What does a fractional controller do?
A fractional controller is a senior finance professional who provides monthly oversight, reporting, and judgement on the books of a small or mid-sized business — without being a full-time hire. The role sits above the bookkeeper and beside the CEO: reviewing the monthly close, producing management reports, modelling cash flow, and advising on operating decisions. For a Canadian business between $1M and $10M in revenue, a fractional controller typically replaces an employee that would otherwise cost $120,000 to $180,000 per year fully loaded.
Each month, a senior controller reviews your bookkeeping, signs off on the close, and produces a brief narrative report on what the numbers say about the business. Quarterly, we sit with you for a deeper review — cash flow, margin, debt, and owner draw. Fiscal close is handed to our year-end preparation team so the same eyes that reviewed the monthly numbers sign off on the working papers. You get financial oversight appropriate for a growing business without the fixed cost of a full-time hire.
What does Coal Harbour include in a fractional controller engagement?
- Review monthly financial statements for accuracy, presentation, and outliers
- Produce a management report with key metrics, trends, and observations
- Model cash flow forward three to twelve months
- Advise on pricing, margin, and operating decisions as they arise
- Liaise with your CPA, bank, and investors on financial questions
What software do you use for fractional controller work?
QuickBooks Online or Xero as the ledger. Fathom, Jirav, or Google Sheets for management reporting, depending on how you prefer to consume the numbers. We recommend and adapt; we do not force a tool on you.
What is not included in fractional controller engagements?
This is fractional controller work, not fundraising advisory or transaction services. We do not prepare investor pitch decks, projections for a capital raise, or due diligence responses for a sale. For those engagements, we refer to CFO advisory firms in Vancouver we trust.
What does a fractional controller cost in Vancouver?
Fractional controller engagements start at $1,500 per month CAD and scale with the scope and frequency of review. Most engagements are a fixed monthly retainer for an agreed number of hours per month, reviewed quarterly.
Further reading
- What is a fractional controller? — the short definition post on what the role covers.
- When to hire a fractional controller in Canada — the readiness signals, cost benchmarks, and what the first ninety days look like.
A good fit if
- Your business is between $1M and $10M in annual revenue
- You have monthly bookkeeping in place and need the next layer of oversight
- You want financial discipline without hiring a controller full-time
Probably not the right fit if
- You need a full-time CFO for capital raising or M&A work
- You do not yet have monthly bookkeeping in place
- Your business is pre-revenue without an operating ledger