Fractional controller
Controller-level oversight, without the six-figure hire.
Published range $2,500–$5,000/mo
You've outgrown "just bookkeeping" but you're nowhere near needing a CFO. A fractional controller is the missing middle: the close reviewed, the controls held, the reporting honest — scoped to what your business actually needs.
Operational controllership — not CPA attestation or tax oversight. Scoped individually, fixed fee in writing.
Reviewed before delivery: reports go out only after the accounts behind them agree with their statements and every open question is listed for you. What the review checks.
Quick answer
Hire a fractional controller when the books are kept but nobody senior checks them: closes go unreviewed, controls are informal, and reports reach lenders or boards unchallenged. A controller owns that oversight; a CFO adds strategy and financing on top, and the controller layer normally comes first.
Defined honestly
What a controller is — between bookkeeper and CFO.
A controller owns the integrity of the numbers. Not the data entry — that's bookkeeping. Not capital strategy — that's a CFO. The controller is the layer between: the role that reviews the monthly close before anyone relies on it, keeps the controls that prevent errors and surprises, holds the reporting cadence when business gets busy, and answers when something in the numbers looks off.
You can feel the need for this layer long before you can justify a full-time seat for it. The books are kept, the statements arrive, and yet: who's checking the close? Who notices the control gap before it costs something? Who does the bank's question land on? When nobody owns those questions, you have a controller-shaped hole — and a full-time controller is a six-figure hire, which is exactly why the fractional version exists.
Bookkeeper — produces
Transactions categorized, accounts reconciled, the close run. The foundation. Monthly bookkeeping →
Controller — assures
Reviews the close, enforces controls, owns reporting integrity. This page.
CFO — strategizes
Capital, financing, long-range planning. A different job — and when you need it, we'll say so.
Not sure which layer you're missing? Map it on a free strategy call — bookkeeper, controller, or CFO, named honestly.
Request a callThe engagement, concretely
What standing oversight includes.
Close review, every month
Each monthly close reviewed before it's delivered — reconciliations verified, anomalies investigated, nothing relied on unchecked. The month-end close →
Controls that fit your size
Approval thresholds, separation of duties where headcount allows, documentation that makes errors visible early — controls scaled to a real small business, not a Fortune 500 binder.
A reporting cadence that holds
Statements on schedule, in the same format, every month — including the busy ones, which is when discipline earns its keep.
The standing advisory meeting
A recurring conversation about what the reviewed numbers say — drift named, questions answered, the next move agreed. It pairs well with reporting advisory.
Figure data as a table
| Layer | Bookkeeper | Controller | CFO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Role | Produces | Assures | Strategizes |
| Owns | Transactions coded, accounts reconciled, the close run | Close review, controls, reporting integrity | Capital, financing, long-range planning |
| You need it when | The books need keeping | The books are kept, but nobody senior checks them | The questions are capital questions, or investors are at the table |
| Offered here as | Monthly bookkeeping | Fractional controller | A different job; we say when you need it |
| Fixed fee | $550–$1,800 a month | $2,500–$5,000 a month | — |
Why this fits
The review layer is already how we work.
Here's the structural point a stand-alone controller can't supply: oversight only works when it sits on top of a real, reviewed close. That review layer is part of how we work, not a feature bolted on for this page.
The fractional-controller engagement takes that existing layer and widens it from "the books are right" to "the finance function is sound": close review becomes formal, controls get designed and held, the reporting cadence gets owned, and the advisory conversation gets a standing slot. It also pairs naturally with handing us the whole accounting function when you want the whole finance function — production and oversight — with one firm.
The honest fit
Who this is for — and when you need a CFO instead.
A fractional controller fits if…
You've outgrown "just bookkeeping"
The books are kept, but nobody reviews the close or owns the controls.
Others rely on your statements
A bank, a bonding agent, a partner — audiences that notice when reporting wobbles.
The seat isn't justified yet
You need the discipline of the role, not the six-figure salary of the chair.
It isn't controller work if…
The questions are capital questions
Raising money, structuring debt, acquisitions, exit planning — CFO work, plainly.
Investors are at the table
Board packages, investor relations, diligence cycles need a dedicated strategic finance lead.
You need attestation
Audited or CPA-reviewed statements require a licensed CPA firm — we coordinate with yours, we don't replace them.
If you're the right column, we'll say so on the first call. Ongoing advisory beyond the controller role is a separate, scoped retainer (from $3,000 a month, on the pricing page); attestation stays with a licensed CPA firm. Stretching past our honest edge isn't how we work — see the scope disclaimer for the full boundary.
Fractional controller FAQ
The questions owners ask about the role.
Related: financial reporting advisory · cash-flow management · the finance function, outsourced · the advisory hub.
The missing middle
Get the oversight layer — scoped to your size.
A free strategy call. We'll map where your finance function actually stands — bookkeeper, controller, CFO — and scope the oversight you need in writing. Including "you don't need this yet," if that's the truth.