---
title: "Fractional vs Full-Time Finance Director | Elm Financial"
description: "How a fractional finance director compares with a full-time hire or an accountant alone, when each fits and what to ask before you decide."
url: "https://elmfinancial.co.uk/fractional-finance-director-benefits"
lang: "en"
published: "2026-10-05T12:01:18+00:00"
author: "Joe Gilbert ACMA CGMA"
---

# Fractional finance director or full-time finance director? How to choose

If your business has outgrown a bookkeeper and a year-end accountant, there are three common routes: hire a full-time finance director, bring in a fractional (part-time) finance director, or stay with an accountant and add more support around them. This guide compares them so you can decide which fits your stage.

## The three options at a glance

|  | Fractional finance director | Full-time finance director | Accountant and bookkeeper only |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Main focus | Forecasting, funding, planning and board-level finance | Everything finance, every day | Compliance: bookkeeping, accounts, tax |
| Time commitment | Set days or a regular monthly commitment | Full-time employee | As needed for filings and queries |
| How you pay | Agreed fixed fee or set number of days | Salary plus employment costs | Fees for the work done |
| Looks forward? | Yes | Yes | Mostly looks back |
| Best for | Growing businesses that need senior input without a full-time role | Larger businesses with enough finance work to fill the role | Simple businesses with stable needs |

## When a fractional finance director fits

\- You are growing faster than your finance setup and need forecasts and decisions, not just year-end accounts. - You are raising investment or borrowing and need credible numbers and someone who can answer investors' questions. - You want reliable monthly \[management accounts\](https://elmfinancial.co.uk/management-accounts-explained) with commentary, so you can price, hire and spend with confidence. - Something has changed, such as an acquisition, a new site, a cash squeeze or a key person leaving, and you need experienced input quickly.

## When a full-time finance director fits

A full-time hire makes sense when the business generates enough finance work, such as a larger team, multiple entities or heavy reporting, to keep a senior person busy every day, and you want that person embedded in the leadership team. The cost is a salary and employment costs whether the workload is high or low, and recruitment takes time.

## When an accountant alone is enough

If your needs are mainly bookkeeping, VAT, payroll, year-end accounts and tax, and you are not planning a fundraise or a big change, a good accountant and bookkeeper may be all you need. The gap appears when you need forward-looking advice during the year, not only compliance afterwards. Our guide on \[what a finance function is\](https://elmfinancial.co.uk/what-is-a-finance-function) explains the difference.

## Questions to ask before you decide

\- How many days a month of senior finance work do we really need? - Is the main need forecasting and funding, or day-to-day control and reporting? - Do we want someone in the team every day, or a regular, scheduled input? - Will the need grow quickly or settle? - Can the support be scaled up around a fundraise and back down afterwards?

## How Elm works

Our \[fractional finance director\](https://elmfinancial.co.uk/fractional-finance-director) service is agreed on a fixed monthly fee or a set number of days, so you know the cost before we start. We scale the support up around a fundraise or a big decision and down when things settle. If you reach the point where a full-time finance director is right, we will say so and help with the handover. We can also provide bookkeeping, payroll and compliance as part of a complete \[outsourced finance function\](https://elmfinancial.co.uk/finance-function).

[Talk to us about finance director support](https://elmfinancial.co.uk/contact)