A fractional CFO for contractors is a part-time CFO engagement that delivers job costing setup, monthly close, WIP reporting, cash flow forecasting, and strategic oversight — without the $150K–$250K annual cost of a full-time hire. At $1M–$12M revenue, most subcontractors need CFO-level financial discipline but not 40 hours a week of CFO work. The fractional model gives you the system and the oversight at a monthly cost that scales with your revenue.
Most contractors delay getting a CFO because they assume it means hiring a full-time executive. It doesn't. A fractional CFO engagement runs monthly, delivers the same financial discipline and reporting as a full-time hire, and costs a fraction of what an in-house salary would. The question isn't whether you can afford a fractional CFO — it's whether you can afford to keep running without one.
BY JOSH LUEBKERPublished: May 2026Updated: May 2026
WHAT IT INCLUDES
WHAT A FRACTIONAL CFO ENGAGEMENT ACTUALLY DELIVERS.
A CFOS fractional CFO engagement covers everything between your bookkeeper and your tax accountant — the operational financial layer that neither one provides:
CORE FINANCIAL — FROM $1,900/MO
The Foundation Layer
ControlQore setup, job costing structure built to your trade and estimate format, bank reconciliations, bookkeeping, and monthly financial statements. This is the data layer — the foundation everything else runs on. No recurring CFO advisory included. Ideal for contractors who need the system built correctly and can run their own monthly meetings once the structure is in place.
EXECUTIVE FINANCIAL — FROM $2,900/MO
Full CFO Oversight
Everything in Core Financial plus monthly strategic meetings, CEO Report delivery, 13-week cash flow forecast, WIP schedule, actionable to-dos from every meeting, and ongoing CFO advisory. This is the full engagement — the owner spends about 5 hours a month reviewing numbers and making decisions. Everything else is handled. Designed for contractors at $3M–$12M who are running too fast to manage the financial side alongside the field.
BOTH TIERS INCLUDE
✓ Books migrated to start of last taxable year
✓ Full onboarding in 60 days
✓ Job cost codes built to your trade
✓ No scope gaps between bookkeeping and advisory
✓ No payroll — that stays with your current provider
✓ Priced by trailing 12-month revenue — scales with you
HOW TO KNOW IF YOU'RE READY
SIGNS YOU NEED A FRACTIONAL CFO RIGHT NOW.
You don't know which jobs are making money and which aren't — without waiting for the job to close
You've been surprised by a cash shortage after a busy period — the "profitable but no cash" problem
You're growing fast but margins are getting tighter instead of improving
Your bookkeeper and your accountant give you different numbers and neither one makes operational sense
You have a line of credit that keeps getting used and never fully paid off
Change orders, retainage, and AR are a recurring headache that nobody is systematically working
You want to grow but don't know if your working capital can support the next contract
You're spending more than 10 hours a month on financial management and still not confident in the numbers
THE ONBOARDING
WHAT THE FIRST 60 DAYS LOOK LIKE.
We don't wait for data. We know what's broken before we see the first number. The first 60 days are fixing it while the migration runs:
Week 1–2: Books migration starts. Job cost codes built. SOV and billing structure reviewed on active projects. First AR aging pulled and collections calls made.
Week 3–4: Overhead rate calculated. Estimating structure reviewed. Cash flow forecast built for next 13 weeks. LOC headroom mapped against upcoming project starts.
Week 5–8: First monthly close completed. First CEO Report delivered. First cost-to-complete run on active projects. First strategic meeting with owner — every number reviewed, 3 action items set.
Day 60: System is live. Books are current. Job costing is running. Cash forecast is updated. The cadence is established. This is proof of system — not the start of trying.
COMMON QUESTIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED.
Core Financial is the data foundation: ControlQore setup, job costing structure, bookkeeping, and bank recs. No recurring CFO meetings. Starts at $1,900/mo. Executive Financial adds the management layer: monthly CEO Report, strategic meetings, 13-week cash forecast, WIP schedule, and ongoing CFO advisory. Starts at $2,900/mo. Both are priced by trailing 12-month revenue and scale as you grow.
A bookkeeper records transactions. CFOS manages decisions. Job costing setup, cost-to-complete, WIP reconciliation, cash forecasting, overhead rate calculation, billing structure review, and monthly accountability meetings — none of that is bookkeeping. CFOS fills the gap between your bookkeeper's function and what the business needs to operate profitably.
No. Payroll stays with your current payroll provider — Gusto, ADP, Paychex, or whoever you use. CFOS connects payroll data to job costing so labor costs land in the right projects and phases, but we don't process payroll runs. This keeps your payroll continuity intact and focuses CFOS on the financial management layer where the leverage is.
Most clients see the first financial impact in week one — that's typically uncollected AR that gets collected once a systematic collections call is made. The bigger structural improvements — correct overhead rate, accurate job costing, forward-looking cash forecast — are in place by day 60. The ongoing margin improvement from better estimating and bid accuracy typically shows up in months 3–6 as the historical data accumulates.
Josh Luebker
Fractional CFO · The Construction CFO
Former commercial construction project manager and master electrician. Managed 150+ projects totaling $300M+. Now fractional CFO for commercial subcontractors doing $1M–$12M. About Josh → | LinkedIn →
