A fractional CFO gives you senior financial leadership, on a part-time basis
Short answer: a fractional CFO is a senior finance professional who works with your business part-time — a set number of hours or days a month — instead of as a full-time employee. You get the same strategic input (cash flow, forecasting, reporting, board-level decisions) without carrying a full-time salary.
How it works in practice
A fractional CFO typically joins your regular management or leadership meetings, reviews monthly numbers, builds and maintains cash flow and budget forecasts, and acts as the senior financial voice in strategic decisions — pricing, hiring, funding, expansion. What changes is the time commitment, not the seniority of the input.
Most South African arrangements fall somewhere in the R15,000-R60,000/month range, depending on hours and scope — a fraction of what a full-time CFO costs (typically R800,000-R1,500,000/year including benefits).
Who actually needs this
A fractional CFO tends to make sense once a business:
- Has outgrown what a bookkeeper or accountant alone can advise on
- Is preparing for a funding round, loan application, or investor conversation
- Needs real cash flow forecasting, not just historical reporting
- Is roughly 10-100 employees — big enough for real financial complexity, not yet big enough to justify a full-time CFO salary
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a fractional CFO the same as an outsourced CFO?+
In practice, yes — both describe senior financial leadership delivered part-time rather than as a full-time hire. "Fractional" emphasises the time commitment; "outsourced" emphasises that the person isn't a direct employee. Most South African providers use the terms interchangeably.
How many hours a month does a fractional CFO typically work?+
It varies by need — anywhere from a few hours a month for light strategic input, to 10-20+ hours for businesses needing regular involvement in reporting, forecasting, and decision-making.
Can a fractional CFO become full-time later?+
Yes — many businesses use a fractional arrangement specifically to figure out the right scope before committing to a full-time hire, or to bridge the gap while they grow into needing one.
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