A finance lead, on a part-time basis
Virtual CFO and advisory
Finbryn runs fractional CFO and FP&A work for Australian businesses: cash forecasting, budgeting, KPI design, investor and lender reporting, and support through a raise, an acquisition or a sale. Analysis is prepared by a senior finance team, with every model under senior principal review.
13-week cash forecast
Illustrative client · August 2026
AUD
- Cash today
- $244,220
- Lowest week ahead
- 239,800
- Largest outflow
- Payroll, 46,300
Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.
Why an Australian business hires a virtual CFO
Most Australian small and mid-sized businesses reach a point where the owner is still reading the numbers alone, and it stops being enough. A virtual CFO adds senior financial judgement on a part time basis: a monthly read on cash and margin, a model that holds up in front of a lender or an investor, and a second opinion before a hiring or pricing call. It sits above the bookkeeping and BAS cycle, not inside it.
What the work covers
Engagements range from a standing fractional CFO relationship to a single deliverable: a 13-week cash flow forecast ahead of a seasonal dip, a fundraising model before a capital raise, or exit readiness work ahead of a sale. Cash planning for an Australian business has to account for GST paid out on BAS cycles, compulsory superannuation at the minimum 12 per cent rate on qualifying earnings, and, from Payday Super starting 1 July 2026, super paid each payday rather than quarterly. Those obligations move faster through the bank account than a monthly budget usually assumes.
Review before it reaches you
The modelling and analysis are prepared by our team and go through senior principal review before every forecast and report reaches you. This is financial planning and analysis, not a BAS service or a tax agent service: anything that involves lodging a BAS, an income tax return or an STP pay event with the ATO stays with your TPB-registered agent under a written supervision arrangement, never with the advisory team directly.
Built on your own file
Every model draws on your actual Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks Online data rather than a generic template. If your books are not current, our bookkeeping service can close them first, using the same July to June financial year your accountant and the ATO already work to. See pricing for how advisory work is scoped, and how it works for what onboarding looks like.
All services
Virtual CFO and advisory: every service
- Fractional CFOA senior finance lead who works your numbers on a part-time basis: monthly reviews, board and investor prep, and a second opinion before a big decision.
- 13-week cash flow forecastA rolling week-by-week cash forecast that shows what is coming in, what is going out, and where the next 13 weeks get tight.
- BudgetingAn annual budget built from your real numbers, broken out by month and department, that becomes the baseline every later report is measured against.
- FP&AOngoing financial planning and analysis: budget-to-actual tracking, margin and cost analysis, and the monthly pack that explains why the numbers moved.
- Fundraising financial modelsA financial model built for a raise: historical actuals, a growth-driven forecast, and the assumptions an investor will want to pressure-test.
- Investor reportingA recurring investor update built from your actual numbers: the metrics investors expect, delivered on a schedule you can rely on.
- Pricing and unit economicsA clear read on what each customer, order or unit actually costs and earns, so pricing decisions are based on margin rather than a guess.
- KPI designA short list of the numbers that actually run your business, defined once and tracked consistently, instead of a dashboard nobody opens.
- M&A due diligence supportFinancial due diligence support for a buy-side or sell-side deal: clean data, a quality-of-earnings view, and answers ready before the buyer or their advisor asks.
- Exit readinessA review of what a buyer's diligence team will see in your books, done before you go to market, so surprises get fixed on your own timeline instead of theirs.
- Lender covenant reportingRecurring reports built to your loan agreement's exact definitions, delivered on the schedule your lender requires, so a covenant test never comes as a surprise.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Virtual CFO and advisory
Is a virtual CFO worth it for a small Australian business?
If pricing, hiring or a bank conversation is happening without a clear cash and margin read, a virtual CFO usually pays for itself in avoided mistakes before it ever pays for itself in new revenue.
Do you lodge our BAS or tax return as part of this work?
No. Virtual CFO work is financial planning and analysis. Any BAS or income tax return lodgement stays with a Tax Practitioners Board registered agent under a written supervision arrangement, never with the advisory team directly.
Can this sit alongside our existing accountant or tax agent?
Yes. Most engagements run alongside an existing tax agent or bookkeeper, with our work focused on forward looking planning rather than the compliance side they already handle.
What software do you need access to?
Read access to Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks Online, plus connected bank feeds, is usually enough to start.
How is pricing structured for advisory work?
Advisory engagements are scoped and priced up front, month to month with no lock in contract. Published starting ranges sit on the pricing page.
What is not included in virtual CFO advisory?
We do not sign statutory accounts, lodge BAS or tax returns, or act as your appointed company officer. We build the models, forecasts and reports; your registered agent and your own directors keep those formal responsibilities.
How does handover work if we later hire a full-time CFO?
Models, forecasts and reporting templates are built in tools you own (typically a shared spreadsheet or a connected reporting app), so an incoming CFO inherits a working system rather than starting from a blank file.
How is virtual CFO advisory priced?
Usually a monthly retainer scoped to the hours and deliverables agreed, such as a set number of forecast updates or board packs per quarter, confirmed during a scoping call.
What access and software does this involve?
Read access to your accounting file plus whatever forecasting or reporting tool we agree to use, most often a spreadsheet or a connected app such as Fathom or Syft layered over Xero or QuickBooks Online.
Next step
Talk to the team that would run your books
A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.