Business cash flow forecast

Plan your business cash flow month by month over the next 12 months.

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12-month forecast

AccountVAT	Aug 2026	Sept 2026	Oct 2026	Nov 2026	Dec 2026	Jan 2027	Feb 2027	Mar 2027	Apr 2027	May 2027	Jun 2027	Jul 2027	Total
Opening bank balance		£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0
Income
Sales													£0
Other income													£0

Other receipts
Loans received Loans received													£0
Director loans received Director loans received													£0
Grants													£0

Total cash in	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0
Expenses
Materials													£0
Subcontractors													£0
Bank fees													£0
Rent and rates													£0
Utilities													£0
Insurance													£0
Telephone and internet													£0
Subscriptions													£0
Printing and stationery													£0
Software and IT costs													£0
Marketing and advertising													£0
Accountancy fees													£0
Professional fees													£0
Travel and subsistence													£0
Repairs and maintenance													£0
Equipment purchases													£0

Other outgoings
Net salaries													£0
PAYE and National Insurance													£0
Staff pension													£0
VAT payment/(refund)													£0
Corporation Tax													£0
Loan repayments Loan repayments													£0

Total cash out	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0
Net cash movement	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0
Closing bank balance	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0

Looking for another planning tool?

Need linked profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow statements for a business plan, lending or investment application? Try the business financial forecast.

Need a shorter week-by-week view for managing immediate cash commitments? Try the 13-week cash flow forecast.

What does this tool include?

A monthly business cash flow forecast covering the next 12 months.
A clear four-section layout for income, other receipts, expenses and other outgoings, with an optional condensed cash-in and cash-out view.
Opening cash, period cash movement and closing cash balance calculations.
Optional monthly actuals, with six preceding months ready to complete and up to 12 shown at a time.
An optional personal budget for estimating the minimum monthly amount needed from the business.
Optional VAT and payroll estimates, plus a Corporation Tax payment helper for limited companies.
Editable cash rows alongside clearly marked figures linked to loans, payroll, tax settings and the personal budget.
Monthly Quick fill patterns and a simple move-forward workflow.
A loan helper that combines all loan drawdowns and repayments into two linked forecast rows.
Browser saves plus JSON, Excel and PDF exports for keeping or sharing a copy of your forecast.

What is this tool for?

Use this business cash flow forecast to manage short-term cash in a small business: plan when money is expected to arrive, see when costs and tax payments may leave the bank, and monitor the projected closing balance.

The layout is deliberately simpler than a formal set of financial statements. It is a cash-management planning tool, not statutory accounts, a VAT Return or a substitute for professional tax advice.

Assumptions

Amounts are entered in the period when cash is expected to enter or leave the bank.
Cash amounts are entered including VAT. For rows set to 20% or 5%, the tool extracts the VAT element from the gross cash amount using the selected rate.
VAT is estimated on a cash basis only for complete VAT quarters covered by the forecast and is placed one month and seven days after the selected quarter end. It is a planning estimate, not a VAT Return.
Payroll is estimated from annual salaries using current tax-year rules. Auto-enrolment pension estimates use qualifying earnings and relief at source. Net pay follows the selected pay frequency; PAYE, National Insurance and staff pension payments are placed on the 22nd of the following month.
The Corporation Tax calculator uses the selected company year-end month to find the normal payment deadline within the forecast. It suggests paying nine months after the year end and lets you choose another forecast period.
The Corporation Tax calculation is a simple planning estimate based on profit before tax, add-backs, deductions and losses brought forward. It treats the company as having no associated companies and is not designed for companies paying by instalments.
Browser saves remain on this device and can be downloaded as a JSON file or exported to Excel or PDF.

Common questions

What is a business cash flow forecast used for?

It helps you estimate when cash may enter and leave the business, monitor the expected bank balance and identify periods when short-term funding or tighter spending control may be needed.

Should I use this or the business financial forecast?

Use this tool for straightforward short-term cash management. Use the business financial forecast when you need linked profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow statements over a formal 36-month projection period.

How far ahead does the business cash flow forecast cover?

It covers 12 monthly periods. Use the separate 13-week cash flow forecast when you need a more detailed view of short-term income and payments.

Can I include past results with the forecast?

Yes. Turn on Actuals to enter recent monthly cash figures using the same rows as the forecast. The figures remain separate from the forecast and are included in Excel and PDF reports while Actuals is on.

Can I prepare a personal survival budget?

Yes. The Personal budget tab compares monthly household income from outside the business with household spending. It calculates the minimum monthly amount that may need to come from the business and includes the budget in Excel and PDF reports while the tab is on.

Does this tool calculate VAT and business tax?

It estimates VAT for complete VAT quarters covered by the forecast and can estimate payroll payments. Limited companies can also use the Corporation Tax helper to enter a known bill or make a simple estimate from net profit before tax and common tax adjustments.

Source notes

GOV.UK VAT Return deadlinesStandard online VAT Return and payment deadline guidance.
GOV.UK Pay employers' PAYEPAYE payment timing guidance.
GOV.UK Workplace pensions for employersQualifying earnings, minimum contributions and payment timing guidance.
GOV.UK Corporation Tax obligationsCorporation Tax payment timing guidance.