounds a month of budget that was never real.
United Kingdom, per month
Taken from live listings on the bench. The method is published.
| Seat | 1 day a week | 2 days a week | 3 days a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISO | £3,450 to £5,750 | £6,900 to £11,500 | £10,350 to £17,250 |
| CFO | £3,067 to £5,750 | £6,133 to £11,500 | £9,200 to £17,250 |
| CTO | £3,067 to £5,367 | £6,133 to £10,733 | £9,200 to £16,100 |
| General Counsel | £3,067 to £5,367 | £6,133 to £10,733 | £9,200 to £16,100 |
| CMO | £2,683 to £4,983 | £5,367 to £9,967 | £8,050 to £14,950 |
| COO | £2,683 to £4,983 | £5,367 to £9,967 | £8,050 to £14,950 |
| Sales Director | £2,683 to £4,983 | £5,367 to £9,967 | £8,050 to £14,950 |
| Product Lead | £2,683 to £4,600 | £5,367 to £9,200 | £8,050 to £13,800 |
| Data Lead | £2,683 to £4,600 | £5,367 to £9,200 | £8,050 to £13,800 |
| Growth Lead | £2,300 to £4,217 | £4,600 to £8,433 | £6,900 to £12,650 |
| People Lead | £2,300 to £4,217 | £4,600 to £8,433 | £6,900 to £12,650 |
United States, per month
Stated as market observation rather than first-party data, which is the honest label for it. Only the UK bands come off live listings on this bench.
| Seat | 1 day a week | 2 days a week | 3 days a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISO | $4,600 to $8,817 | $9,200 to $17,633 | $13,800 to $26,450 |
| CFO | $3,833 to $8,433 | $7,667 to $16,867 | $11,500 to $25,300 |
| CTO | $3,833 to $7,667 | $7,667 to $15,333 | $11,500 to $23,000 |
| General Counsel | $4,217 to $8,050 | $8,433 to $16,100 | $12,650 to $24,150 |
| CMO | $3,450 to $6,900 | $6,900 to $13,800 | $10,350 to $20,700 |
| COO | $3,450 to $6,900 | $6,900 to $13,800 | $10,350 to $20,700 |
| Sales Director | $3,450 to $6,900 | $6,900 to $13,800 | $10,350 to $20,700 |
| Product Lead | $3,450 to $6,517 | $6,900 to $13,033 | $10,350 to $19,550 |
| Data Lead | $3,450 to $6,517 | $6,900 to $13,033 | $10,350 to $19,550 |
| Growth Lead | $3,067 to $5,750 | $6,133 to $11,500 | $9,200 to $17,250 |
| People Lead | $3,067 to $5,750 | $6,133 to $11,500 | $9,200 to $17,250 |
United Arab Emirates, per month
Stated as market observation rather than first-party data, which is the honest label for it. Only the UK bands come off live listings on this bench.
| Seat | 1 day a week | 2 days a week | 3 days a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISO | AED 15,333 to AED 28,750 | AED 30,667 to AED 57,500 | AED 46,000 to AED 86,250 |
| CFO | AED 13,417 to AED 28,750 | AED 26,833 to AED 57,500 | AED 40,250 to AED 86,250 |
| CTO | AED 13,417 to AED 26,833 | AED 26,833 to AED 53,667 | AED 40,250 to AED 80,500 |
| General Counsel | AED 13,417 to AED 24,917 | AED 26,833 to AED 49,833 | AED 40,250 to AED 74,750 |
| CMO | AED 11,500 to AED 23,000 | AED 23,000 to AED 46,000 | AED 34,500 to AED 69,000 |
| COO | AED 11,500 to AED 23,000 | AED 23,000 to AED 46,000 | AED 34,500 to AED 69,000 |
| Sales Director | AED 11,500 to AED 23,000 | AED 23,000 to AED 46,000 | AED 34,500 to AED 69,000 |
| Product Lead | AED 11,500 to AED 21,083 | AED 23,000 to AED 42,167 | AED 34,500 to AED 63,250 |
| Data Lead | AED 11,500 to AED 21,083 | AED 23,000 to AED 42,167 | AED 34,500 to AED 63,250 |
| Growth Lead | AED 9,967 to AED 19,167 | AED 19,933 to AED 38,333 | AED 29,900 to AED 57,500 |
| People Lead | AED 9,967 to AED 19,167 | AED 19,933 to AED 38,333 | AED 29,900 to AED 57,500 |
Where these stop being the right comparison
At three days a week the question is no longer which fractional operator, it is whether the seat is fractional at all. A three-day engagement at the top of most of these bands costs more than a mid-market full-time salary once you count only the salary, and the full-time side carries employer costs on top. That comparison is worked through properly, including the point at which the lines cross.
Common questions
How much does a fractional executive cost per month in the UK?
It depends on the seat and the days. At two days a week, the cheapest seats on the bench run £4,600 to £8,433 a month and the most expensive run £6,900 to £11,500. The arithmetic is the day rate times days a week times 3.83 weeks.
How many weeks are there in a month for billing purposes?
3.83, not 4.33. A fractional operator bills around 46 weeks a year rather than 52 once holiday, admin and the gaps between clients are taken out, and 46 divided by twelve is 3.83. Using 4.33 overstates every monthly figure by about thirteen per cent.
Is a fractional executive cheaper at more days a week?
Per day, rarely. Some operators discount slightly at three days or more, but the meaningful change is that above two or three days the comparison stops being against a fractional alternative and starts being against a permanent hire, which at that point is often cheaper.
Do fractional executives charge a monthly retainer instead?
Many do, and the thing to ask is how many days it buys. A retainer with no day count attached is the one arrangement in this market where both sides can be confident they agreed something and be wrong about what.
Every rate on the profile, before you speak to anyone
Browse the bench and approach directly at no cost, or run your own numbers against a full-time hire with employer costs counted.