Four jobs, one job title
Before any figure is useful, work out which of these you mean. They differ on who carries the risk, who owns the client, and whether the income is a salary at all.
| Type of finance consultant | How the money works | |
|---|---|---|
| Consultant inside an advisory firm | Salary + bonus | Employed by a consulting, advisory or accounting firm and deployed onto client work. Most predictable income, lowest ceiling, and the firm owns the client relationship. |
| Contractor filling a role | Day rate or hourly rate | Sits inside one business for a defined period doing a defined job. The rate must absorb no leave, no employer superannuation and the gaps between engagements. |
| Fractional CFO | Monthly retainer | Senior judgement across several clients, bought by the day or month. $1k to $3k a month at seed stage, scaling to $5k to $10k a month for complex or fast-growing businesses. |
| Independent adviser or practice | Project fees and profit | Owns the client relationships and the business itself. Highest ceiling, and the only version where the practice is an asset. Also carries all the pipeline risk. |
The pattern is that as you move down that list you trade security for rate. A salaried consultant has the lowest variance and the lowest ceiling. An independent practice has the highest of both.
Fractional and independent: what the market actually pays
This is the segment where I have real numbers, because founders ask me about it constantly. Typical fractional finance costs for most seed-stage founders are $1k to $3k per month for 5 to 10 hours per month, scaling to $5k to $10k per month for 5 to 10 hours per week for hyper-growth or operationally complex businesses.[1]
Work backwards from that and it tells you the implied rate. At the upper end, $5k to $10k a month for 5 to 10 hours a week is senior judgement priced well above what the equivalent permanent salary implies per hour, which is exactly right: the client is buying experience without carrying a full-time cost.
The engagement is also finite, and consultants who plan around that do better. A fractional CFO is typically relevant to a startup for a finite period, usually 18 to 24 months.[2] Fractional finance can provide 18 to 24 months of proper financial visibility before a full-timer is needed.[3] If you are building an independent practice, that means constant pipeline replacement is part of the business model rather than a sign something has gone wrong.
If you are on the buying side of that number, I set out what fractional finance covers and where it stops working here.
Contract rates versus permanent salary
A contract day rate should be meaningfully higher than the daily equivalent of a permanent salary, and people routinely underprice this by forgetting what the rate has to absorb. No superannuation paid for you, no annual or sick leave, no notice period protection, and the gaps between engagements. A rate that merely matches the salaried equivalent is a pay cut.
The permanent bands are the anchor to work from. Current ranges are $140k to $170k plus super for a Finance Manager and $160k to $200k plus super for a Financial Controller, varying by industry, business size and complexity, and location.[4] A VP or Head of Finance sits at $180k to $240k plus equity.[5] At the top, an interim CFO role I recruited for offered up to $350k plus superannuation, with flexibility for outstanding candidates.[6]
Contract versus fixed-term is a live conversation for Australian businesses, particularly around end of financial year, and the choice affects what a consultant can charge.[7] A fixed-term employee gets leave and super and so prices closer to permanent. A contractor carries their own costs and should price accordingly.
Interim cover sits between contracting and permanent, and prices differently again here.
What moves your rate
Seniority of the judgement, not the hours. Finance professionals operating at a high strategic level should negotiate based on their judgement and strategic value, not just their technical skills, because discerning founders will pay for the peace of mind that comes from having finance in capable hands.[8] That principle sets consulting rates more than anything else on this page.
Whether you have held the title. It is particularly interesting when someone takes on their first CFO role as a contractor, because there is a natural expectation to add value immediately in a contract position, even if they have not held the title before.[9] First-time contractors get less benefit of the doubt than they expect.
Location. Sydney leads Australia in both role volume and pay, driven by demand and cost of living.[10] Rates follow the same pattern.
Referral flow. The best independent practices run on referral rather than marketing. I refer early-stage founders to good fractional CFOs, and those relationships often lead to referrals back, including a recent CFO role that came from a fractional CFO.[11] I am also building a referral document of the best fractional and virtual CFO advisers in Australia, and I share it with any business that asks.[12]
Where Story sits
Story recruits permanent senior finance for Australian VC-backed startups and scale-ups, specifically the first finance hire and the first CFO. I am not a fractional CFO and I do not sell consulting hours. What I do have is a clear view of where the permanent bands sit and when a business should stop buying fractional and hire.
