Three Pricing Models — and What Each One Really Costs You
The model matters as much as the rate. Two firms quoting the same fractional CFO cost can differ by thousands a month once the work actually starts. For context on what senior finance talent commands, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts median pay for financial managers well into six figures — before you get anywhere near CFO-level experience.
Hourly
Common with independent consultants and traditional CPA firms moving into advisory.
The catch: you hesitate to call. The single most valuable thing a CFO does — being available when a decision comes up — becomes the thing you avoid because the meter is running.
Day Rate
Typically one to four days a month, often used by larger consulting firms.
The catch: financial problems don’t schedule themselves for your CFO’s Tuesday. Work not finished on the day rolls to next month — or gets billed as extra.
Flat Monthly Fee
A defined scope of deliverables for one predictable price, month to month.
Why it wins: you budget one number, you call whenever you need to, and your CFO is paid for outcomes rather than hours logged.
Five Factors That Decide Where You Land in the Range
Your actual fractional CFO cost is set by these five variables — in roughly this order of impact.
Fractional CFO Cost vs. Full-Time CFO vs. Doing Nothing
The honest cost comparison includes the option most owners actually choose: leaving the seat empty.
Full-Time CFO
Base salary plus payroll taxes, benefits, bonus, and often equity. Add recruiting fees and three to six months to hire. Correct choice above roughly $20M in revenue — expensive overkill below it.
Fractional CFO
Same senior-level output, sized to what you actually need. No benefits, no payroll taxes, no severance risk. Starts in weeks, scales up or down as the business changes.
No CFO at All
Uncollected receivables. Underpriced work you keep selling. A credit line negotiated in a panic instead of from strength. This is the most expensive option on the page, and the cost never shows up as a line item.
Ask What It Returns, Not What It Costs
A fractional CFO at $4,000 a month costs $48,000 a year. That’s the wrong number to focus on. The right one: what does the engagement have to find or fix to pay for itself?
One percent of margin recovered on a $5M business is $50,000. Collecting receivables 15 days faster on the same business frees roughly $200,000 in working capital. Catching one underpriced service line can be worth more than the fee for years running.
If an engagement can’t articulate how it pays for itself in the first year, don’t sign it.
Six Questions Worth Asking Any Fractional CFO
Ask these before price ever comes up. The answers tell you more about the engagement than the number will.
Written by a CPA Who Prices This Work Every Week
David Lopez is a licensed CPA — the designation governed by the AICPA — with an M.S. in Taxation from the University of Miami and a career that runs from public accounting at Berkowitz Pollack & Brant to CFO of Saxon, a Xerox company.
Today he runs the finance function for nine South Florida businesses representing $34M in combined revenue — every one of them on the flat-fee model described on this page.
Meet David →Our Prices Are on the Website. On Purpose.
Lopez Consulting publishes every tier — bookkeeping through full CFO advisory — as a flat monthly fee, month to month, with no hourly billing and no annual contract. You’ll know your exact fractional CFO cost before you ever speak to anyone.
See All Tiers & Pricing →Not sure which tier fits? A free 30-minute call sorts it out. Want the full picture of what’s included? See our fractional CFO services.
Get a Number Without Booking a Call
Five fields, no calendar invite. Send the revenue range and what is breaking, and David will come back with the tier that fits and what it would cost.
Fractional CFO Cost, Answered
How much does a fractional CFO cost per month?
Most engagements run $2,000 to $10,000 per month. Advisory-only arrangements sit at the lower end; full bookkeeping, controller, and CFO service for a larger or more complex business sits at the upper end.
Is a fractional CFO cheaper than hiring full-time?
Substantially. A full-time CFO in South Florida costs $250,000 or more once benefits and payroll taxes are included, while a fractional engagement typically runs $24,000 to $120,000 annually with no benefits, severance exposure, or recruiting fees.
What’s a typical hourly rate for a fractional CFO?
Roughly $150 to $400 an hour where hourly billing is used. Flat monthly pricing is generally better for the client, because it removes the incentive to avoid calling your CFO when a decision comes up.
Are there setup or cleanup costs?
Often, yes — if the books are significantly behind. Reconstructing prior periods is one-time project work quoted separately from the monthly fee. Any firm that discovers this mid-engagement without telling you up front is a firm to avoid.
Do fractional CFOs require long-term contracts?
Some do, requiring six or twelve months. Lopez Consulting works month to month — the engagement should continue because it’s producing value, not because a contract makes leaving difficult.
When is a business too small for a fractional CFO?
Below roughly $1 million in revenue, a strong bookkeeper and a good CPA usually cover the need. The value of a fractional CFO grows with complexity — multiple entities, inventory, job costing, debt, or a growth plan that depends on cash timing.