Choosing support

Outsourced finance for UK owner-managed businesses: the options compared (2026)

Anna Stafford, AI Accounts. 11 November 2026

Compliance accountant, outsourced finance team, fractional CFO or a full-time hire? What each gives you, what it costs and who it suits, with named UK firms as examples.

If your business turns over £1m to £15m, you have four ways to run its finance: a compliance accountant, an outsourced finance team, a fractional CFO, or your own full-time hire. The right one depends on whether you need your numbers every month, how much senior judgement you need, and what you can spend. Monthly management accounts are the dividing line, and the price at which providers include them varies a lot.

This page compares the four types, with named UK firms as examples. We are one of them. AI Accounts is our own firm, so we’ve stuck to what each firm publishes about itself, and we haven’t ranked anyone.

1. A compliance or high-street accountant

What you get. Year-end accounts, Corporation Tax, VAT returns and often payroll and bookkeeping. You hear from them mostly around deadlines.

Typical cost basis. A fixed monthly or annual fee, usually the lowest of the four options.

Who it suits. Businesses where the owner reads the bank balance and that’s enough, or where someone in-house already produces monthly figures.

Watch-outs. Ask whether monthly management accounts are included at all, and who you’d speak to if you wanted advice on cash or pricing.

Examples:

• Crunch publishes its limited company prices: Limited Company Pro at £94 + VAT a month and Limited Company Premium at £145 + VAT a month, with lower monthly prices if billed annually. The page we read didn’t mention management accounts. (crunch.co.uk, read 9 Nov 2026)
• Accounts and Legal covers annual accounts, tax, bookkeeping and legal services, and says it has more than 1,000 clients. It doesn’t publish prices on its homepage; it offers an instant quote tool instead. It also runs an outsourced finance department (see below). (accountsandlegal.co.uk, read 9 Nov 2026)

2. An outsourced finance team

What you get. Bookkeeping, payroll, VAT and year-end, plus a team that closes your month and sends you management accounts. Higher tiers add cash forecasting, KPIs and some finance director time.

Typical cost basis. A monthly fee that rises with transaction volume, headcount or turnover.

Who it suits. Owner-managed businesses that have outgrown year-end-only accounting but don’t need, or can’t yet justify, a full-time Financial Controller.

Watch-outs. Check which tier includes monthly (not quarterly) management accounts, whether commentary comes with them, and whether there’s an onboarding fee.

Examples:

• Your Finance Team publishes three tiers, all + VAT a month: Essentials from £695, Progressive from £1,595 and Mature from £3,295. Management accounts are quarterly in Essentials and Progressive and monthly in Mature, which also includes monthly FD board attendance. It’s one rolling contract with 30 days’ notice, and it charges one month’s fee as a transition fee. (yourfinanceteam.co.uk/pricing, read 9 Nov 2026)
• The Accountancy Cloud says on its pricing page that packages start at £119 a month, without prices for each package. Its Growth package includes a quarterly P&L, balance sheet and cash flow pack, and Scale includes monthly reporting. Fractional CFO time is sold in 8-hour blocks, with unused hours carried over. Its positioning is mainly startups. (accountancycloud.com/pricing, read 9 Nov 2026)
• Rise Accounting offers an outsourced finance function with a dedicated qualified accountant and bookkeeper and “regular management reports with commentary”, for one fixed monthly cost quoted after a consultation. It says it typically works with clients “between Seed to Series B”. (riseaccounting.co.uk, read 9 Nov 2026)
• Azets offers outsourced accounting packages on a bespoke fixed monthly price, with “Finance Director on demand” in its Leadership package, and says it has over 80,000 UK clients. No prices are published. (azets.com, read 9 Nov 2026)
• Accounts and Legal‘s outsourced finance department includes a monthly management pack, rolling cash flow forecasts and a named Finance Manager. No prices are published on that page. (accountsandlegal.co.uk, read 9 Nov 2026)
• AI Accounts is our own firm. Finance Foundations is from £500 + VAT a month and doesn’t include management accounts. Finance Operations is from £1,500 + VAT a month and includes monthly management accounts with commentary. Both are rolling monthly with 30 days’ notice, for businesses turning over £1m to £15m. (aiaccounts.co.uk/pricing)

3. A fractional CFO

What you get. A senior finance person for a set number of days a month, working on forecasting, cash planning, pricing, hiring and big decisions. Some firms add this to an outsourced team; others supply the CFO only, and you keep your own bookkeeping and reporting.

