Cash Flow Forecasting
A 13-week cash flow forecast built from the invoices, bills, payroll and jobs already in your systems. It updates itself and shows shortfalls while there's time to act.
- 20+ years connecting business systems
- Works with the accounting, job and CRM systems you already use
- Fixed quote after a free chat
See It Coming
It's payday Friday and the finance manager is checking whether the account can cover wages, a big supplier payment next Tuesday and the BAS due on the 21st. The spreadsheet she built in March hasn't been updated since May. The invoices are in the accounting system, the job billing is somewhere else, and the loan repayments are in a third place. She ends up adding it up in her head.
We build a rolling cash flow forecast from the real invoices, bills, payroll and commitments already in your systems. It refreshes itself, so shortfalls show up weeks ahead while there's still time to chase debtors, move a payment or arrange a facility. Your finance team reviews the forecast instead of rebuilding it every week.
Why Cash Flow Forecasts Go Wrong
It's rarely the maths; usually the figures are missing or out of date
Shortfalls That Arrive Without Warning
Late payments, strained supplier relationships, last-minute borrowing
A Spreadsheet Nobody Updates
Decisions made on old numbers, or on gut feel
Figures From Too Many Places
Things get missed, so the forecast is wrong in ways nobody notices
Always Reacting
Fewer options, higher costs, more stress
A Cash Flow Forecast That Keeps Itself Up to Date
Built From Real Transactions
The forecast starts with what is already known: invoices you have sent, bills you have received and regular costs.
- Customer invoices and when they are due
- Supplier bills and when you plan to pay them
- Payroll, super, GST/BAS and loan repayments
- Committed purchase orders and contracts
- Several bank accounts or companies added together
A forecast that starts from facts
Refreshes Itself
New invoices, payments and bills flow in on a schedule, so the forecast stays current.
- Bank balances pulled in automatically
- Paid invoices drop off, new ones appear
- Updated daily or as often as you need
- An alert if a source stops updating
No one rebuilding it each week
Based on How Customers Really Pay
Due dates are a starting point. The forecast also uses each customer's actual payment history.
- Slow-paying customers shown as they really pay
- Seasonal patterns from your own past years
- Your own assumptions for new sales and big one-off costs
- "What if" views, such as a big customer paying late
A more realistic picture of the weeks ahead
Early Warning of Shortfalls
You choose a minimum bank balance. If the forecast drops below it, you hear about it in time to act.
- Your own minimum balance or overdraft limit
- Email alert when a shortfall shows up
- The invoices and bills behind the dip, listed
- Room to chase debtors, move payments or arrange finance early
Weeks of notice instead of a nasty surprise
What Changes Day to Day
No forecast is perfect, but one that is current and built from real figures gives you time to act
Fewer Surprises
Finding out about a shortfall when the bank balance is already too low
Seeing it coming weeks ahead, while you still have choices
Better Timing for Big Spending
Holding off on new staff or equipment because you are not sure about cash
Deciding with a clear view of what is coming in and going out
Stronger Conversations With Your Bank and Suppliers
Asking for finance or extra time at the last minute
Raising it early, with a forecast you can show them
Time Back for Your Finance Team
Hours each week updating a spreadsheet by hand
The forecast updates itself; the team reviews it instead of building it
Cash Flow Forecasting by Industry
Construction & Trades
- Progress claims paid on long or uncertain terms
- Retentions held for months
- Big supplier and subcontractor bills ahead of payment
- Job billing kept in a separate system from the accounts
- Cash flow mapped to progress claims and job stages
- Retentions shown with their expected release dates
- Subcontractor and supplier commitments included
- Job system and accounting system read together
Construction cash flow forecasting: a 13-week forecast from your claim schedule
Professional Services
- Clients who pay later than their terms
- Uneven project billing
- Wages paid every fortnight regardless of billing
- Work in progress not yet invoiced
- Each client's real payment habits built in
- Upcoming billing from your project or time system
- Payroll and super set out week by week
- Unbilled work shown as expected future cash
Wholesale & Online Sales
- Stock bought months before it sells
- Payment provider payouts that arrive in batches
- Supplier terms that do not line up with sales
- Busy and quiet seasons
- Purchase orders and stock buying included
- Online store and payment provider payouts read in
- Supplier payment dates set out week by week
- Last year's seasonal pattern as a starting point
Manufacturing
- Raw materials paid for well before goods are sold
- Large orders that tie up cash
- Customers on long payment terms
- Equipment purchases and loan repayments
- Material purchases tied to the production plan
- Big orders shown from purchase to customer payment
- Customer payment history built in
