Skip to content
ToolDeck

Finance & Admin

Cash Flow Forecast

Projects next month's cash from invoices, bills, and patterns — with the pinch points.

Saves about ~1 hr per week

What it does

  • Pulls open invoices, upcoming bills, and payroll
  • Projects daily cash balance for the next 30-60 days
  • Flags days your balance would go negative
  • Emails a weekly forecast with the risky windows

How it works

  1. Inflow/outflow data loaded
  2. Daily balance projected
  3. Negative days identified
  4. Forecast emailed weekly

What's included

  • Cash inputs sheet
  • Daily projection
  • Pinch-point alerts

Set it up yourself

Follow these 4 steps in order. You will need accounts for: Sheets.

Step 1: Load the cash inputs

  1. Gather: current balance, open invoices (amount + expected date), recurring bills, payroll dates, expected payouts.
  2. Put them in a 'Cash In / Cash Out' sheet with dates.
  3. Note which inflows are certain vs estimated (an 'estimate' column).
  4. Test the numbers against your bank.
  5. Update the sheet weekly.

Watch out: Separate certain vs estimated inflows — a forecast that treats an unpaid invoice as cash-in tomorrow is how good companies run out.

Step 2: Build the projection

  1. Daily: starting balance + inflows − outflows =
  2. Roll the balance forward day by day for 30-60 days.
  3. Apply your typical collection lag (invoices usually arrive late — use a factor).
  4. Test against last month's actuals.
  5. Store the daily series in a sheet.

Watch out: Apply a collection-days factor to invoice inflows — assume they arrive 5-10 days after the due date and your forecast gets honest.

Step 3: Flag the pinch points

  1. Any day the projected balance < 0 → flag.
  2. Also flag the 5 lowest-minimum days in the window.
  3. Add a 'need to pull forward' amount per pinch.
  4. Test with a deliberately tight scenario.
  5. Keep an assumptions tab so the flags make sense.

Watch out: Flag the lowest-minimum days in addition to the negative ones — approaching zero is a warning, not just crossing it.

Step 4: Email the weekly forecast

  1. Weekly (say Monday) email: opening balance, projected month-end, all pinch days with amounts.
  2. One page.
  3. Include the assumptions tab link.
  4. Review the forecast against reality monthly.
  5. Feed bill/invoice changes in as they happen.

Watch out: A forecast is a living document — if the email only carries last week's numbers, it's a museum piece. Recompute on data change.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Cash Flow Forecast automation do?

Projects next month's cash from invoices, bills, and patterns — with the pinch points. Pulls open invoices, upcoming bills, and payroll

How much time does Cash Flow Forecast save?

It is estimated to save ~1 hr per week. Actual savings depend on your volume.

Which tools does Cash Flow Forecast use?

It works with Sheets.

What does Cash Flow Forecast include?

Cash inputs sheet, Daily projection, Pinch-point alerts.

Can I set up Cash Flow Forecast myself?

Yes. The do-it-yourself guide on this page walks through 4 steps, from getting access to testing the finished automation.