Calculator
Full-Time vs. Fractional CFO Cost Calculator
Salary is the smallest part of what a CFO costs. Put in the real numbers and compare them with a fractional engagement sized to your company.
Payroll taxes, benefits, retirement match, PTO.
Amortized over expected tenure.
Months before the hire is fully effective.
Results
- Full-time CFO, fully loaded (annual)
- $372,813
- Fractional CFO (annual)
- $102,000
- Annual difference in your favor
- $270,813
Salary $225,000 + burden $56,250 + bonus $33,750 + equity $25,000 + recruiting $14,063 + ramp $18,750
Illustrative only. Fractional fees are starting points; final pricing depends on scope. Full-time costs vary by market and candidate.
Owners compare a fractional CFO's monthly fee with a full-time CFO's salary and conclude the fractional option is cheaper. It usually is, but by a larger margin than the salary comparison suggests. A full-time executive carries payroll taxes, benefits, a bonus, often equity or phantom equity, a recruiting fee, and several months of ramp-up during which the company pays for a CFO and gets a student of the business.
This calculator adds those up honestly and compares them with a fractional engagement at the tier that fits your revenue and complexity. It does not argue that every company should hire fractionally. Past a certain size and pace of decisions, a full-time CFO is the right answer, and the calculator will show that too.
How to read the result
- Fully loaded full-time cost is salary plus burden, bonus, equity value, and amortized recruiting and ramp cost.
- Fractional cost is the monthly fee times 12 at the tier you select.
- The difference is the annual amount you keep or, if negative, the premium for full-time coverage.
- Cost per month of CFO attention matters less than whether the decisions get made. Use the number as one input.
FAQ
Questions about this calculator
What burden rate should I use?
For an executive, 22 to 30 percent of salary is a common range once employer payroll taxes, health insurance, retirement match, and paid time off are included. Use your company's actual rate if you know it.
Why include recruiting and ramp?
Because you pay them. A retained search commonly costs a percentage of first-year compensation, and a new CFO needs three to six months to know the business well enough to lead it. Spread over an assumed tenure, those costs are real.
Which fractional tier should I pick?
Advisory for a stable company that needs a monthly rhythm. Operating for weekly cash management and stakeholder reporting. Embedded for financing, restructuring, transition, or rapid growth. Our pricing page describes each.
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Financial assessment
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