Part-Time Financial Controller Recruitment

A part-time Financial Controller is a qualified FC — ACA, ACCA or CIMA-qualified — who works for a business on fewer than five days per week on an ongoing basis. The part-time FC model is most commonly structured as a fractional engagement — a monthly retainer for one to three days per week — and provides qualified Financial Controller capability to businesses where the FC-scope work is genuine but does not yet fill a full-time appointment.

Accountancy Capital places part-time Financial Controllers across the UK for businesses of £2m–£15m revenue at retainer costs from £22,000 per year for one day per week to £95,000 per year for three days per week — compared to the all-in permanent FC employment cost of approximately £107,000–£115,000 per year in London. All part-time FC placements from Accountancy Capital are from genuine portfolio professionals — not permanent FCs between roles taking bridge work. Call 0204 553 8893 to brief any part-time FC requirement.

What a Part-Time Financial Controller Does

The part-time FC performs the same core FC functions as a full-time FC, scoped to the agreed number of days per week. On one day per week, the part-time FC typically covers: month-end close oversight and management accounts sign-off; balance sheet reconciliation management; finance team direction; and ad hoc financial management advisory to the CEO. On two days per week, the part-time FC additionally covers: board management accounts production and commentary; budget and forecast management; annual audit management; and accounting system oversight.

What the part-time FC does not typically cover on a one-day-per-week engagement: day-to-day accounts payable and receivable processing (the bookkeeper’s function); same-day response to every financial query from the management team; or independent management of a complex group consolidation at the speed a full-time Group FC provides. The part-time FC model works best when the business already has a reliable bookkeeper or accounts assistant managing the transactional processing, and needs the qualified management and oversight layer that turns that transactional data into reliable management accounts and a reconciled balance sheet.

Part-Time FC vs Fractional FC: Are They the Same?

Yes. In the UK finance market, ‘part-time Financial Controller’ and ‘Fractional Financial Controller’ describe the same employment model: a qualified FC working for the business on fewer than five days per week on an ongoing retainer basis. The terms are used interchangeably in the market — ‘part-time’ is more commonly used by employers who are less familiar with the fractional terminology, ‘fractional’ by those who have encountered the model before. Accountancy Capital uses both terms and places both — the role is the same regardless of the terminology used to brief the search.

See Fractional Financial Controller for the full role guide, Fractional FC Rates UK for the detailed rate guide and Fractional Finance hub for the full fractional finance placement service.

Part-Time FC: Is the Model Right for My Business?

The part-time FC model works when the genuine FC-scope work — close management, audit oversight, management accounts production, balance sheet management, finance team direction — fills one to two days per week and no more. The business that underestimates FC-scope volume and hires a one-day-per-week part-time FC for a two-day-per-week role is setting the engagement up to fail. Accountancy Capital advises on the right scope and days per week before every part-time FC brief. Call 0204 553 8893.

Part-Time FC Retainer Costs — 2026

Compare to permanent FC all-in London employment cost: £107,000–£115,000 per year at £85,000 base salary. The part-time model at two days per week costs £52,000–£68,000 per year — 45–55% of the permanent employment cost. The saving is only real if the FC-scope work genuinely fills two days. See Fractional FC Rates UK for the complete rate guide and Finance Team Costs UK for the employment cost framework.

Part-Time FC Jobs: Registering as a Portfolio FC

Financial Controllers who are actively operating as — or considering transitioning to — a part-time or fractional portfolio career are invited to register with Accountancy Capital’s fractional FC network. We place genuine portfolio professionals — FCs who manage two to three concurrent part-time engagements simultaneously — with businesses whose scope and context matches their background. If you are considering the part-time FC career model, call 0204 553 8893 or register here for a direct, confidential assessment of whether the model is right for your career stage and financial circumstances.

Part-Time FC: IR35 and Engagement Structure

The IR35 status of a part-time FC engagement depends on the specific circumstances of the arrangement — particularly whether the FC works for multiple clients simultaneously (a strong indicator of outside-IR35 status) and whether the engagement contract specifies a personal service obligation or allows for substitution. Medium and large businesses are responsible for the IR35 status determination under the off-payroll working rules. Accountancy Capital recommends that both parties seek employment tax advice before the engagement begins. For all businesses, the engagement should be formalised in a written agreement covering the scope, the days per week, the notice period (typically three months) and the specific deliverables.

See Fractional Financial Controller, Fractional FC Rates UK and Interim FC Recruitment for the related service pages.

Part-Time FC vs Outsourced Finance: The Difference

The part-time FC is a qualified professional who manages your finance function on your behalf, using your accounting system and directing your finance team. The outsourced finance provider is an external firm that processes your transactions and produces management accounts, typically on a fixed-price monthly fee, using their own team and often their own accounting system. The part-time FC is more expensive per hour than the outsourced provider but provides continuity, judgement, institutional knowledge and the ability to develop and manage the in-house finance team that the outsourced model cannot replicate. See FC vs Outsourced Finance and Outsourced FC Services for the decision framework.

Part-Time FC: What a Good Brief Contains

The part-time FC brief that produces the strongest match from Accountancy Capital’s fractional network contains six elements: The scope of work — the specific deliverables the part-time FC will own (management accounts, year-end audit, balance sheet, team direction); The days per week — the agreed retainer and whether primarily on-site or remote; The accounting system — the specific system the part-time FC will use; The finance team — who is below the part-time FC and what they can do independently; The start date — and whether the urgency requires an interim FC while the fractional search runs; The revenue and ownership structure — this determines the experience level and the retainer rate. With these six elements, Accountancy Capital can identify and match the right genuine portfolio part-time FC within five to seven working days.

Part-Time FC: Frequently Asked Questions

Can a part-time FC manage the year-end audit? Yes — at a business with a straightforward year-end. The part-time FC who is on site for two days per week typically manages the audit by being available remotely for auditor queries on non-site days, attending the audit planning and clearance meetings in person and providing the audit deliverables within the agreed schedule. The audit management responsibility should be explicitly included in the engagement agreement.

What notice period do I give a part-time FC? Three months is standard for most part-time FC engagements — long enough to allow the business to run a replacement search without being left without financial management coverage. The notice period should be specified in the written engagement agreement before the engagement begins.

How quickly can Accountancy Capital place a part-time FC? Shortlist in five to seven working days from a complete brief. First engagement start within three to four weeks of the brief. For urgent requirements, an Interim FC can bridge the gap. Call 0204 553 8893.

Part-Time FC: Building the Relationship

The most successful part-time FC engagements are built on a specific, clearly scoped written agreement, a regular weekly or fortnightly check-in call with the CEO or MD on the days the part-time FC is not on site, and a clear protocol for handling urgent financial questions that arise between the part-time FC’s scheduled site days. The business that sets up these structures in the first two weeks of the engagement — that establishes the weekly rhythm before it is tested by an urgent financial question — builds a more productive and more sustainable part-time FC relationship than the one that discovers the need for these structures when an urgent question arises on a non-site day.

Accountancy Capital supports clients and candidates through the first thirty days of every part-time FC engagement — checking in with both sides to ensure the scope, the days and the communication rhythm are working as planned. Call 0204 553 8893 to discuss any part-time FC requirement. See Fractional FC, Fractional FC Rates UK and Fractional Finance hub.