UK

United Kingdom · Finance · Director/VP (16-20 years)

Finance Director

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  • Experience bandDirector/VP (16-20 years)
  • Direct reports25-100+ reports
  • Reports toBusiness Unit President/General Manager (or CFO)
  • UK framework levelUsually a director, accountable for a division and its numbers

Also advertised as VP of Finance (Business Unit) · Divisional Finance Director · Head of Finance (Major Business Unit)

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

OTHM Level 7 Diploma in Data Science OTHM Qualifications · Level 7 · covers 1 of 10 standards
CMI Level 5 Award in Management and Leadership Chartered Management Institute · Level 5 · covers 2 of 10 standards
NQual Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management NQual · Level 5 · covers 2 of 10 standards
IWFM Level 5 Diploma in Facilities Management Practice Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · Level 5 · covers 1 of 10 standards
IWFM Level 5 Diploma in Facilities Management Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · Level 5 · covers 1 of 10 standards
IWFM Level 5 Certificate in Facilities Management Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · Level 5 · covers 1 of 10 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Data Analysis and Visualisation OTHM Level 7 Diploma in Data Science
Managing Finance CMI Level 5 Award in Management and Leadership
Manage finance and budgets in facilities management IWFM Level 5 Diploma in Facilities Management Practice
Financial management in facilities management IWFM Level 5 Diploma in Facilities Management

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Automation Fluency building AI into how work runs
Sustainability Fluency building care for people and planet into the work
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Your Plan Illustration

Built for Finance Director

4 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Data Analysis and Visualisation OTHM Qualifications · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 7
  2. Managing Finance Chartered Management Institute · covers 2 of 10 standards Level 5
  3. Manage finance and budgets in facilities management Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 5
  4. Financial management in facilities management Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 5
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Finance Director?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • AI-Driven Strategic Insights
  • ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Reporting & Strategy
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Finance Director plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

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3What this role really is

A Finance Director manages the financial strategy of a business unit or company. The work involves guiding growth and profitability, making major financial decisions, and leading a finance team.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Oracle NetSuite / SAP S/4HANA (or similar ERP) Strategic

Leading ERP selection/upgrade projects for the business unit. Understanding the architectural implications of system choices on financial reporting and control environments. Ensuring data integrity and process efficiency across the system.

Anaplan / Workday Adaptive Planning (or similar FP&A Platform) Architect

Designing the enterprise-wide financial planning architecture for the business unit. Making decisions on platform selection and integration with other corporate systems (HRIS, CRM). Ensuring the platform supports complex scenario planning and rolling forecasts.

Power BI / Tableau (or similar BI & Visualization) Strategic

Defining the BI strategy for the business unit's finance function. Ensuring data governance and a 'single source of truth' for executive-level reporting delivered via Tableau Server or Power BI Premium. Challenging your team to build insightful, actionable dashboards.

Microsoft Excel (with Power Query & VBA) Strategic

Understanding the limitations and risks of Excel ('spreadsheet risk'). Driving initiatives to migrate critical processes from Excel to more robust platforms. Reviewing and stress-testing complex models built by your team, ensuring best practices are institutionalised.

Diligent / Nasdaq Boardvantage (or similar Board Reporting Platform) Expert

Using these platforms to securely compile and distribute board materials for the business unit's performance. Managing user access and ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of the information presented to the board and C-suite.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Annual Budget Approval (Business Unit) N/A N/A N/A
Capital Expenditure Approval (Business Unit) N/A N/A N/A
Hiring & Firing (Finance Team) N/A N/A N/A
M&A Due Diligence & Integration Strategy N/A N/A N/A
Financial Reporting Standards & Policy N/A N/A N/A

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

EBITDA Margin Improvement
Year-over-year expansion of the business unit's core profitability, before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation.
Target · Drive initiatives leading to a 50bps YoY margin expansion.

If last year's EBITDA margin was 15.0%, we'd expect to see it at 15.5% or higher this year, directly attributable to cost efficiencies or revenue optimisation you've championed.

