1
TechCXO Editor's pick
6 named clients Founded 2003, 245+ people
Fee on request
Best fractional CHROs: firms and solo practitioners
A fractional CHRO gives a growing company senior people leadership before it can carry a full-time head of HR. The work starts with risk: contractor and overtime classification, a handbook that matches the states you hire in, and pay that holds up against the market. Then it moves to structure, with compensation bands, a performance cycle, a hiring process and a plan for the next 50 hires. Most buyers have 25 to 100 employees, and US companies approaching 50 employees face new obligations under FMLA and the ACA employer mandate. Fractional CHROs work 4 to 10 days a month and most publish no rates; quotes typically run $3,000 to $10,000 a month. Payroll and benefits administration usually sit with a PEO or payroll provider and are priced separately. Several providers here are accounting firms with an HR practice, and others are networks of senior people directors; rows show regions served, company size and whether they coach managers.
19 firms and practitioners on this page offer fractional CHRO work. That is 10 firms, 6 marketplaces, 2 solo practitioners and 1 collective. TechCXO is the editor's pick. 3 publish a monthly fee, from $1,600 to $2,280 a month. The other 16 quote.
Fractional CHROs usually work 4 to 10 days a month, heavier during a reorganization, a compensation review or a hiring push. Three-month minimums are common, and many engagements run a year or more because compliance and performance cycles are annual.
2
6 named clients Serves US
$1,600 per month
3
Serves US
$2,200 per month
4
70+ peopleServes UK
$2,280 per month, no minimum
5
Serves US
Fee on request
6
Serves US
Fee on request
7
1 named client Serves US
Fee on request
8
Serves US
Fee on request
9
Founded 2020Serves US
Fee on request
10
Serves US, UK, EU, Australia, Canada
Fee on request monthly retainer
11
4 named clients Serves US, UK, EU, Australia
Fee on request no minimum
12
2 named clients Serves US
Fee on request
13
5 named clients Serves US
Fee on request no minimum
14
Serves US
Fee on request
15
Serves US
Fee on request
16
5 named clients 85 people
Fee on request
17
Serves Canada
Fee on request
18
Serves Global
Fee on request
19
6 named clients Founded 1996
Fee on request
How this list is built. Every firm and practitioner here offers fractional CHRO work on its own site. Order is editor's pick, then a published fee, then name. Nobody pays to appear or to move up. Full methodology.
CHRO guides
- What is a fractional CHROA fractional CHRO leads people strategy, compliance, pay and performance for a company of 25 to 150 employees without a full-time HR executive. Scope, fees and fit.
- How much a fractional CHRO costsMost fractional CHROs publish no rates; quotes typically run $3,000 to $10,000 a month. What drives the price, project fees, payroll and PEO costs, and how to read a quote.
- Fractional CHRO vs interim CHROAn interim CHRO leads HR full-time through a restructuring, merger or vacancy; a fractional CHRO builds the people function part-time. Fit, cost, PE and exit cases.
- Fractional CHRO vs full-time CHROA full-time CHRO costs $200,000 to $380,000 in year one; a fractional CHRO $36,000 to $120,000 a year. The headcount threshold, the math and what you give up.
- Fractional CHRO vs consultantAn HR consultant delivers a handbook, an audit or a pay study; a fractional CHRO owns the people function. How they differ from each other and from a PEO or lawyer.
- Fractional CHRO vs coachingWhen a founder at $1M to $5M should get leadership coaching on managing people, when to hire a fractional CHRO, and when to do both. Signs, costs and a test.
- How to become a fractional CHROThe path from HR leader to fractional CHRO: choosing clients, scoping the role against PEOs and lawyers, pricing, contracts, insurance and a referral pipeline.
Questions founders ask
How much does a fractional CHRO cost?
Most fractional CHRO providers publish nothing; quotes typically run $3,000 to $10,000 a month, and payroll and benefits administration are usually priced separately. 3 firms and practitioners on this page publish a monthly fee, from $1,600 to $2,280 a month. The other 16 quote.
How many hours a week does a fractional CHRO work?
Fractional CHROs usually work 4 to 10 days a month, heavier during a reorganization, a compensation review or a hiring push.
What is the difference between a fractional and an interim CHRO?
An interim CHRO works full time for a fixed period, usually while the company hires a permanent one. A fractional CHRO works part of the week, often for two to four companies at once, and can stay for years.
How long do fractional CHRO engagements last?
Three-month minimums are common, and many engagements run a year or more because compliance and performance cycles are annual. 3 firms on this page publish their terms, and none asks for a minimum.
Do fractional CHROs take equity?
Some do, mostly with venture-backed startups. No firm on this page publishes an equity plus cash model, so ask on the first call.