A 13-week cash flow forecast is built from cash, not from the P&L. It uses the direct method: what will actually land in and leave the bank each week. This 13 week cash flow template rolls closing cash forward automatically, checks every week against your minimum cash threshold and revolver availability, and includes a variance-to-actual log, because a forecast that is never compared with the bank statement never gets better. Pair it with our software category guides to see which tools fit your team. Once you have a shortlist, check the vendor profiles and the finance glossary for unfamiliar terms, then use our head-to-head comparisons before your first demo.
Built for: CFO, Controller, Treasury manager, FP&A manager
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Enter the opening bank balance. In the set-up block, enter the actual bank balance at the start of week 1 (cell B6 in the CSV). Use cleared bank balances, not the book balance, and note any outstanding checks separately.
Build receipts from the AR aging. Forecast receipts by customer or by aging bucket using how each customer actually pays, not the invoice due date. Add non-customer receipts such as tax refunds or asset sales on their own lines in your working file.
Build disbursements from known commitments. Payroll dates and amounts, the AP run schedule, rent, debt service, taxes, and capex. Put each on the week it will clear the bank.
Check liquidity every week. The liquidity check flags any week where closing cash falls below your minimum. Decide now what you will do about it: accelerate collections, defer discretionary spend, or plan a revolver draw.
Roll forward and log variance weekly. Each week, replace the oldest week with actuals, add a new week 13, and record forecast versus actual by line. Large, repeated variances point to the assumptions that need fixing.
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Enter your values in the 'Your answer' column of the CSV. The forecast reads the opening balance from the first field.
More free templates finance teams use alongside this one.
The cash conversion cycle measures how many days cash is tied up between paying suppliers and collecting from customers: DSO plus DIO minus DPO. This calculator works it out for each period from figures you already have on the balance sheet and P&L, and shows the cash value of one day of DSO so improvements can be sized in dollars rather than days.
An accounts receivable aging report is only useful if it drives the next phone call. This template calculates days past due and aging buckets automatically, then pairs the report with a collections log and an escalation ladder so every overdue invoice has an owner and a next action date. The reserve table ties the same buckets to your bad debt estimate.
A payment run is the moment cash actually leaves the business, so it deserves the same rigour as the close. This checklist takes the run from cash position and invoice selection through approval, release, and reconciliation. It includes an early-payment discount calculator, since a 2/10 net 30 discount is worth about 37% a year and is often missed because nobody worked it out.
It is a weekly forecast of cash receipts and disbursements over the next quarter, built with the direct method from actual expected bank movements. It is used to manage liquidity, plan borrowing, and spot shortfalls before they happen.
Thirteen weeks is one quarter, which is long enough to see payroll cycles, month-end vendor runs, and quarterly tax or debt payments, and short enough to forecast from known invoices and commitments rather than P&L assumptions.
The direct method forecasts actual cash in and out by source and category. The indirect method starts from net income and adjusts for non-cash items and working capital changes. Short-term liquidity forecasts use the direct method because it maps to bank activity.
Weekly. Each update replaces the oldest week with actuals, adds a new week at the end, and records variance to the prior forecast so assumptions can be corrected.