Working Capital Efficiency
Optimising the cash conversion cycle by improving how quickly we collect receivables, manage inventory, and pay suppliers.
Target · Reduce the Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) by 5 days within 12 months.

If our CCC is currently 60 days, you'd be working on initiatives to bring that down to 55 days, freeing up significant cash for other investments.

Return on Invested Capital (ROIC)
Ensuring that the capital invested in the business unit generates returns that significantly exceed our cost of capital.
Target · Improve ROIC to exceed Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) by 200bps.

If our WACC is 8%, your goal is to push the business unit's ROIC to 10% or higher, showing we're making smart, value-accretive investments.

Forecast Accuracy (Business Unit P&L)
How close our revenue and EBITDA forecasts are to the actual results for the entire business unit.
Target · Achieve a variance of less than ±3% for revenue and ±5% for EBITDA on a quarterly basis.

Forecasting £50M revenue for Q3 and delivering £49.5M means you're within 1% variance, which is excellent. Missing by £5M would be a problem.

Strategic Influence & Partnership
Your ability to be a trusted advisor and proactive partner to the Business Unit President and other senior leaders, not just a reporter.
  • You're regularly sought out for input on strategic decisions beyond finance
  • your recommendations are typically adopted
  • other department heads proactively involve you in their planning before issues arise
  • you're seen as a problem-solver, not just a gatekeeper.
Talent Development & Team Leadership
Building and nurturing a high-performing finance team within the business unit, ensuring strong succession planning and career growth.
  • Retention rates for your direct reports are high
  • at least one manager from your team is identified for promotion to a more senior role every 18-24 months
  • your team members actively seek out your mentorship
  • positive feedback in 360-degree reviews regarding your leadership and development focus.
M&A Integration Success
For any acquisitions within your business unit, ensuring smooth financial integration and the realisation of expected synergies.
  • Financial reporting for acquired entities is fully integrated within 6 months
  • synergy targets (e.g., cost savings, revenue uplift) are tracked and achieved within 12-18 months post-acquisition
  • minimal disruption to business unit operations during integration.
Control Environment & Risk Management
Maintaining a robust financial control environment and proactively identifying and mitigating financial risks specific to the business unit.
  • Zero material weaknesses identified in internal or external audits for your business unit
  • proactive identification of emerging financial risks (e.g., FX exposure, credit risk) with clear mitigation plans presented to leadership
  • adherence to all regulatory and compliance standards.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Strategic Impact & Business Shaping

You'll spend your days in leadership meetings, debating investment choices, market entry strategies, and operational efficiencies. Your financial insights will directly inform major business unit decisions.

Leading the financial modelling for a potential new product launch, presenting the business case to the President, and seeing it get the green light because of your robust analysis.

P&L Ownership & Driving Profitability

You'll wake up thinking about the business unit's P&L. Every decision, every initiative, will be viewed through the lens of its impact on revenue, cost, and ultimately, profit. You'll celebrate margin improvements like personal victories.

Identifying a significant cost-saving opportunity in the supply chain, championing the project, and seeing it contribute £1M+ to the bottom line within a year.

Leading & Developing High-Performing Teams

A substantial part of your role involves mentoring your finance managers, building a strong talent pipeline, and ensuring your team has the resources and skills to excel. You genuinely enjoy seeing your people grow and succeed.

Coaching a Finance Manager through a complex negotiation, watching them successfully close it, and then seeing them promoted to a Head of FP&A role.

