Cash Flow Forecast (13-Week)
What this is: A rolling 13-week cash flow forecast tracking actual and projected cash inflows and outflows. The 13-week window is the standard for operational cash management — long enough to see material risks, short enough to be accurate.
Use for: Weekly cash management, fundraising preparation, burn rate tracking, covenant compliance.
Note: The Excel version includes formula-driven weekly columns, running balance, and a variance-to-forecast tracker.
How to read a cash flow forecast
The cash flow forecast answers: will we run out of money in the next 13 weeks, and when?
- Operating cash flows — money in/out from the core business
- Investing cash flows — capital expenditures, acquisitions, asset sales
- Financing cash flows — debt draws/repayments, equity raises
The bottom line is ending cash balance — if it goes below your minimum operating threshold in any week, that's a crisis flag.
Key terms:
- Burn rate / net burn: Total cash out minus total cash in per period
- Runway: Cash balance ÷ monthly net burn
- Gross burn: Total cash outflows, regardless of revenue
Company: _______________ | Forecast prepared: _______________
Starting cash balance: _______________ | Minimum cash threshold: _______________
OPERATING CASH INFLOWS
| Category | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer receipts — existing | ||||||||||||||
| Customer receipts — new bookings | ||||||||||||||
| Contract milestone payments | ||||||||||||||
| Other operating inflows | ||||||||||||||
| Total Operating Inflows |
OPERATING CASH OUTFLOWS
| Category | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll & benefits | ||||||||||||||
| Rent & facilities | ||||||||||||||
| Software & SaaS vendors | ||||||||||||||
| Marketing spend | ||||||||||||||
| COGS / contractor payments | ||||||||||||||
| Insurance | ||||||||||||||
| Taxes & compliance | ||||||||||||||
| Travel & expenses | ||||||||||||||
| Other operating outflows | ||||||||||||||
| Total Operating Outflows |
Net Operating Cash Flow = Total Inflows − Total Outflows
INVESTING CASH FLOWS
| Category | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital expenditures | ||||||||||||||
| Asset sales / proceeds | ||||||||||||||
| Other investing | ||||||||||||||
| Net Investing Cash Flow |
FINANCING CASH FLOWS
| Category | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt draws | ||||||||||||||
| Debt repayments | ||||||||||||||
| Equity raise proceeds | ||||||||||||||
| Other financing | ||||||||||||||
| Net Financing Cash Flow |
CASH BALANCE SUMMARY
| Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening balance | |||||||||||||
| Net operating cash flow | |||||||||||||
| Net investing cash flow | |||||||||||||
| Net financing cash flow | |||||||||||||
| Ending cash balance | |||||||||||||
| Minimum threshold | |||||||||||||
| Buffer above minimum |
⚠️ Flag any week where ending balance falls below minimum threshold.
KEY METRICS SUMMARY
| Metric | Current week | 4-week avg | 13-week total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross burn (total outflows) | |||
| Net burn (outflows − inflows) | |||
| Runway at current burn (months) | |||
| Cash collections (customer receipts) |
FORECAST VARIANCE (track actual vs forecast weekly)
| Week | Forecast ending balance | Actual ending balance | Variance | Key driver of variance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | ||||
| Week 2 | ||||
| Week 3 | ||||
| Week 4 |
NOTES & ASSUMPTIONS
Key assumptions underlying this forecast:
Items with high uncertainty (flag these for sensitivity analysis):
Actions required to improve cash position:
Covered in depth in the Financial Literacy Guide on biztechprimer.com.