13-Week Cash Flow Check

What this tool does

A 13-week cash flow forecast is a week-by-week, cash-only view of the next quarter: what lands in the bank, what leaves it and what's left. It's the tool lenders and boards ask for when cash gets tight, and the earliest warning you'll get.

How to use it

1. Enter today's bank balance and the minimum you want to keep.
2. Add weekly receipts, regular payments and your payroll rhythm.
3. List one-offs you already know about, on the week they hit the bank.

The maths, in plain view

• Closing cash(w) = Closing cash(w−1) + Receipts(w) − Payments(w) ± One-offs(w)
• Payroll lands every 1, 2 or 4 weeks
• Weeks below buffer = weeks where closing cash < buffer

A worked example

Starting with $226k, receiving about $11k a week (growing 1%), paying $6.5k a week plus $34k of payroll every two weeks, with an $18k renewal in week 3, a $24k invoice in week 5 and a $21k tax bill in week 9: cash first drops under a $150k buffer in week 8, stays under it for 6 of the 13 weeks and bottoms out at about $69k in week 12.

Tips

• Payroll weeks are where cash dips. Know which weeks they are before you commit to anything else.
• Model the fix before you need it: delaying one hire or collecting one overdue invoice often closes the gap.

Want the full story? Read How to build a 13-week cash flow forecast and use it every Monday.