Accountancy Capital places Fractional Finance Managers, Fractional Financial Controllers, Fractional Finance Directors and Fractional CFOs across the UK. A fractional finance professional is a qualified accountant who works for your business on a part-time basis — typically one to three days per week — providing the finance leadership your business needs without the cost or commitment of a full-time permanent hire. The fractional model works best when the volume of finance work does not justify five days per week of qualified attention, when the business is at a stage of growth where the next finance hire needs to be carefully structured, or when cost discipline in a specific period makes the flexibility of a part-time arrangement more valuable than the continuity of a permanent one.
Accountancy Capital has been placing fractional finance professionals across the UK market for many years. Our candidate network includes both experienced career fractional professionals — those who have deliberately chosen the portfolio model as their primary working arrangement — and permanent finance professionals who are available for a defined fractional engagement alongside or between permanent roles. Both profiles are available; the right choice depends on what the business needs and on how long the fractional engagement is likely to run.
Fractional Finance Roles We Place
| Role | Typical Day Rate (London) | Monthly Cost (2 days/wk) | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fractional CFO | £650–£1,300/day | £6,400–£10,500/month | Pre-Series A to PE-backed; fundraising; exit prep |
| Fractional Finance Director | £550–£950/day | £5,500–£9,500/month | £10m–£50m revenue; board-level finance leadership |
| Fractional Financial Controller | £375–£650/day | £3,600–£5,500/month | £3m–£20m revenue; part-time FC oversight |
| Part-Time Financial Controller | £375–£600/day | Or permanent part-time salary | Where employment model preferred over fractional PSC |
| Fractional Finance Manager | £300–£480/day | £2,400–£3,800/month | £2m–£12m revenue; management accounts and close |
For detailed day rate breakdowns including monthly retainer structures, total cost comparisons with permanent and interim equivalents, and IR35 considerations, see the dedicated rates guides: Fractional Financial Controller Rates UK and Fractional CFO Rates UK.
When the Fractional Model Works
The fractional model is the right choice in specific circumstances. Understanding which circumstances genuinely suit fractional rather than permanent or interim is the starting point for any well-structured brief.
| Business Situation | Right Model | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| £3m–£15m revenue; FC scope needed but not 5 days | Fractional FC | 2 days/wk at ~£50k/year vs permanent FC at ~£95k total cost |
| Pre-Series A / Seed; investor reporting needed | Fractional CFO | 1 day/wk gives board-level finance credibility at ~£40k/year |
| Between fundraising rounds; cost discipline period | Fractional FD or CFO | Lower fixed cost; flexible to scale down if needed |
| Management accounts needed but FM has left | Interim FM (not fractional) | Short-term full-time need; fractional is wrong model |
| PE-backed; CFO needed but exit within 18 months | Interim CFO (not fractional) | Full-time presence needed; fractional won’t have enough time |
| Stable business; FC works 5 days/week, every week | Permanent (not fractional) | Full-time need; permanent is cheaper and more stable |
The most important thing to understand before briefing a fractional search is whether the business genuinely has a part-time need or whether the fractional model is being considered primarily to reduce cost. If the business truly needs a finance professional for three or more days per week every week, the permanent hire is typically cheaper, more stable and more effective than a fractional arrangement at three days per week — the annual cost of the two models converges above two days per week and the permanent hire provides continuity and institutional knowledge that a portfolio fractional professional cannot match.
Not Sure Whether to Go Fractional, Interim or Permanent?
Call us before you brief a search. A 20-minute conversation about your specific business stage, the volume of finance work and the budget available will identify the right model and the right candidate profile. We give a straight answer — including when the fractional model is not the right choice.
Talk to us → or call 0204 553 8893
How Fractional Engagements Are Structured
Most fractional finance engagements are structured around a monthly retainer covering a defined number of days, with a minimum initial term — typically three months — and a rolling one-month notice period thereafter. The day rate reflects the seniority and market standing of the individual, the complexity of the engagement and the sector expertise required. The engagement is typically outside IR35 where the fractional professional operates across a portfolio of clients, has genuine control over how and when they perform the work, and has substitution rights in principle. Each engagement should be assessed individually using the HMRC CEST tool at the outset.
Fractional finance professionals are not employees. They do not receive holiday pay, sick pay, pension contributions or other employment benefits. The total cost of the engagement is the day rate plus any applicable VAT — there is no employer NI, no statutory employment rights and no recruitment fee on the same basis as a permanent hire. For businesses that are cost-managing carefully, this makes the fractional model materially more cost-efficient than a permanent hire at equivalent per-day utilisation. The absence of a notice period also provides flexibility to end or adjust the engagement if the business’s requirements change, which a permanent hire cannot provide.
Fractional vs Interim vs Permanent: Cost Comparison
| Model | FC level — London annual cost | Days/Week | Notice Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fractional FC (1 day/week) | £22k–£33k/year | 1 | 1 month (rolling) |
| Fractional FC (2 days/week) | £43k–£66k/year | 2 | 1 month (rolling) |
| Interim FC (full time, 3–6 months) | £130k–£185k equiv./year | 5 | 1–4 weeks |
| Permanent FC (full time) | £90k–£115k total cost | 5 | 2–3 months |
Total cost for permanent FC includes salary, employer NI at 15%, pension at 5% and basic benefits but excludes the one-off recruitment fee (typically 15–20% of first year salary). The fractional model at two days per week is therefore approximately 40–60% of the total cost of a permanent FC, making it the right economic choice where the business genuinely needs FC oversight for two days per week rather than five.
A Note from Our Founder — Adrian Lawrence FCA
The fractional model is one of the areas where I see the biggest gap between what businesses think they are buying and what they actually get from the wrong hire. The most common mistake is engaging a fractional FC or CFO who has positioned themselves as fractional because they are between permanent roles, not because they have built a genuine portfolio practice. These individuals are often perfectly capable accountants — but they do not have the mindset, the systems or the boundary discipline that makes a fractional arrangement work well. When a business needs its FC on a Monday at 9am, and the fractional FC is interviewing for a permanent role at another business, the engagement fails.
The fractional professionals Accountancy Capital places are those who have made the active choice to build a portfolio practice — who have two or three clients at any one time, who manage their diary as a business, and who bring the independence of thought and the breadth of cross-business experience that the best fractional engagements deliver. The difference in the quality of the engagement is material and worth insisting on when you brief the search.
Adrian Lawrence FCA
Founder, Accountancy Capital — Qualified finance recruitment specialists, £50,000 and above. Adrian is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales — verify via ICAEW.
Fractional Finance Pages
| Fractional CFO Board-level finance leadership on a part-time basis. | Fractional FD Finance Director on a 1–3 day per week basis. | Fractional FC Part-time Financial Controller for growing SMEs. | Fractional FM Part-time Finance Manager for smaller businesses. |
Find a Fractional Finance Professional — 0204 553 8893
Accountancy Capital places Fractional Finance Managers, Financial Controllers, Finance Directors and CFOs across the UK at £50,000 and above equivalent. Call us to discuss the right structure, rate and candidate profile for your business at its current stage.
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