Virtual CFO questions, answered.

A virtual CFO is a senior finance professional who works with your business part-time — typically 4–20 hours a month — providing board-level strategy, cash flow management and financial reporting without the cost of a full-time hire.

Our fixed monthly retainers range from $1,450 (Compliance) to $9,500+ (Executive). Most clients land in the Growth CFO tier from $4,800/month. All engagements are scoped after a free diagnostic.

Most businesses benefit once turnover exceeds $1m, or when the owner is making strategic decisions without reliable monthly numbers. Schools and NFPs often engage earlier because board governance requirements are formal.

They often need both. A school business manager handles day-to-day operations; a virtual CFO brings strategic finance leadership, board-grade reporting, capital-works modelling and governance support to the finance committee.

For ACNC-registered charities and NFPs, a virtual CFO delivers monthly board-grade reporting, reserves policy, grant acquittals, annual information statement support, and governance-grade financial advice.

We charge a fixed monthly retainer so there are no hourly-billing surprises. One-off projects (capital raise, exit, restructure) are scoped separately and quoted in advance.

Yes. We are a Certified Xero Advisor and work fluently across Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks Online. We will work inside your existing stack.

An accountant prepares historical accounts and compliance. A financial controller owns month-end close and internal controls. A CFO sets financial strategy, drives capital allocation and reports to the board. A virtual CFO provides the third role on a fractional basis.

Most engagements are open-ended monthly retainers. Minimum commitment is typically 6 months to allow reporting discipline and outcomes to compound. Clients often stay for multiple years.

Yes, if the business has enough complexity to warrant strategic finance — typically from $1m turnover or in regulated sectors (schools, NFPs, medical, childcare, construction). The return is usually multiples of the fee through margin, cash, tax and funding outcomes.