Most growing businesses need a CFO for 10 to 20 hours a month, not 160. That is roughly one and a half to three days. The work that needs CFO judgement is a small, regular set of jobs. What matters is that the same person does them every month and the numbers underneath are right.

Published: November 2026

This guide covers how many hours each stage needs, what a month looks like, and what will not fit. For pricing, see our guide to fractional CFO costs in Australia.

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Part-time, fractional, virtual: the same job, different billing

The three terms describe one role. A senior finance person works for your business for part of the month instead of all of it.

• Part-time CFO usually means an employee on your payroll for set days each week.
• Fractional CFO usually means a contractor or firm on a monthly retainer, working across several businesses.
• Virtual CFO describes how the work is delivered: remotely, through your accounting software and video calls.

A fractional CFO is nearly always virtual, and most businesses searching for a part-time CFO end up with a fractional one, because hiring a senior employee for one day a week is hard to do. Our guide to what a fractional CFO does covers the role itself.

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Hours by stage

Hours follow complexity more than revenue. As a guide:

Early stage: one owner making every decision.

Around 10 hours a month. The CFO builds a cash forecast, sets up a monthly report and is on call for two or three decisions. If the books are not reliable yet, fix that first. See is your business too small for a CFO.

Growing: a management team, a bank facility or investors.

Around 15 hours a month. Add a budget, monthly variance commentary, lender or investor reporting, and pricing and margin work.

Complex: more than one entity, a board, or a transaction coming.

Around 20 hours a month, and more during a raise, a sale or a refinancing. Add board papers, consolidated reporting and scenario modelling.

If you need more than 20 hours every month, with no project driving it, you are getting close to needing a full-time hire.

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What a month looks like

An example month at 15 hours:

• Week 1 (4 hours): review the month-end close, question the numbers, finalise management accounts.
• Week 2 (4 hours): update the cash flow forecast, write the commentary, send the monthly report.
• Week 3 (3 hours): monthly meeting with the owner or leadership team, then follow up the decisions made.
• Week 4 (2 hours): one project in progress, such as pricing, a budget reforecast or a lender pack.
• Through the month (2 hours): calls and messages when a decision needs a number.

The pattern matters more than the total. A CFO who appears for one long day and then goes quiet for four weeks misses the decisions that happen in between.

Try our cash flow forecast calculator to see the kind of forecast a CFO would maintain each month.

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What does not fit in part-time hours

A part-time CFO is the top layer of a finance function, not the whole of it. These jobs do not fit in 10 to 20 hours:

• Bookkeeping. Bank reconciliation, bills, invoicing and payroll are daily and weekly work. A CFO doing them is expensive and has no time left to think.
• Month-end close. Someone needs to close the books before the CFO can review them.
• BAS and payroll compliance. These need a registered BAS agent and a regular process.
• Building the systems. Setting up the ledger, chart of accounts and reporting from scratch is a project, not part of a monthly retainer.

This is the most common reason part-time CFO arrangements disappoint. The CFO arrives, finds the books are three months behind, and spends the hours on clean-up. You need a finance team underneath. Our outsourced finance services put the bookkeeping, payroll and BAS under the same roof as the CFO, so the CFO's hours go on CFO work.

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Cost

Our fractional CFO support starts from $3,000 per month (ex GST), with no lock-in. What you pay depends on the hours and on how much of the finance function sits underneath.

Compare that with the full cost of a senior hire, not just the salary. Super, leave, payroll tax and recruitment all add to it. Our fractional CFO ROI calculator and hire vs outsource calculator let you run your own comparison.

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Signs you have outgrown part-time

• The CFO's hours have run over for three months in a row with no project to explain it.
• Decisions are waiting for the CFO's next day in the business.
• You have a finance team that needs daily leadership.
• A lender, investor or board wants a named full-time finance lead.
• You are preparing for a sale or listing.

One of these is a prompt to review. Two or three together usually mean it is time to hire, and a good part-time CFO will tell you so and help you recruit. Our guide on when to use a fractional CFO covers the decision from the other side.

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FAQ

How many hours a month does a part-time CFO work?

Usually 10 to 20 hours a month for a growing business, with more during a raise, sale or refinancing.

Is a part-time CFO the same as a fractional CFO?

The role is the same. Part-time usually means an employee, and fractional usually means a contractor or firm on a retainer.

How much does a part-time CFO cost in Australia?

It depends on hours and scope. Our fractional CFO support starts from $3,000 per month (ex GST).

Can a part-time CFO do my bookkeeping as well?

They could, but it is poor value. Bookkeeping should sit with a bookkeeper or finance team so the CFO's time goes on forecasting, reporting and decisions.

When should I hire a full-time CFO instead?

When you need more than about 20 hours every month, have a finance team that needs daily leadership, or have a transaction coming that needs a full-time lead.

Do I need a CFO or a bookkeeper first?

A bookkeeper first. A CFO needs accurate, current books to work from.

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About Scale Suite

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, Perth, and Adelaide, with packages starting from $1,500 per month and no lock-in contracts.

Visit Scale Suite | View Our Finance Services | View Our HR Services | Get Your Free Proposal

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Disclaimer

We review and check this guide periodically. At the time of writing (November 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.

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Sources

• Scale Suite, Adelaide fractional CFO services (source of the 10 to 20 hours a month figure)