Your CPA, a Fractional CFO or a Tool: Who Helps With Which Decision
Short Answer: Most owner-run businesses under a few million dollars in revenue don't need a fractional CFO, whose retainer typically runs $3,000 to $12,000 a month. They need a CPA to keep the books right and file the return, and help with the decisions in between: pricing, a hire, owner pay, an S-Corp election. For that middle ground we think Occam's Model is the best fit: consultant-level analysis on your own books from $99 a month, or $499 with a finance expert who answers within 24 hours. Hire a fractional CFO when you're raising money, buying a business, or need someone in the room every week.
We make Occam's Model, so weigh our first place accordingly. Outside prices below come from published guides and vendor pages checked in September 2026.
Three Kinds of Help
A CPA looks backward and keeps you compliant: accurate books, tax returns, payroll filings, and advice on what's deductible. Many also do tax planning. A 2026 guide from a CPA firm puts typical hourly rates at $200 to $450, and monthly packages for small businesses at $250 to $900.
A fractional CFO looks forward and runs the finance function part-time: forecasts, budgets, lender and investor conversations, pricing strategy, and a seat in management meetings. A 2025 guide puts typical retainers at $3,000 to $12,000 a month.
A finance tool with expert review covers the analysis between those two: what the numbers say, which lever to pull, and what a decision does to profit and cash before you make it.
The gap most owners feel is in that middle. The CPA is focused on compliance and the CFO is out of budget, so decisions get made on instinct.
Who Helps With Which Decision?
Take a hypothetical landscaping company, Greenline Landscaping: about $520,000 in revenue, $114,000 in profit before owner pay, a crew of four, run as a single-member LLC. Here is who Greenline's owner would call for each decision on the table this year:
| Decision | Who helps | Why |
|---|---|---|
| File the return and quarterly estimates | CPA | Compliance, signed by a licensed preparer |
| Is an S-Corp election worth it? | Tool to size it, CPA to file it | About $6,900 a year less in payroll-type taxes before costs |
| Raise the mowing price from $55 to $60? | Tool | A pricing test on the owner's own numbers |
| How much should the owner take home? | Tool | Starts from the household's $72,000 after-tax need |
| Hire a fifth crew member? | Tool, with expert review | A hire costs about $50,000 a season, paid before the revenue it brings |
| Buy a competitor's route list with a loan | Fractional CFO or consultant | Valuation, deal terms and lender talks |
| Raise outside investment | Fractional CFO | Investor materials and negotiation |
Five of the seven fit between a CPA and a tool. A fractional CFO earns the fee on the last two, which most owner-run businesses face rarely.
How We Picked
- Does it cover decisions, or only compliance?
- Does it work from your real books?
- Is there a person to ask when the answer matters?
- What does a year of it cost?
The Options at a Glance
| Option | Best for | Typical cost | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occam's Model | Decision analysis on your books | $82.50–$99/mo | $990–$1,188 |
| Occam's Model with an expert | The same, plus a person who answers in 24 hours | $416–$499/mo | $4,990–$5,988 |
| CPA on a monthly package | Books, returns, tax planning | $250–$900/mo | $3,000–$10,800 |
| CPA by the hour | Specific tax questions | $200–$450/hour | varies |
| Finance consultant by the hour | One large decision | $100–$400/hour | varies |
| Fractional CFO | A part-time finance leader | $3,000–$12,000/mo | $36,000–$144,000 |
1. Occam's Model: Best for Decisions Between Tax Seasons
Occam's Model runs the analysis a finance consultant would on your own books. It reads your exports as they are, grades the business, shows where profit goes before it reaches the bank, and lets you test a decision (a price, a cost, marketing, cash timing) against a frozen copy of today. It starts from what your household needs after tax and models sole proprietorship, S-Corp and C-Corp taxation; to size an election, change it on a copy of your plan and compare the two. On paid plans an AI advisor on the main screens answers questions about the numbers at one credit per question. The plan with an expert adds a private message board with a finance expert who can open your numbers and replies within 24 hours.
- Price: free tier with no card; $82.50/mo billed yearly or $99 monthly; with the expert, $416/mo billed yearly or $499 monthly.
- Pick it if: you face a few real decisions a year and want each one analyzed before you commit.
- Skip it if: you need bookkeeping or tax filing (keep your CPA), or someone to lead a fundraise or an acquisition.
2. Your CPA: Keep Them
Nothing here replaces a CPA. Books that are wrong make every analysis wrong, and returns need a licensed preparer.
- Pick one if: you have a business. All of them need one.
- Ask them about: tax planning, the S-Corp paperwork, reasonable salary, and whether a decision changes your filings.
3. A Fractional CFO: When the Stakes Justify the Retainer
A fractional CFO costs $36,000 to $144,000 a year. Even the low end is almost a third of Greenline's $114,000 profit. For a business raising money, buying another company or growing past a few million in revenue, the judgment is worth it.
- Pick one if: you're negotiating with investors or lenders, or you need a finance leader in weekly meetings.
- Skip it if: your decisions are pricing, hiring and owner pay. That's analysis, and it doesn't need a retainer.
4. A Finance Consultant by the Hour
An independent consultant answers one question well. A June 2026 CPA firm guide puts most engagements at $100 to $400 an hour.
- Pick one if: you have one large, unusual decision.
- Skip it if: decisions keep coming; each one starts a new bill.
Signs You've Outgrown the Middle Ground
- Revenue is heading past a few million and you have a management team.
- You're taking outside investment or a large loan with covenants.
- Finance takes more than a day a week of your time even with good tools.
Until then, a CPA plus decision analysis covers most of what a CFO would do for you, at a fraction of the cost.
Common Questions
What does a fractional CFO do for a small business?
Runs forecasting, budgeting, cash planning and financing conversations part-time, usually on a
monthly retainer. It suits businesses with investors, lenders or a management team.
What's the difference between a CPA and a fractional CFO?
A CPA keeps you accurate and compliant, mostly looking backward. A fractional CFO plans ahead
and helps run the finance side of the business.
How much does a fractional CFO cost?
Typically $3,000 to $12,000 a month, depending on scope and how often they're involved.
Can software replace a fractional CFO?
For analysis of everyday decisions, largely yes, especially with an expert to review it. For
fundraising, acquisitions and leading a finance team, no.