A 13-week cash flow forecast covers one quarter, week by week, in cash only: money in from customers and money out to staff, landlords and suppliers. Lenders ask for one when a company is tight on cash, and treasury teams roll it forward every week.
It's a direct forecast, built from receipts and payments, not from profit:
- Collections lag invoices. If customers pay two weeks after they're invoiced, this week's collections are the sales from two columns to the left:
=B5 in D6.
- Monthly payments land in a particular week. Rent due on the 1st falls in the week that includes the 1st: a Friday week-end on day 1 to 7 of a month.
=IF(DAY(B4)<=7,-$B$19,0).
- Cash rolls forward. Opening cash is last week's closing; closing is opening plus the net flow.
The point of the forecast is the warning. Flag every week below the minimum cash and find the first one: that's the date to arrange funding by.