Last updated: November 2026. Source: the 2026 Fractional CFO Study, run by Layerz in October 2026.
In October 2026, 79% of fractional CFOs used ChatGPT, Claude or another AI assistant on client work every working day. Claude was the most named tool, by 88% of respondents who listed their tools, ahead of Excel (79%) and ChatGPT (60%). The most common failure was not wrong numbers but time: 32% said explaining what they wanted took longer than doing it. And 46% of fractional CFOs work for clients who have set no rules on AI.
These figures come from a first-party survey: 173 fractional and part-time CFOs from 40 countries described their last month (clients, time, tools, AI use, their clients' rules). Questions asked about facts, not opinions. The full analysis is published as a free report, The AI-native fractional CFO.
Who answered
173 fractional CFOs from 40 countries. 129 complete and 44 partial responses, collected online in October 2026. 60% work independently, 7% independently within a network, 15% are partners who still serve clients and 10% are CFOs employed by a fractional firm. Europe is 53% of the sample (France 20%, United Kingdom 9%, Germany 5%), North America 14%, Asia-Pacific 14%, Latin America 10%, Middle East and Africa 10%. (n = 173 for work setup, 168 for country)
64% work for two to six clients a month. 20% had one client last month, 44% two to three, 23% four to six, 8% seven to ten and 6% more than ten. (n = 168)
How often fractional CFOs use AI
79% used an AI assistant on client work every working day. 12% used one every week, 7% a few times, 1% not at all, last month. (n = 152)
44% think they are ahead of their peers on AI. 44% think they are about level, 12% behind. (n = 152)
Which AI tools fractional CFOs use
Share of the 140 respondents who named at least one tool. Several answers possible.
| Tool | Users | Share | Used for over a year | New this year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude | 123 | 88% | 70 | 52 |
| Excel | 110 | 79% | 109 | 1 |
| ChatGPT | 84 | 60% | 72 | 8 |
| Google Sheets | 71 | 51% | 67 | 2 |
| Gemini | 59 | 42% | 34 | 22 |
| Copilot | 47 | 34% | 25 | 16 |
| Power BI | 38 | 27% | 31 | 6 |
| Xero | 37 | 26% | 30 | 6 |
| QuickBooks | 36 | 26% | 31 | 4 |
| Built my own (template, macro, script, app) | 21 | 15% | 10 | 11 |
| Pennylane | 20 | 14% | 19 | 1 |
| Supabase | 17 | 12% | 7 | 10 |
ChatGPT is the incumbent, Claude the fast riser. 72 of ChatGPT's 84 users have used it for more than a year; 52 of Claude's 123 users started this year. Most respondents name both assistants.
15% built their own tool this year or before (template, macro, script or app), and 12% use Supabase, a developer database. (n = 140)
What fractional CFOs do with AI
77% used AI to summarise documents last month. Then emails or commentary (75%), a formula or Excel help (63%), variance analysis (60%), reconciling or categorising transactions (59%), a cash or P&L forecast (58%). (n = 150, several answers)
47% still copy-paste or upload files into the chat. 46% have the AI work inside their spreadsheet (Excel or Sheets), 44% connect it to their files or systems (a connector, MCP or an API), 21% use AI built into one of their finance tools, 8% give it no numbers at all. (n = 145, several answers)
What goes wrong with AI
32% said explaining what they wanted took longer than doing it. The other answers, for last month: its numbers were wrong or could not be trusted (27%), it forgot the context from one session to the next (24%), it does not connect to their tools or data (15%), it broke a file or formulas (6%), they could not give it the client's data (6%). 29% said nothing went wrong. (n = 139, several answers)
31% of the most advanced AI users got wrong numbers, against 17% of the least advanced. The more the AI touches the numbers, the more often errors surface: respondents who use AI weekly, on numbers, inside the file or connected to it ("AI-ready", 94 people) reported wrong numbers more often than those still exploring (23 people). Correlation, not cause. (The 2026 Fractional CFO Study)
Clients and AI: the rules
