What it costs
Cost scales with hours, and most founders need fewer than they expect at the start. A seed-stage business typically needs five to ten hours a month, which runs $1k to $3k a month. A hyper-growth or operationally complex business needs five to ten hours a week, which runs $5k to $10k a month.[1] Set against a full-time CFO at $275k to $325k base plus equity at late Series A, the arithmetic is why the model exists.[2]
| Stage | Hours and cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Seed stage | 5 to 10 hours a month, $1k to $3k a month | Enough for runway tracking, board reporting and the decisions that genuinely need senior judgement. |
| Hyper-growth or complex | 5 to 10 hours a week, $5k to $10k a month | A raise, a systems change or a board wanting a forward view. The point where hours start climbing. |
| Full-time CFO | $275k to $325k + equity at late Series A | The end state once the role has continuous work in it, and effectively mandatory around $20m ARR. |
The thing nobody tells you: the hours slip
Part time roles rarely are actually part time. People in them routinely end up doing far more hours than they need to.[3] It happens quietly. A board pack takes longer than the allocated day, a raise starts, a systems migration goes sideways, and the person who agreed to two days a month is answering messages every week.
That matters for two reasons. The obvious one is that you are getting value you are not paying for, which is not a stable arrangement and usually ends with the person leaving. The less obvious one is that scope creep hides the signal you actually need: if the role has quietly become full time, that is the business telling you it is ready for a full-time hire.
The fix is not to police the hours. It is to agree what the engagement covers, review it honestly every quarter, and treat a consistent overrun as data rather than goodwill.
Part time, fractional, interim
The labels blur and the distinctions matter less than the sales pages suggest. Part time, fractional and virtual CFO all describe the same thing: senior finance leadership bought by the day or the month. Interim is different, a full-time commitment for a fixed period, usually while you run a permanent search.
One genuine constraint worth knowing: part time accounting and finance roles can be hard to find.[4] The supply of experienced people who genuinely want a part time arrangement, rather than treating it as a stopgap between full-time roles, is thinner than the demand. Budget more time to find the right person than the size of the engagement suggests.
If what you need is cover while you hire permanently rather than an ongoing arrangement, interim is the better structure here.
How long it should last
Treat it as a bridge with an end date. A fractional or part time CFO is usually relevant for a finite period, typically eighteen to twenty-four months, and used well it buys that much proper financial visibility before you need a full-timer.[5] For businesses reaching $20m ARR a full-time CFO becomes effectively mandatory, because these arrangements break down at that scale.[6]
Plan the permanent hire before the bridge starts straining rather than after. The search takes months, and starting it when the part time arrangement has already failed means running it under exactly the time pressure that produces a bad hire.
I set out the signals that say the role has become a full-time CFO separately here.
Common questions
How much does a part time CFO cost in Australia?
It scales with hours. A seed-stage business typically needs five to ten hours a month at $1k to $3k a month. A hyper-growth or operationally complex business needs five to ten hours a week at $5k to $10k a month. For comparison, a full-time CFO at late Series A runs $275k to $325k base plus equity, which is the arithmetic that makes the part time model attractive in the gap stage.
Is a part time CFO the same as a fractional CFO?
Yes in practice. Part time, fractional and virtual CFO all describe senior finance leadership bought by the day or the month rather than as a full-time salary. Interim is the one genuinely different model: a full-time commitment for a fixed period, usually while a permanent search runs. What you are really choosing is how many hours a month you need and whether you want an individual or a firm.
Do part time CFO roles stay part time?
Often not. Part time roles rarely are actually part time, and the people in them routinely end up working far more hours than agreed. It happens gradually: a raise starts, a systems migration goes wrong, and a two-day-a-month arrangement becomes weekly. Review the scope honestly every quarter, because a consistent overrun is not goodwill, it is the business signalling that it is ready for a full-time hire.
How long should a part time CFO arrangement last?
Usually eighteen to twenty-four months. Used well, a fractional or part time arrangement buys that much proper financial visibility before a full-timer is needed. Around $20m ARR a full-time CFO becomes effectively mandatory because these arrangements break down at that scale. Start the permanent search before the bridge strains, since a rushed search under pressure is how bad CFO hires happen.
References
- Story Recruitment 2026 fractional finance cost data: $1-3k per month for 5-10 hours per month at seed stage, scaling to $5-10k per month for 5-10 hours per week for hyper-growth or operationally complex businesses.
- Story Recruitment 2026 finance leadership salary bands: late Series A CFO $275-325k base plus equity.
- Tom Hunter on part time roles: they rarely are actually part time, with individuals often ending up doing far more hours than they need to.
- Tom Hunter's observation that part time accounting roles can be hard to find.
- Story Recruitment guidance: a fractional CFO is typically relevant for a finite period of 18 to 24 months, providing that much proper financial visibility before a full-time hire.
- Story Recruitment guidance: for businesses reaching $20m+ ARR a full-time CFO becomes effectively mandatory, as fractional arrangements typically break down at this stage.