The short answer
A fractional CFO typically costs $4,000–$8,000 per month, with a typical retainer around $6,000. That’s for part-time strategic finance leadership — a fraction of a full-time CFO’s salary. The market spread:
| Tier | Range | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Advisory / light touch | $3,000–$4,500 | A few days a month, reporting review, forecasting help. |
| Standard engagement | $4,500–$8,000 | Regular cadence, financial modeling, cash management, board prep. |
| High-intensity | $8,000–$12,000 | Heavy involvement during fundraising, M&A, or turnaround. |
| Interim / near-full-time | $12,000+ | Close to a full-time role for a defined period. |
What actually moves the price
Hours and cadence. Fractional means part-time, so you’re buying a slice of a senior operator’s month. A day or two a month for forecasting and reporting review costs far less than a weekly presence running a fundraise. Be honest about how much you actually need — most early-stage companies need less than they think.
What you’re solving for. Routine reporting and cash-flow discipline sit at the lower end. Raising a round, preparing for a sale, building an investor-grade model, or steering a turnaround demands intensity and specialized experience, which is where the top of the range lives.
Not a bookkeeper or accountant. A fractional CFO is strategy and decisions, not data entry or tax filing. Pairing them with a bookkeeper for the day-to-day is far cheaper than paying CFO rates for reconciliation. Know the boundary before you sign.
How this guide is priced
Figures are compiled from public rate listings and market data — see the source below and our data methodology. As Mindhyv grows, these ranges will be based on real, anonymized engagement data from the marketplace.
Before you hire
Read the fractional CFO hiring guide to scope the engagement to what you actually need. For the day-to-day records that feed CFO-level reporting, compare it against what an accountant costs. Scope the retainer’s deliverables in the project brief builder so proposals cover the same ground.