This is not a used-car ad against full-time CFOs. I have been the full-time finance seat — Entech, ARCOS, and before that the 341st Comptroller Squadron. The question is whether your year can carry the all-in number, and whether you actually have 160 hours a month of CFO work.

What does each option cost at $3M, $10M, and $25M?

GDFS numbers are the published retainers, annualized. Full-time numbers are not mine. Eightx publishes US private-company all-in (base, bonus, benefits, recruiting amortized over three years, onboarding) at $5M / $10M / $25M. They do not publish a $3M row. I will not invent one. The $3M line uses their nearest published band, which is $5M.

Revenue	GDFS 10-hr ($60k/yr)	GDFS 20-hr ($90k/yr)	Full-time CFO, all-in (published)
~$3M	$60,000	$90,000	Eightx publishes at $5M, not $3M: $210,000–$310,000+. Equity extra.
$10M	$60,000	$90,000	$305,000–$465,000+ (Eightx, 2026). Equity extra.
$25M	$60,000	$90,000	$370,000–$565,000+ (Eightx, 2026). Equity extra.

Source: Eightx, “Fractional CFO vs Full-Time CFO: 2026 Cost Guide.” US ecommerce private-company benchmarks. I am not an ecommerce shop. I cite the table because it is a published all-in band at $5M / $10M / $25M, not a salary I guessed. Equity (0.25–2% depending on tier) and severance risk sit outside those columns.

Construction: CFMA’s 2025 Executive Compensation Survey for Contractors puts CFO (Vice President) base in a typical overall range of $180,000–$270,000, average salary $228,101, average bonus $128,700 (CFMA, 2025). Add benefits and recruiting on top of that cash. I will not load it into the table as if CFMA published an all-in number they did not publish.

The two retainers, what’s in and what’s not: pricing. What the seat actually does: fractional CFO services.

What are you actually buying?

A full-time CFO sells you presence. A fractional CFO sells you the hours that price decisions. At $3–25M most of the week is not CFO work. It is close, AP, payroll, job cost entry, and the argument with a vendor. That work belongs with your CPA and, when you outgrow them, a controller. Paying $300,000 so someone can sit in those meetings is how companies light money on fire and call it “finally getting a real finance leader.”

I ran 140 people and a $720M budget as commander of the 341st Comptroller Squadron. I know what a full-time finance organization looks like. Yours probably does not need one yet. It needs cash you can trust, a forecast that matches the work, and someone who has been in a PE seat when the pack has to be clean — Entech, two acquisitions, $9M; ARCOS, $158K procurement. Résumé bullets. I will not dress them up.

When does full-time win?

When the work is daily and in the room. Not when you hit a round number on revenue.

• A live raise or sale. Diligence calls every day for months. Fractional can stage the file. Fractional cannot be on every call at 9, 11, and 4.
• Ten or more people in finance. That is a management job. Someone has to be the boss on site.
• Multi-entity, multi-currency, regulated load that needs a body in the chair every morning — not a 10- or 20-hour cadence.
• You want a partner at the table every day and you will pay the all-in number, including equity. That is a real preference. It is also a real cost. Be honest about which one you have.

If one of those is true, I will say hire full-time. I will help you scope the seat. I will not talk you into a retainer so I can keep the invoice.

If none of those is true and you are at $3–25M, the 10-hour or 20-hour seat is the default. Hybrid — your CPA (or a controller) plus me — beats a lone full-time CFO who still needs someone to close the books.

Does a fractional CFO replace my CPA?

No. Bookkeeping stays with your CPA. A full-time CFO does not replace them either, unless you like paying executive rates for AP. Protect the local relationship. I will work with whoever is already in the file.

Questions I get

How much does a fractional CFO cost versus a full-time CFO?

My retainers are $60,000 a year (10 hours / $5,000 a month) or $90,000 a year (20 hours / $7,500 a month). A published all-in band for a full-time CFO at $5–25M is $210,000–$565,000+ (Eightx, 2026), before equity. Construction CFOs in CFMA’s 2025 survey average $228,101 base plus $128,700 bonus.

At what revenue does a full-time CFO make sense?

Revenue alone is a weak trigger. Full-time usually wins when there is a live raise or sale with daily diligence, 10 or more finance reports, or a multi-entity load that needs someone in the chair every morning. Under $25M, fractional is the default unless one of those is true.

Do I still need a bookkeeper or CPA if I hire a fractional CFO?

Yes. Bookkeeping stays with your CPA. A full-time CFO still needs a controller or bookkeeper underneath. Do not pay executive rates for AP.

When does full-time win?

When the volume is daily and in the room: an active M&A or raise process, a finance team that needs a manager on site, or a founder who wants a partner at the table every morning and will pay the all-in number. I will say so on the call.

Want the math on your year, not a blog table?

Book 30 min. We look at revenue, complexity, and whether 10 hours, 20 hours, or a full-time search is the honest answer.

Book 30 min or call (616) 881-6777

Gabriel Denny — E-1 to squadron commander, nuclear-wing CFO, PE-backed operator.

Gabriel Denny Financial Services, LLC · 1718 NW 14th Terrace, Cape Coral, FL 33993 · (616) 881-6777 · gabe@gabrieldenny.com