Fractional vs interim vs full-time: which do you actually need?
The short version: a fractional executive holds the seat part-time as a standing arrangement; an interim holds it full-time for a defined stretch, usually covering a gap or a crisis; a full-time hire is the seat, permanently. Everything else follows from that.
The three, defined
Fractional
A senior executive who runs the function one to three days a week, indefinitely. Not a consultant and not an advisor: they own a number, manage people, and sit in the leadership meeting. Most serve two or three companies at once.
Interim
A full-time executive on a temporary contract, typically three to nine months. The classic triggers are a sudden departure, a turnaround, or a transaction that needs someone on it every day until it closes.
Full-time
The permanent hire, with salary, equity, notice periods and everything else that comes with employing someone. The right answer when the function genuinely needs leading five days a week, which usually arrives later than founders expect.
| Fractional | Interim | Full-time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time commitment | 1–3 days a week, ongoing | Full-time, temporarily | Full-time, permanently |
| Typical length | 6 months to years, open-ended | 3–9 months, defined end | Years |
| Cost shape | Day rate for days used; roughly £3k–£12k a month for most seats | Day rate, five days a week; often £15k–£25k a month | Salary, employer NI, pension, equity; £120k–£250k+ a year all-in |
| What it solves | The company needs the seat's judgement, but not five days of it | A gap or a crisis: sudden departure, turnaround, a deal that needs a body on it daily | The function is big enough to need leading every day |
| Notice and exit | Days to weeks, by agreement | Contract end date | Notice periods, and often a settlement |
| Who employs them | Nobody; they contract with you directly and usually serve several companies | Usually engaged through an interim provider, sometimes direct | You do, with everything that carries |
When each one wins
Choose fractional when
- You need the judgement and the ownership, but the workload is one to three days a week. Most companies under about fifty people are here for most seats.
- You want the seat filled next week, without a four-month search and a placement fee.
- The budget is real but not £150k plus on-costs. Day rates for every seat are published here.
Choose interim when
- Someone senior just left and the function cannot run leaderless while you search.
- There is a crisis or a transaction that needs a full-time grip: a turnaround, an audit gone wrong, a deal in diligence.
- The engagement has a natural end date you can already name.
Choose full-time when
- The function has grown a team that needs managing every day.
- The seat's work genuinely fills a week, every week, and has for months.
- You need someone whose entire professional attention belongs to this company.
When that is the answer, we find full-time executives too, with the fee published on the page rather than quoted on a call.
Common questions
Is a fractional CFO cheaper than an interim CFO?
Almost always, because you are buying fewer days. A fractional CFO at two days a week costs roughly half what a full-time interim does, sometimes less. But they solve different problems: if the work genuinely needs someone on it five days a week, fractional is the wrong tool, not the cheap one.
Is interim more senior than fractional?
No. Seniority is the same pool of people; the difference is the shape of the engagement. Many operators do both across their career: interim when a company needs cover, fractional as a standing seat across two or three companies at once.
Can a fractional executive be inside IR35?
Engagement structure decides that, not the label. Most fractional arrangements involve genuine independence: multiple clients, control over how the work is done, no employee-style integration. That said, IR35 status depends on the specific facts of each engagement, so take proper advice rather than relying on a label. This is general information, not tax advice.
Can a fractional hire become full-time?
Yes, and it happens often enough that it is worth planning for. Some companies use a fractional engagement as an extended working interview for the full-time seat. Agree upfront how that conversation would work; a good operator will not be offended by the question.
The bench is free to browse
Every operator verified by hand, booked direct, no commission. Start from the seat you need, or brief us and we run the search. And if interim or full-time is the honest answer for you, we will say so: the operator never pays us, so we have nothing to gain by pretending.