Four roles, four jobs
| Role | The job | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeper | Records transactions, pays bills, keeps the ledger current | From the first dollar of revenue |
| Controller | Owns the close, accounting accuracy and internal controls | When transaction volume or complexity outgrows the bookkeeper |
| Fractional CFO | Forecasts, metrics, cash, board reporting and decisions | Roughly $1M to $20M ARR, or before a raise |
| Full-time CFO | All of finance, every day, and the team that does it | Usually $20M+ ARR, or before an IPO or large transaction |
Your CPA is a fifth role: tax filings and, if you need them, reviewed or audited statements. You need one at every stage.
What each costs
Fractional CFOs typically charge $3,000 to $12,000 a month on retainer in 2026 (Futureproof). A full-time startup CFO's base salary runs $170,000 to $240,000 at seed and Series A and $240,000 to $330,000 at Series B, before bonus and equity (Stealth Agents). Equity for a startup CFO commonly runs from a fraction of a percent to a few percent, depending on stage.
The bigger cost difference is utilization. A company at $5M ARR rarely has forty hours a week of CFO-level work. Paying full time for part-time work is how finance gets expensive without getting better.
The usual sequence
- Bookkeeper and CPA from the start.
- Fractional CFO once decisions start turning on the numbers: a raise, a board, a hiring plan. See when to hire one.
- Controller, in-house or outsourced, as volume grows. A good fractional CFO will tell you when and help hire them.
- Full-time CFO when the work fills a week and the company needs a finance leader in the building.
Signs you've outgrown fractional
- You need someone in the leadership meeting every week, not every month.
- Finance has become a team that needs managing.
- You are planning an IPO, a large acquisition, or a debt facility with heavy reporting.
- Multiple entities, currencies and revenue models are now the normal state, not an exception.
The good news: the systems, definitions and reporting a fractional CFO builds are exactly what a full-time CFO wants to inherit. It should be a handoff, not a rebuild.
Common questions
What is the difference between a fractional CFO and a full-time CFO?
Scope and cost. A fractional CFO does the strategic work, such as reporting, forecasting, metrics and board support, for a share of the time and price. A full-time CFO also runs the finance team and owns every part of finance every day.
What is the difference between a controller and a CFO?
A controller owns accounting accuracy: the close, the ledger, internal controls. A CFO owns financial strategy: forecasts, capital, metrics and decisions. Growing companies usually need both, at different times.
