Virtual CFO
Fractional CFO
A fractional CFO gives your UK company senior finance judgement on a part-time basis: a monthly review of cash, margin and variances, help preparing your board or investor pack, and a second opinion before a pricing, hiring or borrowing decision, without the cost of a full-time finance director.
13-week cash forecast
Illustrative client · August 2026
GBP
- 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.
What the role covers
A fractional CFO does not replace your bookkeeper or your accountant. The role starts once the management accounts are closed: reading the profit and loss and balance sheet, connecting them to cash on hand and cash due, and setting out what the numbers mean for the decision in front of you, whether that is a hire, a price change, a new lease or a bank facility.
A typical month
Most engagements run around a monthly review call once your books close in Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage: what moved, what drove it, and what it means for the next 30, 60 and 90 days. Between calls, the fractional CFO is available for the decisions that come up without warning, such as a supplier raising prices or a customer asking for extended terms.
Built for UK companies, not adapted from elsewhere
The calendar behind the work follows UK dates: the Corporation Tax payment deadline nine months and one day after your accounting period ends, and the CT600 filing deadline twelve months after period end, both sit in the plan so cash for tax is never a surprise. Limited companies and sole traders both use this service, though the reporting shape differs: a limited company's numbers tie to statutory accounts, a sole trader's tie to Self Assessment.
Who this is for
Companies that have outgrown gut-feel decisions but are not ready to carry a full-time finance director on the payroll: growing past the point where one owner tracks everything, moving fast enough that last quarter's assumptions no longer hold, or heading into a fundraise, a loan application or a sale where the numbers need to hold up under scrutiny. A named finance lead, backed by our team preparing the underlying analysis, gives you that attention without the salary. See how it works or the pricing page for how time is scoped.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Fractional CFO
How many hours a month does a fractional CFO engagement usually take?
It depends on your stage and what is happening in the business. A steady company might need a few hours a month; one heading into a raise or a sale needs more. We scope hours to what is actually in front of you.
Can a fractional CFO help us get a bank facility approved?
Yes. We prepare the financial statements, projections and narrative most UK lenders ask for, and can join the lender conversation if that helps move things along.
Do you replace the need for our accountant?
No. A fractional CFO handles forward-looking planning and decision support. Your Corporation Tax return, VAT returns and statutory accounts still need to be prepared and filed by a registered agent or your accountant.
What size of company is this a good fit for?
Most of our fractional CFO clients have moved past a single owner tracking everything informally, though the fit is really about complexity and pace of change more than turnover alone.
Can a fractional CFO engagement scale up hours during a specific event, like a fundraise?
Yes, hours typically flex around a fundraise, a bank negotiation or a difficult quarter, then step back down to the ongoing baseline once that event passes. The baseline and the flex arrangement are both set out in your engagement letter rather than left informal.
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
- Startups and VC-backed companiesBookkeeping and reporting for early-stage, venture-backed companies watching burn, runway and investor reporting closely.
- 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.
- Agencies and consultanciesBookkeeping for marketing agencies, design studios and consulting firms billing clients on retainers and project fees.
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.