46% of fractional CFOs have clients with no rules on AI. 30% work under written rules (contract, NDA or policy), 26% only with tools the client approved, 18% have never discussed it, 15% were asked to be careful, 3% have a client who banned AI on its data. (n = 145, several answers)
Where the time goes, and what gets delivered
37% say chasing clients for information eats most of their time. Then fixing the model (34%), cleaning the books (31%), reconciling (16%), writing commentary (14%), formatting slides (6%). (n = 153, several answers)
87% deliver monthly reporting or management accounts. A cash forecast (77%), a KPI dashboard (76%), a budget or business plan (75%), a board or investor pack (54%), fundraising or M&A support (42%). (n = 138, several answers)
58% still exchange numbers with clients as an Excel file by email. 49% share a file both sides edit, 49% send PDF or slides, 36% use a data room, 22% a dashboard or app they built, 18% work inside the accounting tool. (n = 138, several answers)
51% pay for their tools mostly themselves. 23% share the cost with clients, 10% have clients pay, 15% have their firm pay. (n = 139)
AI use and the work fractional CFOs win
| Share who... | Exploring (23) | Using (35) | AI-ready (94) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support a raise or M&A | 17% | 31% | 46% |
| Deliver a board or investor pack | 43% | 40% | 54% |
| Carry 7 clients or more | 9% | 6% | 18% |
| Median day rate | $945 | $1,069 | $1,188 |
Levels: one point each for using AI weekly or more, using it on numbers, and having it inside the file or connected. 0 to 1 point is Exploring, 2 is Using, 3 is AI-ready. Correlation, not cause: the CFOs doing raises and M&A may have adopted AI because the work demands it.
$1,105 median day rate (67 rates). Middle half $864 to $1,404. By region and setup: Fractional CFO day rates.
Method and limits
- Sample. Self-selected: fractional CFOs reached through LinkedIn, the Layerz network and peer sharing. People who answer a survey about AI are likely more advanced on AI than the average practitioner. Read levels as a ceiling, and comparisons between groups as the stronger finding.
- Questions. About the respondent's last month (facts), not opinions. Multiple-choice questions allow several answers where stated, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
- Denominators. Every share is on those who answered the question, written as n.
- Day rates. Converted to US dollars at approximate rates (EUR 1.08, GBP 1.30, CHF 1.20). Amounts below $300 read as hourly rates and were left out.
- Independence. Run by Layerz, which builds a spreadsheet for finance and AI. Layerz itself does not appear in any headline figure.
- Anonymity. Aggregates only: no figure is shown for a group of fewer than 5 respondents, and no individual answer is published.
FAQ
How many fractional CFOs use AI? In the 2026 Fractional CFO Study, 79% of 152 fractional CFOs used an AI assistant on client work every working day, and 98% at least a few times in the month.
Do fractional CFOs use ChatGPT or Claude? Both, mostly. Of 140 respondents who named their tools, 88% use Claude and 60% use ChatGPT. ChatGPT users are long-standing (86% for over a year); 42% of Claude users started this year.
What is the biggest problem fractional CFOs have with AI? Time spent explaining (32%), then numbers that cannot be trusted (27%) and context lost between sessions (24%).
Do clients let their fractional CFO use AI on their data? Mostly, but without a framework: 46% report no rules and 18% have never discussed it. 3% have a client who banned AI on its data.
Where can I read the full study? The report The AI-native fractional CFO is free: practices by topic (adoption, trust, the close as a system, revenue), with the respondents' own words.
Sources
- Layerz, The 2026 Fractional CFO Study, online questionnaire, October 2026, 173 responses from 40 countries. Report: The AI-native fractional CFO. Aggregated data (CSV, CC BY 4.0): Hugging Face.
Changelog
- November 2026: first edition, final figures of the 2026 study (extraction of 2 November 2026).
Compiled by Layerz from its 2026 Fractional CFO Study.