Glossary
CFO Services in Vancouver: What They Cover and Which Layer You Need
CFO services in Vancouver range from monthly controllership (the close, financial statements, reporting and cash forecasts) to a strategic CFO for financing and the board. Start with the layer your business is missing; reporting issuers also need to address applicable CFO and certification responsibilities.
The phrase covers very different engagements, from monthly accounting support to an executive who negotiates financing. Before comparing providers, decide which layer you are buying. This page sets out the layers, the BC context that shapes the work, and how an engagement starts.
What do CFO services in Vancouver actually include?
The same search term can describe four different layers of work. The useful question is not “who offers CFO services” but “which of these is missing in my business”.
| Layer | What it includes | Who it suits | Treewalk provides it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping | Recording transactions, bank and card feeds, payables and receivables, payroll runs, GST and PST filings | Every business; the foundation for the rest | Yes |
| Controllership (Office of the CFO support) | A monthly close on a fixed date, reconciliations, journal entries, financial statements, a reporting package, internal controls, budgets and cash flow forecasts | Private companies that have outgrown bookkeeping, or have just bought a business | Yes, for private companies |
| Strategic CFO | Capital structure, financing and lender negotiations, board strategy, acquisition planning | Companies with continuous financing or deal activity | No, for private companies; we will say so if this is the gap |
| Public company CFO and PAO | Signing CEO/CFO certificates, audit committee reporting, MD&A, filings with securities regulators | Reporting issuers | Yes, for public companies |
A request for a CFO can describe the second row. If the close is late and the monthly numbers are approximate, a strategic CFO spends their hours fixing inputs. Where a company has bookkeeping but no controllership, adjusting entries can be left until year end, when the external accountant arrives. Monthly controllership moves those entries into each month. See what a controller does and controller vs CFO.
For private companies, our Office of the CFO and controllership support is that second layer, run by a team of CPAs whose work is controllership, with a named lead on your file and people behind them. For reporting issuers, see our public company CFO and PAO support.
What is different about running finance in BC?
The accounting system works the same anywhere. What a BC-based finance function has to handle is a set of provincial obligations that sit alongside the federal ones. The obligations below should be assigned to named owners in the finance calendar.
Employer health tax.
For ordinary employers, the general exemption is $1M of B.C. remuneration; the rate is 5.85% on remuneration above $1M up to $1.5M, then 1.95% of total B.C. remuneration above $1.5M. Associated employers, part-year situations and charitable/non-profit employers have additional rules. Use the Employer Health Tax Act and current filing calendar rather than applying the headline threshold to every entity. A growing payroll can change the cash forecast.
Provincial sales tax.
PST is separate from GST, administered by the province, and generally charged at 7% on taxable goods and services, with exceptions. Registered businesses collect and remit it and also report and pay PST they owe on some business purchases. A controller reconciles PST and GST separately; see GST/HST compliance.
Payroll and employer obligations.
BC payroll runs through federal source deductions and provincial employer obligations, including WorkSafeBC. See Canadian payroll compliance.
Securities regulation.
Identify the issuer’s principal regulator and applicable filing requirements. Under NI 52-109, certifying officers generally certify annual and interim filings; forms, venture-issuer requirements and exemptions vary. See CEO/CFO certificates.
None of this requires someone in your office. It does require someone who owns the calendar.
How does an engagement start?
The first conversation decides the layer, not the price. As our transaction team put it when a buyer asked what support they would need after closing:
And hey, if they have a controller and they’re running the finance function, fine, maybe you might not need one.
From there, the steps are practical.
- Diagnose the layer. Do you need a CFO or a controller? How complex is the accounting: entities, currencies, inventory, revenue recognition? Roughly how many hours a month does the work take? If you have just bought the business, quality of earnings work can inform this assessment; see post-close transition.
- Get access to the books. Access to your accounting system and the latest statements and general ledger, so the scope is based on what is there rather than what is described.
- Agree a written scope. A fixed close date, the contents of the monthly reporting package, reconciliations and controls, the forecasting cadence, who reviews what, and an initial term with a notice period on both sides.
- Run the first closes alongside what exists. An existing bookkeeper or accountant can stay in place while the close stabilizes. After an acquisition, agree entity continuity, access, opening balances and the authoritative ledger before deciding whether a new file is needed. Use any transition period with the seller’s finance lead to document the process.
- Settle into the monthly cadence. The close calendar assigns input deadlines, review and reporting dates; the review meeting covers cash, the balance sheet and the profit and loss, including unresolved exceptions. Work is remote by default, with in-person meetings at quarter-end, year-end or board time when they add value.
If you are deciding between models, our comparison of full-time, part-time, fractional and interim CFOs includes a decision table.
When do Vancouver companies bring in outside finance support?
These are situations we have seen in our own calls, not a ranking of how often each occurs.
- After an acquisition. A buyer can inherit a finance function built for the previous owner, carrying more seniority than the business needs, or resting on one person who is leaving. In post-close work we have seen full-time roles replaced by part of a week from a controllership team, with senior oversight above it.
- Coming off a transition services agreement. A carve-out needs a standalone finance function while a parent-company arrangement runs in the background.
- Outgrowing bookkeeping. The books are accurate and the reporting still is not usable.
- Losing the person who knew everything. A departing controller or long-serving bookkeeper takes undocumented process with them.
- Preparing for a sale or raise. A finance lead who can produce reconciled ledgers and support can reduce avoidable document delays. Our QoE readiness check shows where the gaps are.
Do you need a provider based in Vancouver?
Partly. The work is done in your accounting system and does not need anyone in the room. Some organizations need daily on-site support. Confirm whether the proposed provider can supply that capacity; otherwise compare an internal hire or a remote cadence with planned visits.
What a Vancouver firm adds is context (BC employer health tax, PST, WorkSafeBC, the local lender and advisor landscape) and the ability to sit down together when something warrants it. Treewalk is a Vancouver CPA firm with 85+ staff and 40+ CPAs, and works with companies across British Columbia.
What does Treewalk not do?
We do not provide audit, review or other assurance services, and we are not your auditor. For tax, we work alongside a tax specialist. Where you need audit readiness rather than an audit, we prepare the financial statements, working papers and supporting schedules your auditor will examine. See IFRS financial statement preparation.
Frequently asked questions
What do CFO services in Vancouver include?
It depends on the layer: bookkeeping, controllership, strategic CFO or public-company CFO. If controllership is the gap, the work covers the monthly close, financial statements, reconciliations, controls, a reporting package and cash forecasts.
What is the difference between Office of the CFO support and a fractional CFO?
A fractional CFO is a part-time executive focused on direction, financing and strategy. Office of the CFO and controllership support is the function underneath: making sure the numbers are right on a fixed schedule and the reporting is usable.
Do we still need this if we have a bookkeeper?
Yes, if the reporting is not usable; the two are complementary. A bookkeeper records transactions. Controllership reviews, adjusts, reports and forecasts.
How much do CFO services cost in Vancouver?
Cost follows scope: hours, entities, complexity and reporting obligations. We scope rather than quote from a list and do not publish rates. See what drives fractional CFO cost.
Does Treewalk audit financial statements?
No. We prepare and support, and we work alongside your auditor rather than being them.
Where to next
If your month-end is late, your reporting is not telling you anything, or you have just bought a business, start by naming the layer you need. Read outsourced controller services and the month-end close process, see how our private company team works, or contact us to talk it through.
