SMB Tools / Cash Flow Forecaster
See the crunch before it arrives
Project cash in and out month by month - with growth and the lumpy one-off items a yearly average hides - against the cushion you want to keep. The point is lead time: spot a shortfall while you can still do something about it.
What this means
- What moves it
- The cushion holds at these numbers. Owners usually keep the buffer in a separate account so it is there when a slow month comes.
- What to check
- The forecast assumes customers pay when they buy; thirty-day terms push every dollar a month to the right. One-off items (1 here) are what owners forget.
- Where this goes next
- Save it so the plan's cushion matches, then set the money aside before the lease is signed. Open →
Worked out from the numbers on this page. A description of the math and an estimate, not advice; what to do is your call, with your adviser.
Starting point
Cash on hand today
$
How far ahead
Minimum cash buffer
$
Money in
Cash collected per month
$
Monthly change
%
Change continues for
months
Money out
Cash spent per month
$
Monthly change
%
Planned one-off items
Big, lumpy cash events a monthly average hides - an equipment purchase, a tax bill, a loan coming in, an annual premium. Place each in the month it lands.
$
Lowest cash balance over 12 months
$11,697
You stay above your $10,000 buffer all 12 months.
- Ending balance
- $45,918
- Total in
- $536,484
- Total out
- $515,566
Months
M1
M2
M3
M4
M5
M6
M7
M8
M9
M10
M11
M12
Net cash flow
$2,000
$2,230
-$17,533
$2,713
$2,965
$3,226
$3,496
$3,773
$4,060
$4,355
$4,659
$4,973
Balanceend of period
$27,000
$29,230
$11,697
$14,410
$17,375
$20,602
$24,098
$27,871
$31,931
$36,285
$40,945
$45,918
A forward look to pressure-test, not a guarantee - real timing turns on when customers actually pay and your terms with suppliers. Reconcile against your bank balance as you go.