Cashflow forecasts that tie out. Monthly to 25 years.

Enter your revenue, costs and working-capital days — receivable (DSO), inventory (DIO) and payable (DPO) — and download an automated, fully-linked Excel cashflow forecast: operating, investing and financing cash flows in a self-balancing model, with tax fully applied.

⚡ Build My Cashflow Forecast Free — free (requires JavaScript)

A cashflow forecasting model is a financial tool that projects a company's future cash position by analysing expected inflows, operating expenses and working-capital cycles — receivables, inventory and payables. It calculates operational runway and pinpoints future liquidity gaps before they happen.

How the working-capital schedule works

The working-capital schedule converts the timing of receivables, inventory and payables into a period-by-period cash movement. It is what separates a real cash forecast from a profit projection — and the reason a profitable business can still run out of cash.

Three days-based drivers do the work. Receivable days (DSO) set accounts receivable as revenue × DSO ÷ 365; inventory days (DIO) set inventory as cost of goods sold × DIO ÷ 365; and payable days (DPO) set accounts payable as operating costs × DPO ÷ 365. The period-on-period change in that net balance is the working-capital movement that consumes or releases cash. Their combination — DSO + DIO − DPO — is the cash conversion cycle, the number of days cash is tied up in operations.

Growth makes it bite: if sales double and the days stay flat, the cash locked in receivables and inventory roughly doubles too — which is precisely how fast-growing, profitable companies run short of cash. The model forecasts this explicitly rather than assuming it away, so you can size funding and test how a few days either way changes the runway.

Working capital days (DSO, DIO, DPO) guide →

Operating, investing and financing cash flows

A complete cash flow statement has three sections. Operating cash flow starts from net income and adds back non-cash expenses like depreciation, then adjusts for the working-capital movement; investing captures capital expenditure; financing covers debt drawdowns, repayments, interest and dividends.

The model uses the indirect method — the standard for multi-year forecasts — because it plugs straight into the income statement and balance sheet. Depreciation and amortisation are added back (they reduce profit but move no cash), the working-capital movement is applied, and CAPEX and debt service are layered in. Summing the three sections gives the net movement in cash, and the closing cash of one period becomes the opening cash of the next.

Because every figure is a live, linked formula, the output is self-balancing: the cash flow ties to a balance sheet that reconciles each period, with an integrity-check sheet flagging any imbalance. That three-statement consistency is the credibility signal lenders and investors look for.

Direct vs indirect forecasting → · How to build a cash flow forecast in Excel →

Cash buffer, runway and peak funding need

Runway is closing cash divided by average net monthly outflow — how long the business lasts at the current burn rate. The closing-cash line shows the month cash could turn negative, and the dashboard reports the peak funding need: the deepest point the cash balance reaches.

For a pre-profit or fast-scaling business, this is the number that decides when to hire, when to cut and when to raise. Net burn (after cash revenue) matters more than gross burn, because growing revenue extends runway even while the company is still loss-making. A monthly forecast makes both fall straight out of the closing-cash row.

The peak funding need tells you how much to raise and when — investors expect a round to close six to nine months before cash runs out, not the month it does. Modelling a base case and a downside where revenue lands late turns the forecast into a fundraising-leverage tool rather than a hopeful guess.

Runway & burn-rate forecasting guide →

13-week cash flow and short-term liquidity

A 13-week cash flow forecast is a weekly, direct-method view of expected receipts and payments over a quarter. It is the standard tool in turnarounds and tight-cash situations because it exposes exactly which week a shortfall hits — so you can act before the gap, not after.

Thirteen weeks covers a full quarter while staying short enough to forecast with real accuracy. The discipline is timing: a sale in week 2 on 45-day terms is a receipt in week 8, not week 2, and payroll on the 25th can fail even in a month that ends positive. Keeping receipt and payment categories identical week to week is what lets you compare forecast against actual and see which line is drifting.

Use this tool's Monthly view to read the first quarter's opening cash, movements and closing cash, then extend the horizon to plan funding well ahead of any gap — a rolling short-term view feeding a strategic multi-year model.

13-week cash flow forecast guide →

Pricing

Build, preview and download free up to 3 years. Models from 5 to 25 years are $19.98 per model download — no subscription.

Frequently asked questions

What is a 13-week cash flow forecast?

A 13-week cash flow forecast is a short-term, week-by-week projection of expected cash receipts and payments over a quarter. It is the standard tool in turnarounds and tight-cash situations because it shows, week by week, whether there will be enough cash to meet obligations. Thirteen weeks covers a full quarter while staying short enough to forecast accurately.

How do you calculate operating cash flow?

Operating cash flow is calculated with the indirect method: start from net income, add back non-cash expenses such as depreciation and amortisation, then adjust for the change in working capital — increases in receivables and inventory consume cash, while increases in payables release it. EasyFinancialModels computes this automatically from your assumptions as a live Excel formula.

What is the difference between a cash flow statement and a cash flow forecast?

A cash flow statement is backward-looking — it reports the cash a business actually generated in a past period. A cash flow forecast is forward-looking — it projects the cash a business will generate in future periods from your assumptions, so you can spot liquidity gaps and runway before they occur. This tool builds the forward-looking forecast, tied to a self-balancing three-statement model.

What is a cashflow forecasting model?

