Virtual CFO Services
V Viswanathan Associates, Chartered Accountants (FRN: 013713S), acts as the part-time finance head for start-ups, growing companies and Indian subsidiaries of foreign groups: monthly management accounts, cash-flow forecasts, budgets, and board and investor reporting, without the cost of a full-time CFO.
What is a virtual CFO? A virtual CFO is a chartered accountant who performs the chief financial officer's role on a part-time retainer: closing the books each month, reporting results to the board, forecasting cash, preparing budgets and investor reports, and keeping tax and company-law filings on schedule. The company gets senior finance oversight and pays only for the time it needs.
What Our Virtual CFO Service Covers
Monthly MIS & Management Accounts
A monthly reporting pack that management and the board can act on.
- • Profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow every month
- • Budget against actual, with the reasons for each variance
- • Key figures for your business: margins, receivable days, burn rate and runway
- • A month-end closing calendar agreed with your accounts team
Cash Flow, Budgets & Banking
Plan cash before it becomes a problem.
- • Rolling 13-week cash-flow forecast
- • Annual budget and quarterly re-forecast
- • Working-capital planning and follow-up of receivables
- • Bank limit proposals, CMA data and stock statements
Fund-Raising & Investor Reporting
Be ready when investors ask for numbers.
- • Financial model and five-year projections
- • Data room and due-diligence readiness
- • Share valuation reports by CA V. Viswanathan, IBBI Registered Valuer (IBBI/RV/03/2019/12333), for share issues and FEMA pricing
- • Quarterly investor updates and covenant reporting
Compliance & Controls
Filings on time and books that are ready for audit.
- • One compliance calendar for GST, TDS, advance tax, ROC and FEMA filings
- • Review of returns before they are filed
- • Internal controls over payments, payroll and purchases
- • Books kept to Schedule III of the Companies Act, 2013, ready for the statutory audit
Who We Work With
- Start-ups after a seed or Series A round that need investor-grade reporting
- Growing companies that do not yet need a full-time CFO
- Indian subsidiaries of foreign companies that need group reporting and FEMA filings
- Family-owned businesses preparing for bank funding or a new investor
Independence: Section 144 of the Companies Act, 2013 bars a company's statutory auditor from providing accounting and book-keeping, internal audit, outsourced financial services and management services to that company, its holding company or its subsidiary. We therefore do not act as virtual CFO for a company whose statutory audit we carry out, and we confirm this before taking on either role.
How a Virtual CFO Engagement Works
Review
We review your books, chart of accounts, compliance status and cash position, and list the gaps in order of priority.
Set-up
We agree the reporting pack, the key figures to track and the month-end calendar with you and your accounts team.
Monthly cycle
Books are closed, the management report is prepared and reviewed with you on a monthly call, and filings are tracked against the compliance calendar.
Quarterly and annual
Board packs, the budget and re-forecast, support for the statutory audit, and investor reporting.
Virtual CFO Services - Frequently Asked Questions
What does a virtual CFO do?
A virtual CFO closes the books each month, prepares management reports, forecasts cash, sets budgets, reports to the board and investors, and keeps tax and company-law filings on schedule, on a part-time retainer.
Can our statutory auditor also be our virtual CFO?
No. Section 144 of the Companies Act, 2013 prohibits a company's auditor from providing accounting and book-keeping, outsourced financial services or management services to the company. A different firm must fill each role.
How is the fee for virtual CFO services set?
As a monthly retainer, based on the number of entities, the volume of transactions and the reports you need. We quote after an initial review of your books.
Do you work with companies outside Chennai?
Yes. We work online, with documents shared electronically and meetings by video call or at our office at Spencer Plaza, Anna Salai, Chennai.
Need a Virtual CFO?
Talk to us about monthly reporting, cash-flow planning or getting ready for a funding round.
Professional Disclaimer
Information provided is for guidance purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Virtual CFO services are provided in accordance with the Companies Act, 2013 and ICAI standards and Code of Ethics, including the auditor independence rules in section 144.