What does a fractional CFO cost in Australia?

A fractional CFO in Australia typically costs $3,000 to $15,000 a month, depending on how much support you need. That's the range Australian providers publish for retainer-based work, and it's the honest starting point. For comparison, a full-time CFO is advertised at roughly $230,000 to $287,000 a year before super, going by SEEK's job-ad data — so a fractional arrangement is usually a fraction of the cost, which is the whole point.

One caveat up front, because it matters: there is no independent, published benchmark for fractional CFO pricing in Australia. Every figure in the public domain comes from firms that sell the service, including the range above. It's directionally useful, but treat it as "what the market charges," not as researched fact. Below is how the numbers actually break down, and why the spread is so wide.

What a full-time CFO costs in Australia

A senior finance hire is expensive, and the headline salary is only part of it. Based on employer-disclosed job ads, SEEK puts the average full-time CFO salary at around $287,500 in Sydney and $227,500 in Melbourne (SEEK, 2026). Glassdoor's self-reported figures land in a similar place, with a national average near $280,000 (Glassdoor AU, 2026).

Then add the on-costs. Superannuation is 12% of ordinary earnings from 1 July 2025 (ATO), and on top of that sit payroll tax, leave, and any bonus. So the real cost of putting a CFO on the payroll is comfortably north of the headline number — and you're carrying it whether the role is busy that month or not.

For a business doing a few million in revenue, that's a lot of fixed cost for a job that might genuinely need a few days a month.

What a fractional or virtual CFO actually costs

This is where the flexibility comes in. Australian providers tend to price one of two ways:

• A monthly retainer, usually $3,000 to $15,000, scaled to the size of the business and how much support it needs. Smaller businesses (under ~$10M revenue) sit at the lower end; larger or more complex ones higher.
• An hourly rate, commonly $150 to $450 an hour, with senior practitioners at the top of that band.

Some providers also charge a one-off setup fee at the start — for an initial review, cleaning up the numbers, or getting systems in order — separate from the ongoing retainer. Worth asking about, so it doesn't surprise you.

The reason the range is so wide is simple: "fractional CFO" covers everything from a light-touch monthly review to near-weekly involvement in a business going through a raise or an acquisition. Most SME engagements land somewhere around 10 to 30 hours a month. You're buying a slice of senior time, and the size of the slice is what moves the price.

So is it worth it?

The provider shorthand is that a fractional CFO costs "60 to 70% less than a full-time one." That's a sales line, not an independent finding — but the underlying logic holds: $3,000 to $15,000 a month is $36,000 to $180,000 a year, against a full-time package that's comfortably $250,000-plus all-in. For a business that doesn't yet need a CFO five days a week, paying for five days a week makes no sense.

The honest test isn't the fee, though — it's whether the work pays for itself. Better decisions, cash protected before it became a problem, a pricing call that lifts margin, time your team gets back. If a few thousand a month buys you those, it's cheap. If it doesn't, you probably don't need one yet, and a good adviser will tell you so.

How we price it at GME

We don't publish a fixed price, because an honest number depends on your business — its size, its complexity, and how much support it actually needs. What we do is scope it properly first.

Every engagement starts with a short conversation and a free Finance and Automation Health Check — a quick read of your numbers, systems, and where the time is going. From there we come back with a fixed monthly fee, so you know exactly what you're paying before you commit. No hourly meter running, no surprises.

The part that's a little different from a typical fractional CFO is that we build as well as advise. When the answer to a problem is a better report or an automation that takes work off your team, we can build it — so some of what you're paying for pays itself back in hours saved, not just decisions made.

If you're weighing it up, it's worth reading what a fractional CFO actually does and the difference between a virtual and fractional CFO first — then, if it sounds like a fit, start with a conversation.