Insights guide

What is a fractional CFO?

A fractional CFO is a senior finance leader who works inside your business part time, giving you the strategic thinking of a Chief Financial Officer without the cost of a full time hire. This guide explains what the role actually involves, how it differs from a bookkeeper or an accountant, when a business needs one, and what it costs.

What a fractional CFO actually does

A fractional CFO works at the level of decisions, not transactions. The day to day bookkeeping and compliance stay where they are. What you gain is someone who translates your numbers into commercial choices, builds the forecasts and cash models that drive those choices, and sits in the room when the decisions that shape the next few years get made. In practice that means a senior voice on pricing, margin, cash, hiring, capital and eventual sale. You can see the full scope on the Fractional CFO page.

What a fractional CFO is not

It is not a bookkeeper who runs your software, and it is not your accountant. Your accountant keeps you compliant through tax, financial statements and BAS, looking mostly backwards at what has already happened. A fractional CFO is forward looking and commercial. The two roles complement each other, and most businesses keep both. It is also not a one off consultant who delivers a report and disappears. The value sits in the ongoing rhythm, not a single document.

Fractional, virtual or outsourced. What is the difference?

In practice the terms are used interchangeably. Fractional emphasises that you are buying a fraction of a senior person’s time. Virtual emphasises that much of the work is delivered remotely. Outsourced emphasises that the person sits outside your payroll. The underlying role is the same: senior financial leadership, scaled to an SME. ProfitPulse delivers it across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and interstate in Sydney and Melbourne, so the label you use matters far less than the substance behind it. You can see where we work for the detail.

When does a business need one?

The model fits owner led businesses turning over roughly $1M to $30M. The clearest signals are familiar: revenue is growing but profit is not keeping pace, decisions feel like they are made in the dark without good financial visibility, a capital raise or sale is on the horizon, or the business is scaling faster than its financial systems can support. Below about $1M, a one off diagnostic is usually a better fit than an ongoing retainer. Above $20M to $30M, a full time CFO often becomes justifiable.

How much does a fractional CFO cost?

Most providers will not publish a number, which makes the category hard to compare. ProfitPulse publishes its rate openly: $3,750 per month for the full engagement, paid monthly, with no lock in. Across the market you should expect roughly $3,000 to $8,000 per month depending on scope and seniority. The pricing page shows how every ProfitPulse engagement is sized.

How an engagement works

It usually starts with a diagnostic over the first few weeks, a full review of your financials, systems and operating rhythm that ends in a written summary of the highest leverage areas in your business. From there it settles into a monthly cadence of performance review, a rolling cash view and the decisions that move profitability and value. By month three the financial fog clears, calls get shorter and decisions get faster. The Fractional CFO page sets out each stage in detail, and if a raise or sale is ahead, the guides on business valuation, investor readiness and exit readiness are a useful next read.

Common questions

What is the difference between a fractional CFO and an accountant?

Your accountant keeps you compliant through tax, financial statements and BAS. A fractional CFO is forward looking, helping you make commercial decisions on pricing, cash, capital, growth and value. The roles complement each other and most businesses keep both.

Is a fractional CFO the same as a virtual CFO?

For most purposes, yes. Virtual simply emphasises that the work is delivered largely online, while fractional emphasises that you are engaging a senior person part time. The role and the value are the same.

What size business needs a fractional CFO?

Typically between $1M and $30M in revenue. Below that, a one off diagnostic is usually more cost effective. Above it, a full time CFO often becomes justifiable, though some larger businesses keep a fractional partner in parallel for specific work.

What does a fractional CFO cost?

ProfitPulse charges $3,750 per month, with the market generally running from around $3,000 to $8,000. Our pricing page explains how every engagement is sized, and the recommender will point you to the right starting point in about a minute.