What frustrates people
  • The 'Happy Ears' Sales Forecast: Constantly battling the sales team's overly optimistic pipeline to create a revenue forecast the company can actually bank on. It's like being a perpetual realist in a room full of optimists.
  • Being the 'Department of No': The political fallout from having to enforce budget discipline and reject pet projects from powerful executives. You'll often be the unpopular one, which takes a thick skin.
  • Last-Minute C-Suite 'What Ifs': Receiving an urgent, ill-defined request at 4 PM for a new financial model for a board meeting the next morning, derailing all planned work. Your plans will often be secondary to the urgent needs of the leadership team.
  • Garbage In, Garbage Out (at scale): Spending too much time (or directing your team to spend too much time) cleaning and reconciling data from operational systems that don't integrate cleanly with the ERP. It's like trying to build a mansion with faulty bricks.
  • Budget Ownership Amnesia: Watching business unit leaders who passionately defended their budget needs in October claim they have no idea why costs are so high in March. You'll need to hold people accountable, which isn't always fun.
What this role does not give you
  • A purely individual contributor role with no people management.
  • A quiet, predictable environment free from urgent, high-stakes decisions.
  • A role where you can avoid internal politics and difficult conversations.
  • A guarantee that every single one of your financial models or recommendations will be implemented exactly as you propose.

8Who you work with

This role directly shapes the financial health and strategic direction of a significant business unit, typically with a P&L responsibility of £2M-£10M+. Your decisions influence capital allocation, operational efficiency, and ultimately, the unit's ability to meet its growth and profitability targets. You're a critical voice in shaping how we invest, where we cut, and how we tell our story to the wider organisation and, indirectly, to the market.

Inside the business
  • Business Unit President/General Manager
  • Group CFO and other C-suite executives
  • Heads of Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Product within your business unit
  • Board Audit Committee (for specific reporting)
  • Internal Audit team
Outside the business
  • External auditors
  • Banking partners and lenders
  • Key vendors and suppliers (for strategic negotiations)
  • Investors and financial analysts (indirectly, through reporting to the CFO)

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Proven track record of success as a Head of FP&A, Controller, or Senior Finance Business Partner in a complex, multi-faceted organisation.
  • Extensive experience (16+ years) in financial leadership roles, demonstrating progressive responsibility and strategic impact.
  • Deep expertise in three-statement financial modelling, capital allocation, and M&A due diligence.
  • Demonstrable experience in leading and developing large finance teams (20+ people), including managers.
  • Strong understanding of ERP and FP&A system architecture and implementation cycles.
  • Experience presenting complex financial information and strategic recommendations to C-suite executives and, ideally, Board members.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced Data Governance & Quality

As data volumes explode and AI becomes more prevalent, the integrity and trustworthiness of your financial data are paramount. You'll need to champion robust data governance policies and ensure high data quality across all systems in your business unit to prevent 'garbage in, garbage out' at a strategic level.

Master Data Management (MDM) · Data Lineage & Auditability · Data Security & Privacy

  • This quarter: Review your business unit's current data governance policies and identify gaps, especially concerning data used for critical decision-making.
  • Next 6 months: Partner with IT and data teams to implement a pilot MDM initiative for a critical data domain (e.g., customer master data).
  • Next 12 months: Develop and roll out a clear data quality framework and monitoring process for key financial datasets within your business unit.
  • Ongoing: Regularly audit data sources and reporting outputs to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Quick win: Identify the top 3 data quality issues that consistently cause problems for your team and put a clear plan in place to address them with the source system owners.

Cloud Financial Management & FinOps

Many organisations are moving to the cloud, and managing cloud spend effectively is a major challenge. As Finance Director, you'll need to understand cloud cost structures, optimise spend, and integrate FinOps (Financial Operations) principles into your team's practices to ensure cost efficiency and accountability.

Cloud Cost Optimisation Strategies · Cloud Billing & Cost Allocation · FinOps Framework & Culture

  • This quarter: Get a basic understanding of your business unit's current cloud spend and how it's allocated; review cloud provider billing statements.
  • Next 6 months: Work with your IT/Ops counterparts to identify 2-3 cloud cost optimisation opportunities within your business unit.
  • Next 12 months: Implement a basic FinOps reporting framework for your business unit, providing visibility into cloud spend and efficiency metrics.
  • Ongoing: Stay updated on cloud pricing models and new optimisation tools from providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Quick win: Ask your IT lead for a detailed breakdown of your business unit's top 5 cloud spend items and challenge them on potential efficiencies.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attending executive-level finance conferences (e.g., CFO Summit, Financial Times Global Boardroom) to stay abreast of industry trends and network with peers.
  • Participating in leadership development programmes focused on strategic influence, change management, and executive presence.
  • Engaging in continuous professional development (CPD) to maintain your accounting qualification and deepen your expertise in areas like ESG reporting or AI in finance.
  • Mentoring junior and mid-level finance professionals, which not only develops others but also sharpens your own leadership and communication skills.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI-Driven Strategic Insights

