Virtual CFO
Fractional CFO
A fractional CFO gives a company operating in the EU senior finance judgement on a part-time basis: a monthly review of cash, margin and cross-entity variances, help building an investor or lender deck, and a second opinion before a pricing, hiring or expansion decision, without a full-time hire.
13-week cash forecast
Illustrative client · August 2026
EUR
- 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.
Where the role actually starts
A fractional CFO is not a faster bookkeeper, and the work only begins once the books in every entity have already closed. From there it is reading a profit and loss and balance sheet per jurisdiction, pulling them into one cash picture, and turning that into an answer for whatever decision is actually on the table: a hire, a launch into a new member state, a loan.
Between the scheduled calls
A month opens with a review once each jurisdiction's books close, covering what moved, why, and what the next 30, 60 and 90 days look like from here. The value in between calls is less predictable: a supplier in one country raising prices without warning, a customer pushing for longer terms, a contract that will strain euro cash flow well before it turns a profit.
The baseline this is built on
Recurring deliverables, a cash view, budget-versus-actual, a KPI dashboard, sit alongside whatever ad hoc question comes up that month. Local GAAP or IFRS for SMEs conventions, VAT and OSS reporting calendars, and the platforms EU businesses actually run (Xero, QuickBooks Online, Exact, Sage, SAP Business One) all shape how the analysis is built, even though the VAT filings and statutory accounts themselves stay with your own registration or a credentialed local partner.
Who reaches for this
A business running entities in two or three member states outgrows gut-feel management before it can justify a full-time CFO in each country, particularly heading into a raise, a loan application or a sale where cross-border figures will be tested hard. A named lead here is backed by the underlying team doing the work, giving senior judgement without a full salary line in every jurisdiction. See how it works or pricing for how this is scoped.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Fractional CFO
Can a fractional CFO work across several EU entities at once?
Yes. Most engagements start there: a consolidated cash and margin view across entities, alongside the standalone numbers each local adviser needs for statutory purposes.
Do you replace our local accountant in each member state?
No. A fractional CFO handles forward-looking planning and decision support. Local statutory accounts and VAT filings still route to your own registration or a credentialed local partner in that country.
What software do you need access to?
Read access to your accounting system (Xero, QuickBooks Online, Exact, Sage or SAP Business One) across each entity is usually enough to start.
How many hours a month is typical for this kind of engagement?
It depends on how many entities and jurisdictions are in scope. A single-entity company might need a few hours a month; a group spanning several member states heading into a raise needs more.
Does the CFO join our own leadership meetings, or work separately?
They typically join your regular leadership or board meetings as the finance voice in the room, rather than producing reports separately that someone else then has to relay back to the rest of the team.
How is this different from a bookkeeper?
A bookkeeper records what already happened. A fractional CFO uses those records to help you decide what happens next: pricing, hiring, cash timing, fundraising.
How many hours a month does this take?
You can start with a standing monthly review plus ad hoc questions between calls. The scope is agreed up front and can flex with your stage.
Do you replace my controller or accountant?
No. A fractional CFO sits above the day-to-day close and works alongside whoever keeps your books, whether that is us or your existing team.
What is included in fractional CFO?
Fractional CFO covers monthly finance review call covering cash, margin and the month's variances and a rolling cash position and runway view. The exact scope is agreed and set out in writing before work starts, so you know precisely what is and is not covered before the first deliverable arrives.
Related services
- Virtual CFOFP&AOngoing financial planning and analysis: budget-to-actual tracking, margin and cost analysis, and the monthly pack that explains why the numbers moved.
- Virtual CFOBudgetingAn annual budget built from your real numbers, broken out by month and department, that becomes the baseline every later report is measured against.
- Virtual CFOKPI designA short list of the numbers that actually run your business, defined once and tracked consistently, instead of a dashboard nobody opens.
Industries
- SaaSBookkeeping and reporting for subscription software businesses tracking recurring revenue, deferred revenue and burn.
- Ecommerce (Amazon and Shopify)Bookkeeping for online sellers on Amazon, Shopify, Etsy and their own storefronts, built around clean payout and sales tax data.
- ManufacturingBookkeeping for small and mid-size manufacturers tracking raw materials, work in process and finished goods inventory.
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.