What Does a Fractional CFO Cost? Full-Time vs Fractional Calculator
Updated July 10, 2026 · Reviewed by Max Berger, Co-Founder
A full time finance hire costs far more than the salary alone once payroll taxes, benefits, software, and overhead are added. This calculator compares that fully loaded cost against a fractional or outsourced arrangement so you can see the annual and monthly difference before you commit.
Pick the role you need, your state cost level, and how many hours of support you expect per month. The default view below shows a CFO in an average cost state at 20 hours per month.
Fractional saves $265,000 per year, about 81.5% less than a full time hire.
Full time hire
$325,000
per year
$27,083 per month
Fractional
$60,000
per year
$5,000 per month
Estimated annual savings
$265,000
vs full time
81.5%
Fractional stays cheaper until you need roughly 108 hours/month.
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These figures are a planning estimate built on standard assumptions. For numbers based on your actual books and state, book a discovery call.
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How this calculator works
The full time figure starts from a base salary for the role: $55,000 for a bookkeeper, $110,000 for a controller, and $250,000 for a CFO. That salary is multiplied by your state cost level: 1.15 for high cost states like California and New York, 1.00 for average, and 0.90 for lower cost states.
We then apply a fully loaded burden multiplier of 1.30, which represents roughly 30% on top of salary for payroll taxes near 7.65% FICA plus FUTA and SUTA, benefits, software, and overhead. The burden multiplier is an editable advanced field so you can match your own numbers. Fully loaded annual cost equals salary times the burden multiplier, and the monthly figure is that annual cost divided by 12.
The fractional cost equals your hours per month times 12 times the fractional hourly rate. Default hourly rates are $60 for a bookkeeper, $125 for a controller, and $250 for a CFO, each editable in advanced assumptions. Annual savings is the full time cost minus the fractional cost, and the percentage is that savings divided by the full time cost.
The break-even line uses the formula X equals the fully loaded annual cost divided by the hourly rate times 12. That X is the hours per month at which fractional support would cost the same as a full time hire, so below it fractional stays cheaper.
Two caveats. The revenue range is contextual only and does not change the math in this version. And these figures are planning estimates, not quotes: real salaries, benefits, and hourly rates vary by market, industry, and scope.
Worked example
Take the default view: a CFO in an average cost state at 20 hours per month. The base CFO salary of $250,000 times the average multiplier of 1.00 is $250,000. Applying the 1.30 burden multiplier gives a fully loaded cost of $325,000 per year, or $27,083 per month.
The fractional side is 20 hours times 12 months times $250 per hour, which is $60,000 per year, or $5,000 per month. That is a saving of $265,000 per year, about 81.5% less than the full time hire.
Break-even sits at $325,000 divided by $250 times 12, which is roughly 108 hours per month. In other words, fractional stays cheaper until you would need close to a full time workload, at which point hiring starts to make more sense.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average hourly rate for a fractional CFO?
Fractional CFO rates commonly fall in the range of a few hundred dollars per hour, and this calculator uses 250 dollars per hour as a starting point that you can edit. Fractional bookkeepers and controllers cost less, with defaults here of 60 and 125 dollars per hour. Actual rates vary with experience, scope, and how strategic the work is.
How many hours per month do companies typically need from a fractional CFO?
Many companies engage a fractional CFO for roughly 10 to 40 hours per month, depending on complexity, fundraising, and reporting demands. Lighter needs may sit near 10 to 20 hours, while active fundraising or an acquisition can push higher. This calculator defaults to 20 hours per month and lets you slide from 5 to 80.
What is the difference between a bookkeeper, a controller, and a CFO?
A bookkeeper records daily transactions and keeps the ledger clean and reconciled. A controller owns the monthly close, financial reporting, and internal controls. A CFO is strategic and focuses on forecasting, fundraising, capital allocation, and board level decisions. Growing companies often need all three functions, but not all three as full time hires.
At what revenue does a company need a CFO?
There is no single revenue threshold, but many companies start needing CFO level support somewhere in the low millions of revenue or when financing, complex reporting, or rapid growth raise the stakes on financial decisions. Below that, a bookkeeper plus a part time controller often covers the need. A fractional CFO lets you add that expertise before a full time salary is justified.
What does outsourced bookkeeping cost per month?
Outsourced bookkeeping is usually billed as a monthly fee or by the hour, and this calculator estimates it as your chosen hours multiplied by the bookkeeper hourly rate. At the 60 dollar per hour default, 20 hours per month works out to 1,200 dollars per month. Businesses with higher transaction volume or more accounts pay more.
Can one firm cover the bookkeeper, controller, and CFO roles?
Yes. Many outsourced finance firms staff all three functions so the same team handles daily bookkeeping, the monthly close, and strategic CFO work, scaling the mix up or down as you grow. That structure often costs less than a single full time senior hire while still covering the full stack of finance work.
We run bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO services for US companies, fully remote.
Book a callThese results are estimates for planning purposes only and are not tax or legal advice. Rules, rates, and thresholds change; figures on this page are current as of July 10, 2026. Consult a CPA or attorney about your specific situation before acting.