Interim CFO
Interim CFO
When the seat opens unexpectedly, you need a steady hand in days — to stabilize cash, hold the board and the bank, and hand off clean.
An interim CFO steps into a sudden gap — a departure, a leave, a transaction, or a crisis — and keeps the finance function running while you decide on the permanent answer. The job is stability: protect cash, keep the close on cadence, and maintain the lender and board relationships.
Speed matters here, and so does seniority. This is not a role for a junior analyst learning on your dime; it's a role for someone who has stabilized finance functions under pressure before and knows what to triage first.
When the permanent CFO arrives — or you decide a fractional arrangement is the right long-term fit — you get a clean, documented handoff, not a mess to untangle.
What lands each month
Concrete deliverables with a defined scope — so you see exactly what you get, not an open hourly meter.
Fast stabilization
Immediate triage of cash, close, payroll, and any covenant or lender exposure.
Continuity of reporting
The board and lender keep getting their numbers on time, without a gap.
Cash control
A 13-week forecast stood up fast so liquidity decisions are made on real visibility.
Process documentation
We document the close and controls so the permanent hire inherits a clean function.
Clean handoff
A structured transition to the permanent CFO or a long-term fractional engagement.
Why not a staffing firm
A staffing firm can also drop someone in fast — but you don't know who you'll get, and the meter runs hourly with no defined end state. Our interim engagements are scoped to a stabilization outcome and led by one senior operator from day one.
Case study · Manufacturing
13-week
cash flow stood up and run weekly through the workout
A covenant breach put the company into a lender workout. The bank wanted weekly cash visibility and a credible plan; the founder had neither the time nor a finance function built for that pressure.
Read the case studyQuestions
How quickly can an interim CFO start?
Days, not weeks. The first priority is triage — cash, close, payroll, lender exposure — so nothing critical slips during the transition.
Can an interim engagement become ongoing?
Often. Many interim engagements convert to a fractional retainer once the immediate gap is handled and you decide a part-time CFO is the right long-term fit.
What happens at the end?
A documented handoff: the close, controls, model, and lender relationships transferred cleanly to your permanent hire.
Is an interim CFO the same as a temporary CFO?
Yes — interim and temporary CFO describe the same thing: a senior operator filling the seat for a defined window during a departure, leave, transaction, or crisis, with a clean handoff at the end. The label varies; the job is stability now and a documented transition later.
How much does a Interim CFO cost?
Interim engagements are scoped to a stabilization outcome and typically run $8K–$15K/month for the duration, with a defined end. Many convert to a lower ongoing retainer once the gap is handled. See Pricing.
Related engagements
Fractional CFO
Senior CFO judgment on a monthly retainer — the same operator in your numbers every month, not whoever is free on the bench this week.
Turnaround / Distressed CFO
For the rooms where the bank is already on the phone — forbearance, covenant breach, restructuring. This is the work most fractional shops never touch.
Distressed-Company CFO
When liquidity is tight and the lender is watching, you need a CFO who has done this before — cash measured in weeks, a bank that wants answers, and a way through.
Book a working session.
A 20-minute call, a clear read on your numbers, and a straight answer on whether a fractional CFO is the right call right now.