How to use

Follow these steps

1. 1

   List opening cash position

   Cash in current accounts at the start of week 1. Exclude restricted balances (escrow, deposits).

2. 2

   Project weekly cash inflows

   By customer / contract, applying realistic collection delays. Don''t assume invoices land on the day they''re issued — use your actual debtor days.

3. 3

   Project weekly cash outflows

   Payroll (gross + employer NIC + pension), suppliers, rent, VAT (quarterly), Corporation Tax (annual), interest, capex.

4. 4

   Compute weekly net + cumulative position

   Inflows minus outflows = weekly net. Add to opening cash for the week to get the closing cash. Watch for the trough — the lowest weekly closing balance is what matters most.

5. 5

   Stress-test the trough

   If the lowest week dips below your minimum operational cash buffer (typically 4-6 weeks of payroll), trigger an action plan: chase debtors, defer non-essential outflows, draw on facility, or raise finance.

6. 6

   Roll it weekly

   Every Friday, replace week 1 with actuals and add a new week 13 at the end. Forecasts that aren''t rolled are forecasts that get stale and ignored.