What a fractional CFO costs vs hiring one
A fractional CFO from DAT Finance starts at $60K a year, and a fractional controller starts at $36K a year. A full-time CFO usually costs $235K to $315K a year once you add up everything that comes with the hire, and a full-time controller costs $145K to $195K a year.
Most of our engagements fall between $2,500 and $10,000 a month. Below is the math so you can compare the two side by side.
What "fully burdened" means
The salary is only part of what a full-time hire costs. The fully burdened cost is base pay plus payroll taxes, benefits, paid time off, equipment, recruiting, and the time it takes to manage the person in the role. As a rough rule, that comes to about 1.3 times base pay. The internal figures on this page are fully burdened, because that's what the role costs your business.
The side by side math
| Role | Full-time hire, fully burdened (per year) | DAT starting point (per year) | Difference at our starting price (per year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFO | $235K to $315K | from $60K | $175K to $255K |
| Controller | $145K to $195K | from $36K | $109K to $159K |
Now take the top of our usual range, $10,000 a month. A full year at that level comes to $120K. That's still below $145K, the low end of what a full-time controller costs fully burdened.
What moves your number
These are starting points. Your number depends on three things.
Scope. How much you need from us. Steady controller work, meaning clean books closed on time every month, is one level, and a CFO who helps you plan cash, pricing and hiring is another.
Cadence. How often we're working with you. It can be a monthly check-in, or a weekly meeting where you can also call us when something comes up.
Complexity. How many entities you have, your revenue, any buying or selling of businesses, and whether a lender or a board expects regular reports.
There's no timesheet to watch, so the fee goes toward having someone experienced in the room when the big decisions come up. We work month to month, with no long-term contract and no fee to end it.
What you get and what you don't
A fractional CFO is an experienced CFO who also works with other businesses. You get help with cash, margin, pricing and your lender. You don't get someone in your building every day.
For many owners that's the right trade, because the work that needs a CFO doesn't fill 40 hours a week yet. Hiring someone full time starts to make more sense when the finance work needs a person on site every day, or when the job takes more hours than a part-time CFO can give you. When that point comes, we can help you recruit the internal hire and hand the work over.
Who this fits
We work with owner-operators of businesses doing roughly $1M to $15M in revenue. You're past bookkeeping but not ready for a full-time CFO. You probably feel like you can't see cash, margin or the next decision clearly enough, and you want someone senior who explains the numbers in plain English.
Find out what yours would cost
The fastest way to a real number is a short conversation. Tell us a little about your business on the contact form and we'll set up a free 30-minute call to talk through what you need and whether a fractional seat fits. If we're a fit, we follow up with a clear scope and price. If we're not, we'll point you somewhere that is.