Short answer: Houston fractional CFO engagements range from a few hundred dollars a month for bookkeeping-plus-advisory packages to $6,000 or more per month for a dedicated, senior CFO running forecasting, lender relationships and strategy. Most owner-operated companies land somewhere in between, and the price tracks how many hours and how much seniority you need each month.
Have a quote? Compare it to a full-time hire with our fractional vs. full-time CFO cost calculator.
What Houston firms actually publish
Most fractional CFO firms don't post prices. A few in our directory do, and they show how wide the range is:
| Firm | What's included | Published starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Kalos (Houston and Gulf Coast) | Outsourced bookkeeping, AP/AR and fractional CFO advisory for owner-operated businesses and nonprofits | From $650/month |
| Laverton Advisory (Houston) | Dedicated fractional CFO for owner-operators doing $2M to $15M in revenue | From $6,000/month |
These two sit at opposite ends of the market. The first bundles day-to-day accounting with lighter CFO advisory. The second is a senior CFO who owns the numbers, the forecast and the strategy. Neither is overpriced; they're different products. The most common mistake owners make is comparing them as if they were the same thing.
The three ways fractional CFOs bill
1. Monthly retainer
The most common model. You pay a flat monthly fee for a defined scope: for example, a monthly close review, a 13-week cash flow forecast, a KPI dashboard and a monthly meeting. Retainers give you predictable costs and give the CFO enough time to actually learn your business.
2. Hourly
Some CFOs bill by the hour, which works for light, irregular needs like reviewing a bank covenant or answering questions before a board meeting. Hourly gets expensive and unpredictable once you need someone regularly, so most ongoing relationships move to a retainer.
3. Project-based
A fixed fee for a defined deliverable: building a financial model for a raise, getting ready for a sale or audit, cleaning up a messy year of books, or implementing a new accounting system. Good for a one-time need, and a low-risk way to try a CFO before committing to a retainer.
What drives the price
- How many hours a month you need. A CFO spending a day a month costs far less than one spending a day a week.
- Whether bookkeeping is included. Bundled packages look cheap per month because the CFO time is a small slice. Check how many senior hours you actually get.
- The state of your books. If your books are months behind or don't reconcile, expect a cleanup project before any strategy work can start.
- Complexity. Multiple entities, inventory, job costing, government contracts, lender covenants or investors all add work.
- Seniority and specialty. A CFO with SEC reporting, M&A or energy-industry experience prices accordingly, and is worth it when you need that expertise.
- Urgency. A sale, a raise or a cash crunch on a deadline costs more than steady monthly work.
Fractional vs. full-time: the real comparison
The case for a fractional CFO is simple. A full-time CFO means a senior executive salary plus benefits, bonus and recruiting costs, and most companies under roughly $20M in revenue don't have a full-time CFO's worth of work. A fractional CFO gives you that experience for the hours you need. When your needs grow past two or three days a week, that's usually the signal to start planning a full-time hire, and a good fractional CFO will tell you so.
How to budget
- Write down the three decisions you need help with in the next six months: a loan, pricing, hiring, a sale, cash flow. This defines the scope.
- Decide if you need bookkeeping too. If your books are already clean and current, you only need CFO time.
- Get two or three proposals with the same scope so you can compare them line by line.
- Ask how many senior hours are included and who does the work: the CFO, or junior staff.
- Start with a defined first 90 days and clear deliverables, then adjust.
Houston fractional CFOs with published pricing
Houston and the Gulf Coast
Outsourced bookkeeping, AP/AR, and fractional CFO advisory for owner-operated businesses and nonprofits.
Plans listed from $650/month
Laverton Advisory
Derek Hammock, CPA
Houston
Fractional CFO for owner-operators doing $2M to $15M, built by a Big Four-trained CPA.
Engagements listed from $6,000/month
"Not yet verified" profiles were built from each firm's own website. FractPros has not yet confirmed experience, credentials or availability with the firm. A profile shows Verified only after the CFO claims it and passes our review. See all Houston profiles.
Frequently asked questions
Is a fractional CFO worth it for a small business?
It usually pays off when there are decisions with real money attached: financing, pricing, hiring, cash flow problems, or preparing to sell. If you mainly need accurate books and tax filings, a good bookkeeper and CPA are the better first spend.
What's the difference between a cheap and an expensive fractional CFO?
Mostly the number of senior hours and the seniority of the person. Low monthly packages often bundle bookkeeping with a small amount of CFO advisory. Higher fees usually mean a seasoned CFO who owns forecasting, lender and investor relationships, and strategy.
Do fractional CFOs require long contracts?
Many work month to month or with a short initial term, and project-based engagements end when the deliverable is done. Ask about notice periods before you sign.
Does FractPros charge business owners?
No. Owners browse the directory and contact CFOs directly. FractPros takes no cut of your engagement.