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A fractional controller is a finance lead you hire for a few hours a week or month instead of a full-time salary. They close your books, review the numbers and keep your CRA filings on track. Provider fees vary too much to print a fair range here, so this page covers when the role fits and what to hand over.
What does a fractional controller actually do?
Think of the step between a bookkeeper and a CFO. The bookkeeper records transactions. The controller checks that the records are right, closes each month, prepares statements and sets the rules for how money moves. The CFO, if you have one, decides what to do with it.
In practice a part-time controller reviews reconciliations, watches payroll and sales tax filings, and answers the question owners usually have: is this business making money, and is there cash for next quarter? Titles are loose. Read the scope.
When does a business need a fractional controller?
Usually when the books are late, the owner is doing them at midnight, or a lender, investor or buyer asks for statements you can’t produce. Growth does it too. Going from two staff to ten changes payroll, and payroll mistakes are expensive.
Picture Ayesha, who owns a small physiotherapy clinic in Regina. She has eight staff, a bookkeeper who enters the data, and a bank that wants quarterly statements. Nobody in the building checks the work or explains the numbers. A few hours a month from a controller closes that gap without a full-time hire.
You probably don’t need one if you have one employee, simple sales and a bookkeeper you trust. An accountant at year end may be enough.
And if the real problem is that nobody has time to enter receipts, hire a bookkeeper first.
What will a controller handle for payroll?
Here’s a concrete case. Five employees, each paid $3,000 a month in Ontario. The payroll remittance calculator shows $3,660.12 going to the CRA every month. That’s $2,512.09 held back from pay plus $1,148.03 the employer adds for CPP and EI. One employee on the same pay is $732.02.
A controller checks that the amount sent matches the payroll run, and that the filing happens on the CRA’s schedule. Your remitter type sets the due date. The CRA’s employers’ guide to payroll deductions and remittances says a regular remitter, one with an average monthly withholding of less than $25,000, must have its deductions received by the 15th of the month after the month employees were paid. Check which type you are in your CRA business account instead of assuming.
What access should you give them?
A controller often needs to see your CRA account. The CRA lets you choose the level of access, and you can also limit it to certain programs.
| Level | What the representative can do |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | View information only |
| Level 2 | View and update information |
| Level 3 | Delegated authority, view and update, close to the owner’s own access |
You can give that access for the whole business number, for one program such as payroll, or for a single account. Start narrow. The CRA’s page on levels and scope of authorization lays out the three levels.
A reviewer who only looks at payroll doesn’t need your corporate tax account. Access stays until you or they cancel it, so remove it when the contract ends.
How is a controller different from your accountant?
An outside accountant usually works once a year, on the finished books, and files the returns. A controller works inside the year, so the books are right before the accountant ever sees them. Many small businesses use both: the controller keeps the monthly numbers honest and the accountant signs off on tax at year end.
That split is also why you should write down who files what. If both assume the other one is sending the GST/HST return, nobody is.
Mistakes and limits to watch
The biggest mistake is buying hours without a scope. Write down what they own: month end by the tenth, reconciliations, sales tax returns, payroll checks, statements to your lender. Write down what they don’t own, which is just as useful when something slips, such as your tax return, which a separate accountant may still sign.
Another one is ignoring the records. The CRA expects business records for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to, and that stays true when a third party keeps them, per its guide to keeping records. Keep your own copy somewhere you can reach it, because a departing contractor’s inbox won’t help you in an audit.
The corporate tax calculator gives you a rough tax figure to compare with what they report. The profit margin calculator is a quick check on whether the statements make sense. Check a sales tax figure with the GST/HST calculator.
The sources behind this page
Payroll figures come from our own calculator using 2026 payroll rates. Access levels, remitter rules and the six-year record rule come from CRA pages on authorizing a representative, payroll remittances and keeping records. Prices, hourly rates and provider claims aren’t here because they differ too much to state fairly. This site isn’t part of the CRA, any government or any firm.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a bookkeeper and a fractional controller?
A bookkeeper records transactions. A controller reviews them, closes the month, prepares statements and watches filings.
How much does a fractional controller cost?
We couldn't confirm typical fees, so we don't give a figure. Ask for a written scope and quote from each provider.
Can a controller see my CRA account?
Only if you authorize them. You pick a level, from view only to delegated authority, and can limit it to a program such as payroll.
How long should I keep the books they prepare?
The CRA says six years from the end of the last tax year the records relate to.
Does a controller file my corporate tax return?
Not automatically. Confirm in writing whether the return is in their scope or stays with your accountant.
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