- Planned equipment spending and repayments included
How It Runs
Look at How You Forecast Now
- Which bank accounts and companies to include
- Where invoices, bills and payroll are kept
- Regular costs that sit outside the accounts
- How far ahead you need to see
You get: A clear plan for what the forecast will include
Connect Your Systems
- Accounting system connection (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks or others)
- Bank balances
- Job, payroll or inventory systems where needed
- Past payment history for each customer
You get: Figures flowing in without retyping
Build and Check the Forecast
- Weekly view of cash in and out
- Your assumptions for sales and one-off costs
- Comparison with recent actual cash
- Fixes to anything that does not match
You get: A forecast you have tested before you rely on it
Hand Over and Keep Improving
- Shortfall alerts set up
- Short training for the people who use it
- Notes on how it works
- Forecast compared with actual cash over time
You get: Your team using the forecast week to week
What You See Each Week
A typical cash flow view includes:
Weekly rolling forecast
Cash in, cash out and the expected bank balance for each of the coming weeks (often 13 weeks, or whatever suits you)
"What if" views
See what happens if a big customer pays late or a large purchase goes ahead
Shortfall alerts
An email when the forecast drops below the balance you set
Bank balances
Pulled in automatically, so the starting point is always right
Debtors and creditors
Who owes you, who you owe, and when each is likely to be paid
Forecast against actual
Last week's forecast next to what really happened, so you can see how far to trust it
Want cash flow alongside your other management reports? See reporting and dashboards. For construction businesses with progress claims and retentions, see our construction cash flow forecasting page.
What a 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast Needs From Your Systems
A forecast is only as good as what goes into it. Each line below comes from a system you already run.
Receivables
Source: Accounting system
Every invoice you have sent, its due date, and how that customer actually pays (not just terms, but their real history of paying 10 or 40 days late)
Payables
Source: Accounting system + purchase orders
Bills received, committed purchase orders and contracts, and supplier payment terms or the dates you plan to pay
Payroll and super
Source: Payroll or rostering system
Net wages, PAYG, super (now due within 7 business days of each pay run under Payday Super) and leave liabilities, week by week
Tax and compliance
Source: Accounting system + BAS
BAS/GST due dates, PAYG instalments, FBT, payroll tax, workers comp instalments and any other regular obligations
Jobs and orders
Source: Job, project or inventory system
Progress claims due, retention release dates, committed material purchases and expected job receipts that sit outside the accounting ledger
Your plans
Source: You
Expected new sales, planned hires, equipment purchases, loan drawdowns or repayments, and one-off costs that only you know about
The Technical Side
For whoever looks after your systems: how the forecast is put together.
Where the data comes from
We read invoices, bills, payments and bank balances through each system's official connection (its API). Job, payroll or inventory systems connect the same way, or through scheduled file exports if the API is limited.
Where the forecast is built
Usually in Microsoft Power BI, or in a spreadsheet that refreshes itself if your team prefers to work in Excel. The data is copied into a small reporting database, so your live systems are not changed.
Access
Read-only connections to your accounting and other systems. Only the people you choose can see the forecast.
Common Reasons Cash Flow Forecasts Are Wrong
Most forecast errors are not maths mistakes. They are missing inputs.
Receivables based on due dates, not real payment behaviour
A customer on 30-day terms who consistently pays at 55 days blows the forecast out by nearly a month on every invoice. We use each customer's actual payment history.
Missing payables
Purchase orders, committed subcontractor claims and regular costs that sit outside the accounting system. If they are not in the forecast, neither is the cash they will need.
Forgotten obligations
BAS, Payday Super, payroll tax, workers comp instalments and loan repayments often hit the same fortnight. If any of them are missing, the low point looks higher than it really is.
No one updates it
A forecast in a spreadsheet that requires someone to copy figures across every week stops being maintained after two or three weeks. The numbers go stale and people stop trusting them.
Too many sources, no connection
Jobs in one system, payroll in another, invoices in a third. Without a connection, the forecast is always missing a piece.
Cash Flow Forecasting FAQs
See Your Cash Position Weeks Ahead
Tell us how you forecast cash now and where the figures come from. We'll tell you honestly whether a better spreadsheet will do, or what an automatic forecast from your systems would involve. You get a fixed quote after a free initial chat. If you want a full review of your systems first, there is our $5,000 Process & Systems Audit.
Free initial chat • No obligation • 1300 470 091