A cashflow forecasting model projects how much cash a business will generate and consume over time — from operations, investing and financing — so you can see when cash peaks, dips or runs short. EasyFinancialModels builds one automatically as a fully formula-linked Excel workbook from your revenue, cost and working-capital assumptions.

How do I create a cash flow forecast in Excel?

Enter your revenue, operating costs, CAPEX, debt and working-capital days (receivable, inventory and payable). The generator converts these into a linked Excel cash flow forecast — operating cash flow, investing and financing — that recalculates whenever you edit an input. No formulas to write yourself.

What is the difference between a cash flow forecast and a financial model?

A financial model is the full three-statement picture (income statement, balance sheet and cash flow) plus valuation. A cashflow forecast focuses on the movement of cash — especially working-capital timing — to answer 'when do we run out of cash?' Our cashflow tool leads with cash flow and working capital while still keeping the statements linked.

Can I forecast cash flow monthly?

Yes. Choose Monthly, Quarterly or Annual. Monthly forecasts expand each year into 12 linked columns (up to 10 years) and are ideal for runway, seasonality and lender reporting; annual growth is converted geometrically so periods compound to exactly your stated annual rate.

What are receivable, inventory and payable days (DSO/DIO/DPO)?

They set your working-capital timing. Receivable Days (DSO) is how long customers take to pay; Inventory Days (DIO) is how long stock is held; Payable Days (DPO) is how long you take to pay suppliers. Longer DSO/DIO tie up cash; longer DPO frees cash. The model turns these into the cash-flow working-capital movement automatically.

How does working capital affect cash flow?

Working capital is cash locked in receivables and inventory, less what you owe suppliers. When it grows (sales rising, slow collections), it consumes cash even if you're profitable; when it shrinks, it releases cash. The forecast computes the period-by-period working-capital movement from your DSO/DIO/DPO and feeds it into operating cash flow.

Does the cash flow forecast include tax?

Yes — corporate tax is fully applied, auto-filled from your selected country and editable, with loss carryforward (NOL) so losses shelter future taxable profit before cash tax is deducted.

How many years should a cash flow forecast cover?

Three to five years suits most planning and fundraising; asset-heavy or long-horizon businesses model 10–25 years. Monthly forecasts are best kept to a few years (up to 10). The free tier covers 3 years; 5–25 years is $19.98 per model download.

Is this cash flow forecast really free?

Building, previewing and downloading a 3-year cashflow forecast is free with just your email. Longer horizons (5 to 25 years, monthly/quarterly/annual) are $19.98 per model download — no subscription.

Can I download and edit the cash flow forecast in Excel?

Yes. It's a standard, unlocked .xlsx with live formulas that opens in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc. Change any blue input and the whole forecast — including the working-capital movement and closing cash — recalculates.

What is a 13-week cash flow forecast and can this tool build one?

A 13-week cash flow is a short-term liquidity view used in turnarounds and tight-cash situations. Our monthly model covers the same ground with a longer lens — pick Monthly and read the first three months' opening cash, movements and closing cash week-by-week granularity is planned.

How do I forecast cash flow for a startup with no history?

Start from drivers, not history: price × expected customers for revenue, your actual cost commitments, and realistic working-capital days. Pick the Startup template — assumptions are pre-loaded and every figure stays editable, so you can stress-test collections and runway before investors do.

What is the difference between direct and indirect cash flow forecasting?

Direct forecasting builds cash from expected receipts and payments; indirect starts from profit and adjusts for non-cash items and working-capital movements. This model uses the indirect method — the standard for multi-year forecasts — with the working-capital schedule shown explicitly so you get direct-method visibility on timing.

Why is my business profitable but out of cash?

Usually working capital: revenue is booked before customers pay (receivable days), stock sits before it sells (inventory days), and growth multiplies both. The forecast makes this visible — watch the working-capital movement line consume cash as revenue grows, and test how faster collections change your runway.

What is cash runway and how do I calculate it?

Runway is how long your cash lasts at the current burn rate — closing cash ÷ average monthly net outflow. Build a monthly forecast and the closing-cash row shows exactly which month you'd run dry, plus the peak funding need on the dashboard.

Can lenders and investors use this cash flow forecast?

Yes — it's a linked, self-balancing model with a balance sheet that ties and an integrity-check sheet, which is what credit teams and investors look for. Every number traces to an assumption, so diligence questions are answerable.

How accurate should a cash flow forecast be?

Precision matters less than honest drivers and visible assumptions. Keep receivable/payable days realistic, revisit monthly, and re-download an updated model in minutes when facts change — the free 3-year tier makes refreshing costless.

Does the forecast handle loan repayments and interest?

Yes. Enter principal, rate, tenor and type (term, revolver, balloon, lease) and the debt schedule computes interest and repayments, feeding financing cash flows and the closing balance automatically.

Can I model seasonal cash flow?

Choose Monthly or Quarterly and adjust months-active on cost lines and growth by period. Seasonal working-capital swings show up directly in the monthly working-capital movement and closing-cash rows.

Cash flow forecast vs budget — what's the difference?

A budget allocates spending targets; a cash flow forecast predicts actual cash timing — when money lands and leaves. You need both, but only the forecast tells you whether you can make payroll in month 7. This tool builds the forecast, driven by the same assumptions a budget uses.

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