Cash Flow Forecast Template with Assumptions and Scenarios
Plan the next 13 weeks using expected collection dates and planned payment dates. Base and downside schedules share the same weekly plan but apply explicit collection and payment multipliers. Negative cash remains visible instead of being replaced by assumed borrowing.
Inspect the worked example
What you download
- Instructions
- Forecast scope, scenario interpretation, row limits and primary references.
- Blank Assumptions / Plan / Base / Downside
- Editable opening cash, week start, multipliers, 13 weekly collection/payment plans and calculated scenarios.
- Example Assumptions / Plan / Base / Downside
- Fictional Cedar forward plan with evidence, base-case cash and a negative downside scenario.
Scope: A planning model, not a prediction, financing recommendation or historical financial statement. Figures and assumptions are fictional.
Follow the numbers
Fictional educational example. Not customer records or professional accounting advice.
| Week starting | Base closing cash | Downside closing cash |
|---|---|---|
| November 2 | $3,200 | $2,450 |
| November 9 | $2,800 | $930 |
| November 16 | $2,100 | -$380 |
| November 23 | $2,400 | -$1,310 |
| January 25 | $4,200 | -$9,050 |
Use it with your records
Set opening available cash
Use reconciled cash available at the start of the forecast, excluding restricted funds and unapproved borrowing. Enter the first week date and minimum cash buffer in Assumptions.
Date future receipts and payments
Enter positive weekly planned collections and payments in the 13-row Plan. Reference invoices, customer commitments, payroll dates, rent and approved purchases. Use expected cash dates, not revenue recognition dates.
Explain scenario assumptions
Set separate collection and payment multipliers for Base and Downside. The example downside is a 50% collection shortfall inside the horizon and a 10% payment increase. It does not automatically reschedule missing receipts.
Act on the first shortfall
Inspect every weekly closing balance and buffer warning. The example downside becomes negative in week 3. Investigate timing, discuss collections and document approved changes; do not plug the gap with fictional financing.
Review and refresh
Record the preparer, reviewer, review date and assumption rationale. Keep prior forecasts separately, reconcile actual opening cash again and replace assumptions with newly evidenced plans.
A forecast is not a historical cash-flow statement
This template models future available cash. It does not classify past operating, investing and financing cash flows or produce a financial statement. Bank history helps identify recurring payments but does not establish future sales, invoice collection dates or commitments.
The first four planned weekly collections are $1,200, $1,800, $900 and $2,100; payments are $1,500, $2,200, $1,600 and $1,800. The following nine weeks each plan $1,800 collected and $1,600 paid. Base closing cash ends at $4,200; the downside ends at negative $9,050 without any assumed credit facility.
Using the file responsibly
The plan has exactly 13 weekly input rows, 6 through 18. Add new weeks only after extending dates, carry-forward formulas and summary ranges together. Scenario multipliers are sensitivity assumptions, not probabilities or promised outcomes.
Download the XLSX file, keep an untouched copy, then upload a working copy to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets if desired. Check formulas, dates, validation and print layout after import. No hosted Sheets copy or tested spreadsheet-application compatibility is claimed.
Questions about this resource
Does the downside scenario move delayed invoices into later weeks?
No. The collection multiplier reduces receipts within the displayed horizon. To model a timing delay, explicitly move the affected receipt between weeks in a separate saved Plan and retain its invoice reference.
What does negative forecast cash mean?
It means planned payments exceed available opening cash plus modeled receipts at that point. The workbook flags a funding gap; it does not approve an overdraft or assume a loan.
Can a bank export generate the forecast?
Not by itself. Forecasting also needs receivables, customer payment assumptions, payroll, supplier commitments and future investment or financing decisions.
Sources and documentation
- SEC: cash flow statements, operating adjustments, investing and financing activities(opens in a new tab)
- Australian Government: setting up cash-flow tracking and forecasting(opens in a new tab)
Examples are educational. Check your records and accounting policy before posting entries or relying on a forecast.
Statement rows still trapped in a PDF?
Fulla turns bank-statement PDFs into rows you review against the source before exporting CSV, Excel, OFX or JSON. These free workbooks are separate manual tools, not automatic accounting or financial advice.