Cash Flow Calculator
Enter what comes in, what goes out, when it moves and what you hold today. See what your bank balance is likely to do over the months ahead.
Profit and cash are not the same thing. A profitable month can still end with an empty account if your customers pay late and your suppliers do not. This calculator exists to make that timing visible in a couple of minutes.
Your figures
Rough monthly averages are enough to begin. You can refine them later — the point is to see the shape of your cash, not to be precise to the cent.
Cash balance
Between 3 and 24. Choose the period you can actually see clearly.
Income
The rest is assumed to arrive the following month — this is the timing that catches most businesses out.
Leave at 0 for a flat view. Use a negative number to test a slowdown.
Expenses
Payroll, rent, software, insurance — the payments that happen whatever else does.
0 if you pay as you go, 1 if you typically pay a month in arrears.
Tax bill, equipment, deposit — anything large and irregular.
What your cash does next
Enter an income figure and your recurring expenses above and the projection appears here immediately. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Ready for the full forecast?
This calculator works on monthly averages, which is enough to see the shape of your cash. A real forecast goes further: individual receipts and payments on the dates you expect them, so you can see the days when money is tight rather than only the months. Our free Excel template does exactly that, over whatever horizon suits your business.
How to use the calculator well
Use realistic figures rather than hopeful ones. Most owners overstate how quickly customers pay and understate irregular payments such as tax, insurance renewals and equipment. If you are unsure, take the last three months of your bank statement and use the averages — they are usually more honest than a plan.
Why timing changes everything
The single input that moves the results most is how much of your income arrives in the same month you earn it. Move it from 90% to 50% and a comfortable business becomes a tight one, without any change in sales or costs. That is why looking ahead at your cash matters more than looking back at your profit.
When the projection is wrong
It will be, and that is fine. The value is not in being right — it is in understanding why the actual result differed, so the next projection is better. Our guide to cash flow variance analysis shows how to do that in about twenty minutes a month.
If the numbers look tight
There are only a few levers: bring money in sooner, send money out later, sell more, or spend less. The last one is often the quickest to act on — The Top 10 Cost Challenge takes twenty minutes and frequently finds cash that requires no new customers at all. It is also worth understanding how payments actually move, because settlement timing is part of your cash position too.
Questions people ask
- What is a cash flow calculator?
- A cash flow calculator takes your opening cash balance, expected income, expenses and the timing of both, then projects what your bank balance will look like over the months ahead. It shows when money is likely to be tight, not simply whether the business is profitable.
- How do you calculate cash flow for a small business?
- Start with the cash you hold today, add the money you expect to actually receive in each period, subtract the money you expect to actually pay out, and carry the closing balance forward. The word that matters is actually: cash flow follows payment dates, not invoice dates.
- Why does payment timing matter so much?
- Because a month can balance perfectly and still contain a shortage. If a large receipt arrives after payroll leaves, the monthly total looks healthy while the business runs out of money mid-month. That is why the calculator asks how much of your income is received in the same month.
- Is this the same as a cash flow forecast?
- It is a simplified version of one. The calculator gives you the shape of your cash quickly using averages. A full forecast lists individual receipts and payments on the dates they are expected, which is what our free forecast template is for.
Educational disclaimer. This material is general educational information about cash management. It is not investment, tax, legal, accounting or regulated financial advice, and it does not take account of your circumstances. Consider speaking to a suitably qualified professional before making financial decisions.