Knowing, week by week, how much you will have in the bank over the next three months: it is a business owner's first tool when cash gets tight, and the first document a bank asks for. Here is how to use it.
Why 13 weeks?
Thirteen weeks is a quarter: short enough to be accurate, long enough to see a difficult payment coming and act in time. Beyond that, the amounts become estimates; any shorter, and it is often too late to negotiate.
What the template contains
- Cash receipts and disbursements, week by week, with the usual line items of an SME.
- The opening and closing cash balance for each week, calculated automatically.
- A color alert when you fall below your threshold, and red below zero.
- The first critical week and the lowest point of the period.
- Step-by-step instructions.
How to fill it in, in 5 steps
- Start from the actual bank balance for the day, across all accounts.
- Enter what is certain first: salaries, social security contributions, rent, loan repayments, VAT.
- Add expected customer payments, on the likely payment date, not the due date.
- Identify the critical week and the shortfall.
- Update it every Monday: replace the past week with actual figures and add a new week.
Mistakes to avoid
- Confusing revenue with cash receipts: an invoice issued is not money in the bank.
- Forgetting quarterly or annual payments (VAT, taxes, insurance).
- Being optimistic about customers who pay late.
- Building the plan once and never updating it.
When to get help
If your cash goes below zero within the 13 weeks, you need to act fast: our guide business in difficulty: what to do? sets out the first steps. For an outside view, the cash flow check-up builds and analyzes your plan in 5 days (€1,290 excl. VAT), and the 100-day plan for your bank prepares the file for your banker.
Please note: this template is a management tool. It replaces neither your accounts nor the advice of your chartered accountant (expert-comptable).