AI is rapidly transforming how we analyse data, predict outcomes, and automate routine tasks. Finance Directors who can harness AI won't just be more efficient; they'll be able to uncover deeper insights and make more informed strategic decisions faster than competitors. It's about moving from descriptive to predictive and prescriptive finance.

  • Generative AI for Financial Narrative
  • Predictive Analytics for Business Forecasting
  • AI for Anomaly Detection & Fraud Prevention
  • Ethical AI & Data Governance

ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Reporting & Strategy

ESG isn't just a 'nice-to-have' anymore; it's a critical factor for investor confidence, regulatory compliance, and brand reputation. As Finance Director, you'll need to integrate ESG metrics into financial reporting, understand their impact on valuation, and contribute to the business unit's sustainable strategy. Investors are increasingly scrutinising this.

  • SASB/GRI Reporting Standards
  • Carbon Accounting & Scope Emissions
  • ESG Data Integration
  • Green Finance & Sustainable Investing

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Capital Allocation Strategy
  • M&A Due Diligence & Post-Merger Integration
  • Investor Relations (IR) Narrative & Communication
  • Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)
  • Treasury & FX Management

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Head of FP&A (from a large organisation)

    3-5 years in the Head of FP&A role

    Skills to master

    • Moving from owning the planning process to owning the P&L
    • developing stronger strategic influence with business unit leaders
    • building and managing larger, more diverse teams.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully led significant budgeting and forecasting cycles for a complex business unit.
    • Demonstrated ability to challenge business assumptions and drive financial discipline.
    • Proven track record of building and developing a high-performing FP&A team.
    • Strong executive communication skills, particularly in presenting financial performance and strategic recommendations.
  2. 2

    Controller / Financial Controller (from a large organisation)

    4-6 years as a Controller

    Skills to master

    • Expanding beyond pure accounting and controls into strategic financial planning and business partnering
    • developing a more commercial mindset
    • leading cross-functional strategic initiatives.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully managed the full accounting cycle and financial reporting for a substantial entity.
    • Demonstrated ability to improve financial controls and reduce audit findings.
    • Proven experience in managing accounting teams and implementing new financial systems.
    • Strong analytical skills with a clear understanding of the 'why' behind the numbers, not just the 'what'.
  3. 3

    Senior Finance Business Partner (to a C-suite executive)

    5-7 years as a Senior FBP

    Skills to master

    • Moving from advising a function to owning a full P&L
    • developing broader strategic oversight beyond a single function
    • managing a multi-disciplinary finance team.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Acted as a trusted financial advisor to a C-suite executive (e.g., COO, CMO).
    • Successfully influenced strategic decisions and driven financial performance within a functional area.
    • Demonstrated ability to translate operational metrics into financial impact.
    • Strong track record of building relationships and credibility with non-finance leaders.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This role can lead to a Group CFO position with responsibility for the whole company, or a Chief Operating Officer role overseeing broader operations.

16Pay and demand

Pay & demand

Typical pay £76,447 a year Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 (provisional), under the Open Government Licence v3.0

The figure is the median for full-time employees in the ONS occupation this job title codes to (Financial managers and directors), from the April 2025 survey, about six months old when published, as ASHE always is. It is that occupation's middle, not this role's. Half earn more.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Finance Director is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Data Analysis and Visualisation, worked against Finance Director.

