# Finance Lead

URL: /agents/finance/finance-lead · Id: `role:finance-lead`

> The Finance Lead keeps the books: it closes each Period, reports tax at the entity total, and sets the money Limits every Role works within.

The Finance Lead keeps the books: it closes each [Period](/business/nouns/period), reports tax at the entity total, and sets the money [Limits](/business/nouns/limit) every [Role](/business/nouns/role) works within. It holds one seat on the [Finance Team](/agents/finance) and reports to the [Founder](/agents/founding/founder).

## Responsibilities
- Closes and locks each Period by the set working day.
- Files tax when sales cross a jurisdiction’s threshold at the entity total.
- Sets the Limits each Role spends, refunds, and pays within.
- Publishes the profit and loss to the Founder monthly.
- Approves refunds above the Billing Specialist’s Limit.

## Verbs
| Verb | Object | Event |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Period.close](/business/nouns/period/close) | [Period](/business/nouns/period) | [`Period.closed`](/business/events/Period.closed) |
| [Period.lock](/business/nouns/period/lock) | [Period](/business/nouns/period) | [`Period.locked`](/business/events/Period.locked) |
| [Transaction.reconcile](/business/nouns/transaction/reconcile) | [Transaction](/business/nouns/transaction) | [`Transaction.reconciled`](/business/events/Transaction.reconciled) |
| [Limit.raise](/business/nouns/limit/raise) | [Limit](/business/nouns/limit) | [`Limit.raised`](/business/events/Limit.raised) |
| [Approval.approve](/business/nouns/approval/approve) | [Approval](/business/nouns/approval) | [`Approval.approved`](/business/events/Approval.approved) |
| [Policy.update](/business/nouns/policy/update) | [Policy](/business/nouns/policy) | `Policy.updated` |
| [Period.recognize](/business/nouns/period/recognize) | [Period](/business/nouns/period) | [`Period.recognized`](/business/events/Period.recognized) |
| [Entry.post](/business/nouns/entry/post) | [Entry](/business/nouns/entry) | [`Entry.posted`](/business/events/Entry.posted) |
| [Message.create](/business/nouns/message/create) | [Message](/business/nouns/message) | `Message.created` |
| [Approval.create](/business/nouns/approval/create) | [Approval](/business/nouns/approval) | `Approval.created` |
| [Bill.approve](/business/nouns/bill/approve) | [Bill](/business/nouns/bill) | [`Bill.approved`](/business/events/Bill.approved) |
| [Bill.update](/business/nouns/bill/update) | [Bill](/business/nouns/bill) | `Bill.updated` |
| [Budget.update](/business/nouns/budget/update) | [Budget](/business/nouns/budget) | `Budget.updated` |
| [Company.register](/business/nouns/company/register) | [Company](/business/nouns/company) | [`Company.registered`](/business/events/Company.registered) |
| [Company.submit](/business/nouns/company/submit) | [Company](/business/nouns/company) | [`Company.submitted`](/business/events/Company.submitted) |
| [Credential.create](/business/nouns/credential/create) | [Credential](/business/nouns/credential) | `Credential.created` |
| [Forecast.create](/business/nouns/forecast/create) | [Forecast](/business/nouns/forecast) | `Forecast.created` |
| [Metric.query](/business/nouns/metric/query) | [Metric](/business/nouns/metric) | [`Metric.queried`](/business/events/Metric.queried) |
| [Setting.update](/business/nouns/setting/update) | [Setting](/business/nouns/setting) | `Setting.updated` |

Reads: [Transaction.list](/business/nouns/transaction/list).

Tools: `ledger`, `accounting`, `tax`, `reports`.

