Cash flow & operations
Will cash cover the month? A simple cash flow budget
A cash flow budget calculator: owners enter monthly revenue, operating expenses, other income and other outflows to see net monthly and annual cash flow.
Included in Network. 14-day trial, cancel any time.
How do I calculate my business's monthly cash flow?
Add all cash coming in, sales collected and other income, then subtract all cash going out, operating expenses plus loan payments, owner draws and other outflows. The difference is net cash flow. Unlike profit, it counts cash when it moves, which is why profitable businesses can still run short.
December budgeting, or a tight month
Owners plan the year in December and panic in the month when a big bill and a slow customer coincide. Both moments send them looking for a simple way to see cash in and out.
What the client types into a search box
“how do I make a cash flow budget for my business”
How a client works through it
Enter monthly revenue
Cash collected from sales.
Enter operating expenses
Rent, payroll, supplies and other running costs.
Add other inflows and outflows
Loan proceeds, loan payments, draws.
See net cash flow
Monthly and annual net cash flow, totals in and out.
What lands in your inbox
When a client asks your firm to review the result, the request arrives as a contact record with their inputs and results attached, by email and, on paid plans, by webhook to your CRM.
Received
Revenue, expenses and other flows show scale and whether cash flow is positive. A negative net flow is an urgent conversation about receivables, pricing or financing.
Reading net cash flow
Total Inflows and Total Outflows sum the two sides. Net Monthly Cash Flow is the difference, and Annual Net Cash Flow multiplies it by twelve.
A steady monthly figure hides seasonality; businesses with uneven months should budget month by month.
Results shown: Net Monthly Cash Flow · Total Inflows · Total Outflows · Annual Net Cash Flow.
Why cash flow is a bookkeeper's best advisory service
Bookkeepers already see every transaction. A cash flow budget turns that into forward-looking advice: when cash will be tight and what to do about it. It's the most valuable upgrade from data entry to advisory.
Fractional CFOs use the same tool in a first meeting to get the owner's numbers fast.
Follow-ups this request opens
- Build a 13-week cash flow forecast
- Speed up collections and review payment terms
- Arrange a line of credit before it's needed
- Set an owner draw policy
What this calculator leaves out
- Single month repeated across the year.
- No timing of receivables or payables.
- No opening cash balance.
- Taxes not separately modeled.
Platform disclaimer shown under the calculator: Estimates only. Actual cash flow varies with timing, seasonality and one-off items. Use as a planning guide.
Compliance note for firms
Cash flow budgets are planning tools. If provided to lenders, label them as estimates and make sure they reconcile with financial statements.
Not legal advice. See our disclaimer and the guide to compliance for client calculators.
Terms your client sees in the calculator
These definitions appear in the calculator's collapsible Definitions block, so clients don't have to call to ask what a label means.
- Net cash flow
- Total cash inflows minus total cash outflows for the month. A positive figure means the business took in more cash than it paid out; a negative figure means it drew down cash reserves or credit. It measures cash, not profit, so a profitable business can still run short if customers pay slowly.
- Cash inflows
- All cash received in the period: revenue actually collected from customers plus other income such as interest, rebates or asset sales. This calculator adds monthly revenue and other income. Sales made on credit count only when the money arrives, which is the key difference from revenue on an income statement.
- Cash outflows
- All cash paid out in the period: operating expenses such as payroll, rent and supplies, plus other outflows such as loan principal and interest, taxes set aside, equipment purchases and owner draws. Some of these, like loan principal, do not appear as expenses on an income statement but still reduce cash.
- Operating expenses
- The recurring costs of running the business day to day: payroll, rent, utilities, supplies, software, insurance and marketing. They are usually the largest outflow. Entering them on a cash basis, meaning when they are actually paid, keeps this calculator’s monthly figure aligned with what leaves the bank account.
- Annual net cash flow
- The monthly net cash flow multiplied by 12. It is a quick annual view that assumes every month looks like the one entered. Seasonal businesses, annual insurance or tax payments and one-time purchases can make actual annual cash flow quite different, so a month-by-month forecast is more reliable.
- Cash flow vs. profit
- Profit follows accounting rules that match revenue and expenses to the period they relate to; cash flow tracks when money actually moves. Unpaid invoices, inventory purchases, depreciation and loan principal all create gaps between them. This calculator measures cash, which is what determines whether bills can be paid on time.
In our glossary: Working capital
Cash Flow Budget calculator: questions from firms and clients
How is cash flow different from profit?
Profit counts revenue when earned; cash flow counts it when collected.
Should owner draws be included?
Yes, as outflows.
What about seasonality?
Budget each month separately; the firm can build a forecast.
Should taxes be included?
Yes, as outflows when paid.
What's a 13-week forecast?
A weekly cash projection used to manage tight periods.
How do I improve cash flow?
Collect faster, pay on terms, price better and control costs.
Does it include loan payments?
Add them to other outflows.
Which plan includes it?
Network. See pricing.
No question matches that filter. Clear it to see them all, search the whole site, or ask us directly; we reply within one business day.
Clients who ask this usually ask next
Working Capital
how much working capital does my business need
Break-Even
how many sales do I need to break even
Business Loan
how much will my business loan payment be
All “Cash flow & operations” calculators · Everything in Business
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Answer the December question before the client calls
Embed the Cash Flow Budget calculator on your firm's site in an afternoon and receive requests with the numbers already filled in.
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