A full-time CFO in Australia does not cost their salary. A $250,000 base becomes roughly $330,000 in year one once superannuation, recruitment fees, and standard on-costs are added, and mid-market packages routinely land between $300,000 and $450,000 all-in. This guide breaks down every component so you can price the decision honestly, then compares the alternatives most SMEs actually choose.
Published: July 2026
Base salaries vary sharply by company size and city:
For adjacent roles and the full salary landscape, see our 2026 finance salary guide for Australia and what a financial controller costs.
Take a $250,000 base salary for an SME CFO in Sydney. Here is year one:
Year-one total: approximately $382,000 to $401,000. Ongoing years: approximately $340,000. That is a multiplier of roughly 1.35x to 1.6x on base salary, consistent with the broader hiring maths in our guide to the true cost of hiring an employee in Australia. Run your own scenario with the employee cost calculator.
Three items rarely make the spreadsheet:
A full-time hire earns its cost when at least two of these are true: revenue above roughly $25M-$30M; an active transaction (raise, acquisition, exit) running longer than a year; multi-entity or multi-country complexity; a board demanding a permanent executive; or a finance team of five-plus needing daily leadership. Below those thresholds, the utilisation problem dominates.
A $5M-revenue business choosing a $4,000/month fractional arrangement over a $340,000 full-time package frees roughly $290,000 a year, which is usually the difference between funding growth and not.
What is the average CFO salary in Australia in 2026?
For SMEs, roughly $200,000 to $280,000 base; mid-market roles commonly $280,000 to $400,000 plus incentives. Sydney and Melbourne sit at the top of the range.
What does a CFO cost including super and on-costs?
Multiply base by roughly 1.35x for ongoing years, and add a 15-20 per cent executive search fee in year one. A $250,000 base is approximately $340,000 ongoing and $380,000-$400,000 in year one.
How does Payday Super change the cost of a CFO hire?
It does not change the amount (superannuation remains 12 per cent), but from 1 July 2026 it must reach the fund within seven business days of every payday, which brings the cash outflow forward from quarterly to per-pay-run.
At what revenue does a business need a full-time CFO?
Commonly from around $25M-$30M revenue, or earlier with a live transaction or multi-entity complexity. Between roughly $2M and $25M, fractional arrangements usually fit better. See 5 signs your business needs a CFO.
Is a fractional CFO as effective as a full-time CFO?
For the strategic layer (forecasting, budgeting, pricing, board reporting), yes, provided the underlying bookkeeping is current. What you give up is daily availability and people leadership of a large internal team.
How much do CFO recruiters charge in Australia?
Executive search typically runs 15 to 20 per cent of the first-year package, so $40,000 to $70,000 for most CFO hires. See our recruitment fees breakdown.
Scale Suite is a Sydney-based provider of outsourced finance teams and fractional CFO services for Australian SMEs. We deliver weekly bookkeeping, payroll, BAS/IAS lodgement, cashflow reporting, management accounts, and strategic fractional CFO oversight, all as a fully embedded team that works inside your business.
CA-qualified, Xero Certified, and registered BAS Agents, we replace fragmented bookkeepers and once-a-year accountants with one responsive finance function at a fraction of the cost of full-time hires. We serve growing businesses across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, with packages starting from $1,500 per month and no lock-in contracts.
We review and check this guide periodically. At the time of writing (July 2026), all information was current. Scale Suite is a registered BAS Agent, not a licensed tax advisor or financial advisor. This content is general information only and does not constitute professional tax, financial, or legal advice. Some details may change over time. Salary figures are indicative market ranges; individual packages vary.
Sources:
Scale Suite is a Sydney-based provider of outsourced finance and HR services for Australian SMEs. We deliver bookkeeping, financial reporting, payroll processing, fractional CFO support, recruitment, employee onboarding, people and culture support, and fractional HR oversight, all as a fully embedded team that works inside your business.
Employment Hero Gold Partner, CA-qualified, and Xero Certified, we replace fragmented finance and HR processes with one responsive, senior-level function at a fraction of the cost of full-time hires. We serve growing businesses across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, with packages starting from $1,500 per month and no lock-in contracts.
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