0-39: Fragile
Start with cleanup, reconciliations, ownership, and a close calendar. Forecasting will be misleading until source data and responsibilities improve.
Free business finance tool
Business Financial Health Score
Assess the finance function behind the statements: close quality, cash visibility, management reporting, controls, tax coordination, and decision ownership.
No account required Educational, not individualized advice
How to use the result
Use the score to identify the next financial layer
The total is useful, but the lowest area is more actionable. Fix unreliable accounting before adding forecasting, and fix missing ownership before buying more software.
40-69: Developing
The company has useful pieces but relies on manual work and the owner. Controller-level review and a cash cadence often create the next improvement.
70-100: Managed
Protect the process, automate carefully, and focus CFO attention on scenarios, capital, profitability, and decisions rather than rebuilding basic reports.
Match the gap to the right service
Do not ask a CFO to compensate indefinitely for bookkeeping or control failures.
| Primary weakness | Likely service | First deliverable | Proof of improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transactions and reconciliations | Bookkeeping or cleanup | Current ledger and reconciled accounts | Fewer errors and supported balances |
| Close and controls | Controller services | Close calendar and reviewed package | Timely close and resolved exceptions |
| Cash and forward plan | CFO services | Rolling forecast and decision cadence | Updated scenarios and assigned actions |
| Tax coordination | Integrated accounting and tax planning | Shared planning calendar and data | Fewer duplicate requests and earlier decisions |
Take the working file with you
Email the assessment and action worksheet
Get the scorecard, area-by-area improvement prompts, responsibility matrix, and a 90-day finance-function action plan.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a credit or solvency score?
No. It is an operational self-assessment of the company’s finance function. It does not measure creditworthiness, solvency, audit risk, or investment quality.
Who should complete the assessment?
The owner and the person responsible for accounting should complete it separately, then compare answers. Differences often reveal unclear expectations or work that happens without management visibility.
What if our score is high but cash is still tight?
A strong process does not guarantee strong economics. Use the reliable data and forecast to investigate pricing, margin, collections, debt, capacity, owner payments, and operating decisions.
Should we buy new accounting software first?
Not automatically. Define the process, ownership, reporting, and decisions first. Software can improve execution, but it rarely fixes unclear responsibilities or inconsistent source data on its own.
How often should we rescore?
Rescore after a meaningful implementation cycle, such as 90 days, and whenever the company adds an entity, location, financing arrangement, major system, or significant management layer.
Can Taxstra review the result?
Yes. A finance-function review can examine the underlying close, reconciliations, cash model, reporting, systems, tax workflow, and management cadence rather than relying only on the self-reported score.