A founder needing a fractional CFO today might be building something that will require a full-time hire in 18 months.[13] That is a useful thing to know whichever side of the arrangement you are on. I helped one founder by introducing them to an outstanding fractional CFO within four hours, with no fee attached.[14]
Common questions
How much does a finance consultant earn in Australia?
It depends which of four jobs you mean. A salaried consultant inside an advisory firm earns a base plus bonus with the firm owning the client. A contractor charges a day rate that must absorb no leave, no employer superannuation and the gaps between engagements. A fractional CFO typically charges $1k to $3k a month for 5 to 10 hours monthly at seed stage, scaling to $5k to $10k a month for 5 to 10 hours weekly in hyper-growth or operationally complex businesses. An independent practice owner takes project fees and profit, with the highest ceiling and all the pipeline risk.
How much should a contract day rate be compared to a permanent salary?
Meaningfully above the daily equivalent, because the rate has to absorb what an employer would otherwise carry: superannuation, annual and sick leave, notice protection and the gaps between engagements. A rate that merely matches the salaried equivalent is a pay cut. Anchor against the permanent bands: $140k to $170k plus super for a Finance Manager, $160k to $200k plus super for a Financial Controller, $180k to $240k plus equity for a Head of Finance, and up to $350k plus super at the interim CFO end.
How long does a fractional CFO engagement usually last?
Usually 18 to 24 months. Fractional finance can provide roughly that much proper financial visibility before a full-timer is needed, and a fractional CFO is typically relevant to a startup for exactly that finite period. If you are building an independent practice, plan for it: constant pipeline replacement is part of the business model rather than a sign something has gone wrong. If you are the client, it means you should be planning the permanent hire before the arrangement runs out.
Does Story Recruitment place fractional CFOs and contractors?
Story recruits permanent senior finance for Australian VC-backed startups and scale-ups, specifically the first finance hire and the first CFO. We are not a fractional CFO service and do not sell consulting hours. We do refer founders to good fractional CFOs when that is the right answer, including one introduction made within four hours with no fee attached, and we maintain a referral document of the best fractional and virtual CFO advisers in Australia that we share with any business that asks.
References
- Story Recruitment fractional finance costs: typically $1-3k per month for 5-10 hours per month for seed-stage founders, scaling to $5-10k per month for 5-10 hours per week for hyper-growth or operationally complex businesses.
- Tom Hunter on fractional CFOs: typically relevant to a startup for a finite period, usually 18 to 24 months.
- Story Recruitment guidance: fractional finance can provide 18-24 months of proper financial visibility before a full-timer is needed.
- Story Recruitment market data: current ranges of $140-170k plus super for a Finance Manager and $160-200k plus super for a Financial Controller, varying by industry, business size and complexity, and location.
- Story Recruitment 2026 finance leadership salary bands: VP / Head of Finance $180-240k plus equity.
- Story Recruitment interim CFO mandate: a role offering a salary of up to $350k plus superannuation, with flexibility for outstanding candidates.
- Tom Hunter on end of financial year hiring: an increasing number of client conversations across Accounting and Finance about hiring contractors versus fixed-term employees.
- Tom Hunter on senior finance negotiation: professionals operating at a high strategic level should negotiate based on judgement and strategic value, not just technical skills, as discerning founders will pay for the peace of mind of having finance in capable hands.
- Tom Hunter on The CFO Track: it is particularly interesting when someone takes on their first CFO role as a contractor, given the natural expectation to immediately add value in a contract position even without having held the title before.
- Story Recruitment market data: Sydney leads Australia in both the volume of Finance Business Partner roles and pay, driven by demand and cost of living.
- Tom Hunter on referrals: he refers early-stage founders to good fractional CFOs, and these relationships often lead to referrals back, including a recent CFO role that came from a fractional CFO.
- Tom Hunter on his fractional referral list: building a referral document of the best fractional and virtual CFO advisers in Australia, shared with any business that asks.
- Tom Hunter on fractional finance: a founder needing a fractional CFO today might be building something that will require a full-time hire in 18 months.
- Story Recruitment example: Tom Hunter introduced a founder to an outstanding fractional CFO within 4 hours, without any fee attached.