The short answer
In most cases, yes. At around 30 employees, finance leadership rarely keeps a full-time person busy: you need reporting, cash planning, budgeting and a contact for investors and banks, usually one or two days a week. An in-house CFO, by contrast, costs roughly €12,000 to €14,000 a month even before recruiting. A fractional CFO is cheaper as long as the need stays below about three days a week.
What finance leadership involves at 30 employees
With 30 employees a company is large enough for financial decisions to have real consequences, but usually too small to keep a full-time CFO busy. Typical tasks are the monthly management report, cash planning, the annual plan, reporting to shareholders or investors, conversations with banks and preparing a funding round. Day-to-day bookkeeping is not part of it: it stays in-house or with a service provider.
Break-even calculation with example figures
The calculation below uses the example values of our cost-comparison template. They are assumptions, not market statistics; you can replace them with your own numbers in the template.
| Item | Example value |
|---|---|
| Gross annual salary, CFO | €114,400 |
| Employer contributions (21%) | €24,024 |
| Bonus (15% of salary) | €17,160 |
| Workplace and equipment | €12,000 |
| Full cost per year | €167,584 |
| Full cost per month | about €13,965 |
| One-off: recruiting (27.5% of salary) | €31,460 |
| Time to start | 6 to 9 months |
For comparison: CFO as a Service costs €2,500 to €15,000 a month in the market, depending on scope. At one or two days a week the fee is usually below the full cost of an in-house role, and the start takes days to a few weeks instead of months. With different salary or scope assumptions you get a different break-even; as a rule of thumb we use about €12,000 a month, above which the in-house role becomes cheaper. nugrow's prices are on the pricing page.
When a fractional CFO is not worth it
A part-time model does not fit if finance leadership permanently takes more than about three days a week, for example with strong growth, several entities or ongoing acquisitions. If you want someone who leads the team and is in the office every day, a permanent hire is often the better choice. In both cases a fractional CFO can serve as a bridge until the role is filled.
Five questions to decide
- How many days a week is leadership work in finance realistically utilised? Under three days points to part-time.
- Do you need leadership or extra capacity? Leadership points to a fractional CFO; missing capacity in the team points to reinforcement in accounting or controlling.
- Is a funding round or a sale coming in the next twelve months? Then extra experience makes sense even if utilisation is otherwise low.
- How fast do you need to be able to act? Weeks instead of six to nine months point to an external solution.
- How certain is the need? A part-time model can be adjusted; a permanent hire only with a notice period.
Cost comparison as an Excel template
With our free template you compare the models over your own time horizon: interim only, CFO as a Service, permanent hire with a vacancy, and interim as a bridge. You enter day rate, monthly fee and salary yourself; the break-even shows up to which fee CFO as a Service is cheaper. No form, no email address needed.
Download the CFO models cost comparison as an Excel template (xlsx)
Frequently asked questions
At how many employees does a company need a CFO?
There is no fixed threshold. What matters is whether financing, planning and investor communication come up. At around 30 employees this is often the case, but utilisation rarely justifies a full-time role.
What does a fractional CFO cost at 30 employees?
The market range for CFO as a Service is €2,500 to €15,000 a month. The exact amount depends on scope. At one or two days a week the fee is usually lower than the full cost of an in-house role.
How many days a week does a company with 30 employees need a CFO?
Usually one or two days a week. During a funding round, a sale or a restructuring it can temporarily be more.
When is a permanent hire better?
When finance leadership permanently takes more than about three days a week and the role can be filled, for example with strong growth.
What stays in-house with a fractional CFO?
Day-to-day bookkeeping stays in-house or with a service provider. The fractional CFO owns reporting, planning, cash and communication with shareholders and banks.
