FRACTIONAL CONTROLLER
Close Process Oversight Without a Full-Time Hire
Controller-level support without a full-time hire — close process oversight, reconciliations, and management reporting prepared consistently, for growing businesses and contractors.
A controller oversees how financial reporting gets produced: that the close happens on a schedule, that accounts are reconciled, that management reporting is prepared on a consistent basis, and that accounting issues are identified and addressed within the agreed scope.
A fractional controller provides that oversight on a part-time or ongoing basis, without adding a full-time position.
Signs this is the gap
- The close takes longer each month, or does not have a defined end point
- Balance-sheet accounts carry balances that need research
- Reports change format month to month, making periods hard to compare
- The owner or CEO is the last person reviewing the accounting
- Issues surface at tax time rather than during the close
- Someone is keeping up with data entry, but no one is overseeing the close
- Numbers get revised after they have been used in a decision
Bookkeeping, controller, CFO
| Focus | Typical output | |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping | Recording activity accurately and on time | Current, organized accounting records |
| Controller | How the close and the reporting are produced | A completed close, reconciled accounts, consistently prepared financial statements |
| CFO | Forward-looking decisions | Forecasts, models, financing preparation, scenario analysis |
The distinction is not seniority for its own sake. Each level addresses a different question, and a business may need one, two, or all three depending on the state of its accounting and the decisions in front of it — not on its revenue.
See Outsourced Accounting and Fractional CFO.
What the work covers
- Close process oversight — a close with a defined start and end rather than an open-ended month
- Reconciliations — balance-sheet accounts reconciled and supported
- Reporting consistency — financial statements prepared the same way each period so comparisons hold
- Accounting issues identified and addressed within the agreed scope
- Schedules for outside parties — accounting records and supporting schedules assembled in the form lenders and other stakeholders request
- Handoff to CFO-level work — where the engagement calls for it
Controller services do not constitute an audit or review, and no assurance is provided. These services do not include testing of internal controls.
For contractors
Construction adds requirements a general controller checklist does not cover. Work-in-progress schedules need to be maintained and updated rather than produced once a year. Job costs need to be captured at a level that makes job margin meaningful. Billing runs ahead of or behind completed work — overbilling and underbilling — and the difference has to be tracked deliberately rather than discovered at year end. Retainage sits on the balance sheet and affects cash after a job is finished. Change orders alter contract value mid-project and have to be reflected in both the contract amount and the cost estimate.
Cost-to-complete is the entry that makes the rest of it work. Where it is revised as conditions change, margin fade shows up while there is still time to respond; where it is left at the original estimate, the WIP schedule reports a margin the job is no longer earning.
Contractors sometimes encounter this when a surety or lender asks for a WIP schedule and the underlying job cost data will not support one. See Construction & Contractor Accounting, Roofing, and HVAC.
Common questions
How is a fractional controller different from a bookkeeper?
A bookkeeper records activity. A controller oversees the close process and how financial reporting is prepared and presented.
Do I need a controller or a CFO?
If the open question is how the close and reporting are produced, that is controller work. If the reporting is working and the question is what to do next, that is CFO work. Businesses often need both.
Do I need to replace my bookkeeper?
Not necessarily. Fractional controller support can sit above existing bookkeeping, whether internal or outsourced.
Is this an audit of my books?
No. Controller services do not constitute an audit or review, no assurance is provided, and these services do not include testing of internal controls. Need an audit, review, or other assurance engagement? We can help coordinate it. Corey Roder, CPA PLLC maintains referral relationships with independent CPA firms that provide these services. The assurance engagement is separately contracted with and performed by the independent CPA firm. Corey Roder, CPA PLLC can provide accounting records and schedules within the scope of its engagement.
Does this work for construction companies?
Yes. WIP reporting and job-level cost detail are common reasons contractors look for controller-level support.
About Corey Roder, CPA
Corey Roder is a licensed CPA and the founder of Corey Roder, CPA PLLC. He founded a construction company and served as its COO and CFO, managing the financial and operational decisions of that business. Earlier in his career he worked as an auditor at Grant Thornton, and later worked at national consulting firms on technical accounting including ASC 606 and ASC 842.
Corey Roder, CPA PLLC does not itself perform audits, reviews, or other assurance engagements. Need an audit, review, or other assurance engagement? We can help coordinate it. Corey Roder, CPA PLLC maintains referral relationships with independent CPA firms that provide these services. The assurance engagement is separately contracted with and performed by the independent CPA firm.
More about the firm: Company & People.
Get in touch
If your accounting records are being kept but the close and the reporting need structure, start a conversation.
Serving businesses in McKinney, Collin County, and the Dallas–Fort Worth area, and remotely nationwide.
Further reading: Signs Your Bookkeeper May Not Be Meeting Your Business Needs · The Hidden Costs of Inadequate Bookkeeping
Bring structure to the close
If the accounting is being kept but the close and the reporting need oversight, a short conversation is usually enough to tell whether controller-level support is the right fit.