Typical cost basis. A day rate, a block of days or hours, or a monthly retainer.

Who it suits. Profitable businesses making bigger calls, such as a new site, an acquisition, a refinance or a sale, where the monthly numbers are already reliable.

Watch-outs. Ask who produces the monthly numbers the CFO works from, whether there’s a minimum initial period, and whether you’re buying a service or a placement.

Examples:

• The CFO Centre says it has over 750 fractional CFOs across 18 countries, with no tie-ins and, in most cases, a 30-day notice period. It doesn’t publish prices. Its FAQ gives a typical starting point “from £1million”. (cfocentre.com/gb/how-it-works and cfocentre.com/ie/faqs, read 9 Nov 2026)
• FD Capital sources fractional CFOs and gives day rates from £600 to £1,200 as a UK market range, with an indicative rate given once you submit a brief. Engagements typically start with a three-month initial period with a mutual break clause, then roll monthly with one month’s notice. (fdcapital.co.uk, read 9 Nov 2026)
• AI Accounts (our own firm): Fractional CFO is from £3,000 + VAT a month, which is entry Finance Operations plus two CFO days. Extra days are £1,000, or £800 from day 6. (aiaccounts.co.uk/fractional-cfo)

4. A full-time Financial Controller or Finance Director

What you get. One person, in your business every day, who knows it inside out.

Typical cost basis. Salary, plus employer’s National Insurance, pension, recruitment and software. Robert Walters’ 2026 UK figures put Financial Controller salaries at £70,000 to £100,000 in the Midlands and £70,000 to £180,000 in London, and Finance Director salaries at £90,000 to £140,000 in the Midlands and £100,000 to £230,000 in London. (Financial Controller and Finance Director, read 9 Nov 2026)

Who it suits. Businesses with enough daily finance work to fill a full-time role, or that need someone on site.

Watch-outs. One person is one point of failure, for holidays, sickness and leaving. A Financial Controller may still need a bookkeeper below and senior advice above. We’ve written more on this in Financial controller vs outsourced finance function.

The options side by side

“Not stated” means we couldn’t find it on the page we read. It doesn’t mean the firm doesn’t offer it.

How to choose: five questions to ask any provider

1. At what price do monthly management accounts start, and do they come with written commentary?
2. Who will I actually deal with each month, and what are they qualified to do?
3. What’s the minimum term, the notice period and any set-up or transition fee?
4. Do you work with businesses of my size and sector now, and can I speak to one?
5. When I need senior advice on cash, pricing or hiring, is it included, and how many days a month do I get?

Ask every provider the same five questions, us included, and put the answers in one table. The gaps show up quickly.

Questions owners ask

What is the difference between an outsourced finance team and a fractional CFO?

An outsourced finance team runs your bookkeeping, payroll, VAT and month-end close and sends you management accounts. A fractional CFO is a senior finance person for a set number of days a month who uses those numbers for forecasting, pricing, hiring and bigger decisions. Some firms offer both together; others offer only one.

How much does outsourced finance cost for a UK business turning over £1m to £15m?

It depends on the type. Published prices we checked on 9 November 2026 run from about £94 + VAT a month for a compliance-only online accountant to £3,295 + VAT a month for an outsourced team tier with monthly management accounts and FD time. At AI Accounts, monthly management accounts start at £1,500 + VAT a month (Finance Operations), and Fractional CFO starts at £3,000 + VAT.

Should I hire a Financial Controller or outsource my finance function?

Hire when there is enough daily work to fill a full-time role or you need someone on site. Robert Walters’ 2026 UK figures put Financial Controller salaries at £70,000 to £180,000 depending on region, before employer costs. Outsourcing usually suits businesses that need monthly reporting and senior input but not a full-time person.