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Free 13-week cash flow forecast template

Download a free 13-week cash flow forecast template for Excel or Google Sheets, with a filled example. Enter opening cash and the receipts and payments you expect each week; the spreadsheet carries closing cash forward, totals the quarter and flags any week that drops below your minimum cash buffer.

Updated October 24, 2026 · Aequo editorial team

Download the 13-week cash flow forecast template

The Excel file has two tabs: a blank 13-week forecast and a filled example for a business with $85,000 of opening cash.

Download for Excelxlsx Download blank CSVcsv Download filled examplecsv

Rows: opening cash, customer collections, other receipts, payroll, rent, vendor payments, credit cards, loans and leases, taxes, capital spending, other payments, net cash flow, closing cash and the gap to your minimum buffer. Week-start dates fill in from the first Monday. Opens in Excel, Google Sheets (File, Import), Numbers and LibreOffice.

Printable 13-week cash flow worksheet

One landscape page to sketch the forecast by hand in a planning meeting.

13-week cash flow forecast

Week 1 starts: ___________Minimum buffer: ___________

Week	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Total
Opening cash
Cash receipts
Customer collections
Other receipts
Total receipts
Cash disbursements
Payroll
Rent
Vendor payments (AP)
Credit cards
Loans and leases
Taxes
Capital spend
Other
Total disbursements
Net cash flow
Closing cash

13-week cash flow forecast template from Aequo (free to use and adapt)

How to build a 13-week cash flow forecast

Start from today's cash, place every expected receipt and payment in the week it will clear the bank, and roll the forecast forward weekly.

Start from today's bank balance. Enter the first Monday of the forecast and the cash you hold that day across operating accounts.
Forecast collections by week. Use your AR aging and each customer's real payment habits, not invoice due dates. Put each expected receipt in the week the money will land.
Lay in the fixed payments. Payroll on its pay dates, rent, loan and lease payments, card payments and tax deadlines.
Add vendor payments. Take open bills from accounts payable and put each one in the week you plan to pay it, then add committed purchase orders that will be billed in the window.
Check the buffer and roll forward. Set a minimum cash buffer and look for weeks that fall below it. Each week, replace the oldest week with actuals and add a new week 13.

Filled example: spotting the tight weeks early

The example starts with $85,000 and a $40,000 minimum buffer. Closing cash falls to $30,500 in week 9, $9,500 below the buffer, and dips below it again in week 11.

Week 7 carries a $11,800 estimated tax payment on top of payroll, and week 8 an $18,000 equipment purchase.
Week 9 then has payroll, rent and $15,000 of vendor payments against $30,000 of collections.
Options the forecast gives you time for: move the equipment purchase, schedule some vendor payments to their due dates rather than early, chase two large receivables, or arrange a short-term credit line before week 9.

Vendor payments are the line you control most. Knowing exactly which approved bills are due each week, and which early-payment discounts are worth taking, is where payment terms and a clean accounts payable process pay off.

Aequo Forecast · Early access

A forecast that updates from your bills and invoices

Aequo Forecast, in early access inside Aequo AP, projects cash day by day for the next 90 days from open bills, purchase orders and customer invoices, plus recurring payments it finds in QuickBooks Online history. It warns you before cash runs low and lets you test scenarios described in plain English.

See Aequo Forecast Book a walkthrough

Frequently asked questions

What is a 13-week cash flow forecast?

A 13-week cash flow forecast projects cash receipts and payments week by week for the next quarter. It is a direct forecast built from actual expected payments, which makes it accurate enough to manage payroll, vendor payments and borrowing, and it is the standard format lenders and turnaround advisers ask for.

How do you create a cash flow forecast in Excel?

Put weeks across the columns and cash categories down the rows. Start with opening cash, add receipts, subtract payments, and carry each week's closing cash into the next week's opening cash. The template on this page has those formulas built in, plus a 13-week total column and a row that compares closing cash with your minimum buffer.

What should a cash flow forecast include?

Opening cash; receipts from customers and any other sources such as loan draws or asset sales; payments for payroll, rent, vendors, credit cards, loans and leases, taxes and capital spending; net cash flow; and closing cash. A minimum cash buffer line shows when you need to act.

How often should you update a 13-week cash flow forecast?

Weekly. Replace the week that just ended with actual figures, compare them with what you forecast, adjust the remaining weeks and add a new week at the end so the forecast always looks 13 weeks ahead. Tracking the variance each week is what makes the forecast more accurate over time.

What is the difference between a direct and an indirect cash flow forecast?

A direct forecast lists the actual cash expected in and out, such as customer receipts and vendor payments, and suits short horizons like 13 weeks. An indirect forecast starts from projected profit and adjusts for non-cash items and working capital changes, and suits annual and longer-range planning.

Should I use a 13-week or a 12-month cash flow forecast?

Use both if you can. The 13-week forecast is for managing cash now: which bills to pay this week and whether payroll is covered. A 12-month forecast, usually monthly, is for planning hires, investment and financing. Small businesses with tight cash usually get more value from the 13-week view first.