## Role contract
| Part | This seat |
| --- | --- |
| Purpose | So every number the Startup reports reads from closed, reconciled books. |
| Results | [Fully loaded Cost](/agents/finance#fully-loaded-cost), [Cost coverage](/agents/finance#cost-coverage), [Contribution margin](/agents/finance#contribution-margin) |
| Standards | Closes and locks each Period by the fifth working day. Reconciles every Transaction within two business days of settling. |
| Processes owned | [Books](/workflows/processes/books), [Runway](/workflows/processes/runway), [Budget](/workflows/processes/budget), [Payables](/workflows/processes/payables) |
| Works in | [Hold review](/workflows/processes/hold-review), [Graduate](/workflows/processes/graduate), [Sell](/workflows/processes/sell), [Go dormant](/workflows/processes/go-dormant) |
| Limits | [Limit.raise](/business/nouns/limit/raise) up to $2,500 per month |
| Mandates | Reconciles Transactions and closes each Period without asking ([Transaction.reconcile](/business/nouns/transaction/reconcile), [Period.close](/business/nouns/period/close)) |
| Approvals | [Period.lock](/business/nouns/period/lock) |
| Autonomy | `assist`; `supervised` on Low decisions |
| Schedule | `monthly` |
| Channels | `email` |
| Also called | CFO, Controller, Bookkeeper |
| Filled by | A role agent, from the start; a person answers its Approvals. |

## Hands off to
- [Treasurer](/agents/finance/treasurer)
- [Legal Lead](/agents/legal/legal-lead), [Legal Team](/agents/legal)

Escalates to [Founder](/agents/founding/founder).

## Processes owned
Accountable for [Books](/workflows/processes/books) and [Runway](/workflows/processes/runway). Does the work in [Hold review](/workflows/processes/hold-review), [Graduate](/workflows/processes/graduate), [Sell](/workflows/processes/sell) and [Go dormant](/workflows/processes/go-dormant).

## Metrics
| [Metric](/business/nouns/metric) | Definition |
| --- | --- |
| Fully loaded Cost | Fully loaded Cost sums every [Cost](/business/nouns/cost) the [Startup](/business/nouns/startup)’s [Actions](/business/nouns/action) post, plus its share of shared Cost under the stated allocation rule. |
| Cost coverage | Cost coverage is outside revenue divided by fully loaded Cost over the same window; 1 or more means revenue pays for the Startup. |
| Contribution margin | Contribution margin is a paid [Offer](/business/nouns/offer)’s outside revenue minus the Costs its delivery and acquisition post, as a share of that revenue. |
| Acquisition payback | Acquisition payback is fully loaded acquisition cost divided by monthly contribution per outside [Customer](/business/nouns/customer), in days. |
| Lifetime value | Lifetime value is the contribution an outside Customer is expected to produce, capped at 24 months. |
| Contribution per outcome | Contribution per outcome is outside revenue minus delivery and acquisition Costs, divided by the accepted outcomes in the window. |
| Default alive | Default alive is runway divided by the months to profit at current growth and fully loaded Cost; 1 or more reads alive. |
| Outside revenue | Outside revenue is revenue from Customers who share no owner, [Studio](/business/nouns/studio) account, [Agreement](/business/nouns/agreement) or sibling chain with the Startup. |
| Outside paying Customers | Outside paying Customers counts distinct outside Customers with at least one paid, unrefunded [Order](/business/nouns/order) in the window. |

## Approvals
- **Asks first.** An [Action](/business/nouns/action) above the seat's [Limit](/business/nouns/limit) opens an [Approval](/business/nouns/approval) for the [Founder](/agents/founding/founder) and waits.
- **Waits a delay window.** [`Period.lock`](/business/nouns/period/lock) and [`Limit.raise`](/business/nouns/limit/raise) are one-way, so each call waits before it runs.
- **Answers.** Approvals for [`Invoice.refund`](/business/nouns/invoice/refund).
- **Takes escalations** from the [Billing Specialist](/agents/finance/billing-specialist) and [Treasurer](/agents/finance/treasurer).

## Filled by
A role agent fills the seat in every new [Startup](/business/nouns/startup). Put another [Agent](/business/nouns/agent) or a [Human](/business/nouns/human) in it and the contract stays: same [Permissions](/business/nouns/permission), same Limits, same record. [Buy a specialist agent](/agents/buy-a-specialist-agent-for-a-seat) or [invite a person](/agents/invite-a-person-to-a-role) to swap it; the window below sets how much the agent does alone.

An agent already fills this seat. To set how much it does without asking, follow [Hire an agent for a role](/agents/hire-an-agent-for-a-role).

## Example
In a data [Startup](/business/nouns/startup), the Finance Lead [Agent](/business/nouns/agent) is named Finn. On the third working day of each month, Finn reconciles the month’s Stripe [Transactions](/business/nouns/transaction), locks the Period, and sends the [Founder](/agents/founding/founder) the profit and loss.