Data Analysis and Visualisation Level 7

Applied to your work in Finance Director

1. To enable the learner to critically analyse the theoretical underpinnings of data analytics and their impact on decision-making in business management contexts. 2. To enable the learner to assess diverse data analysis activities, techniques, and tools applicable to business management scenarios. 3. To enable the learner to compare and contrast various predictive analytic techniques, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses in forecasting future business events. 4. To enable the learner to evaluate how predictive analytic techniques can be practically implemented for forecasting purposes within the business sector. 5. To enable the learner to evaluate prescriptive analytic techniques, illustrating their application with relevant examples from the business management domain. 6. To enable the learner to apply a suitable programming language or data analysis tool to conduct data analysis and visualisation tasks related to business management problems.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

Start my Finance Director plan, free
See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Finance Director
  • Capital Allocation Strategy
  • M&A Due Diligence & Post-Merger Integration
  • Investor Relations (IR) Narrative & Communication
  • Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)
  • Treasury & FX Management
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

17The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Finance Director is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

    3-5 years as a Finance Director

    From business unit ownership to enterprise-wide financial accountability, investor relations, and board governance.

    • M&A Strategy & Execution (Group Level) Leading complex M&A deals from identification to integration at a corporate level.
    • Tax Strategy (Global) Developing and optimising global tax structures and transfer pricing policies.
    • Treasury Management (Group Level) Overseeing global cash management, liquidity, and hedging strategies.

  2. Chief Operating Officer (COO)

    4-6 years as a Finance Director

    From financial oversight to full operational accountability for a business unit or the entire company.

    • Supply Chain Management Overseeing procurement, logistics, and inventory management.
    • Technology & Systems Integration Leading the implementation and optimisation of core operational systems (e.g., ERP, CRM, WMS).
    • Sales & Marketing Operations Understanding the operational mechanics of revenue generation.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

As a Finance Director, your time is precious. You should be shaping strategy, leading your team, and partnering with the business, not getting bogged down in manual data analysis or report drafting. AI isn't here to replace you; it's here to supercharge your efficiency and free you up for the high-value work only you can do.

Imagine having a tireless assistant that can instantly sift through vast datasets, spot trends, draft initial reports, and even benchmark competitors for you. That's the power of AI in your hands. It means less time validating numbers and more time interpreting them, less time drafting and more time debating, less time reacting and more time strategising. Here's a glimpse of how AI can transform your daily grind:

Automated Variance Analysis

AI tools can automatically compare actuals to budget/forecast, identify the top 5 material variances across your business unit, and draft initial commentary explaining the likely drivers (e.g., 'Sales in the EMEA region were 15% below forecast, primarily driven by underperformance in the X product line'). This means you spend less time digging and more time acting.

Predictive Forecasting & Anomaly Detection

Use AI models to generate a baseline statistical forecast for your business unit based on historical trends and external data (like economic indicators). The system can also flag anomalies in expense reports or transactions that deviate from normal patterns, allowing your team to proactively investigate potential issues before they become big problems.

Board & MD&A Narrative Drafting

Feed your business unit's financial statements and key business events into a generative AI tool to produce a first draft of the Management Discussion & Analysis (MD&A) section of your quarterly report or the key talking points for a board presentation. You'll then refine and add your strategic insights, saving hours on initial content creation.

Peer & Competitor Benchmarking

AI tools can scrape public filings (like 10-Ks, 10-Qs, or annual reports) of competitor companies to automatically extract key metrics (e.g., gross margin, R&D as a % of sales, DSO) and create updated benchmarking dashboards. This saves your team countless hours of manual data gathering, giving you instant insights into your market position.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Finance Director?

Common routes in include Head of FP&A (from a large organisation) (3-5 years in the Head of FP&A role), Controller / Financial Controller (from a large organisation) (4-6 years as a Controller) and Senior Finance Business Partner (to a C-suite executive) (5-7 years as a Senior FBP). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Finance Director progress to?

This role can lead on to Chief Financial Officer (CFO) (3-5 years as a Finance Director) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) (4-6 years as a Finance Director), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Finance Director?

Increasingly, AI-Driven Strategic Insights and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Reporting & Strategy. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

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18Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 7

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in finance

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

The skills of a Finance Director apply across industries, including technology, manufacturing, retail and financial services. Financial management, strategic planning and team leadership work the same way wherever they are used, which makes moving between sectors possible.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my Finance Director plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.