Plainhub
Free tool

Cash flow forecast

Twelve months of projected cash, month by month, including the month your balance goes negative. No spreadsheet, no signup, nothing stored.

Cash runs out
Not in 12 months
you stay cash positive
Balance in 12 months
€1,680
if nothing else changes
MonthInOutNetBalance
Jan€28,000€52,000−€24,000€156,000
Feb€29,400€52,000−€22,600€133,400
Mar€30,870€52,000−€21,130€112,270
Apr€32,414€52,000−€19,587€92,684
May€34,034€52,000−€17,966€74,718
Jun€35,736€52,000−€16,264€58,454
Jul€37,523€52,000−€14,477€43,976
Aug€39,399€52,000−€12,601€31,375
Sep€41,369€52,000−€10,631€20,744
Oct€43,437€52,000−€8,563€12,181
Nov€45,609€52,000−€6,391€5,790
Dec€47,890€52,000−€4,110€1,680

How a cash flow forecast works

A forecast is one formula applied twelve times. Each month closes with what it opened with, plus what came in, minus what went out:

closing balance = opening balance + cash in - cash out
next month's opening balance = this month's closing balance

That carry-forward is the point. A single month of negative cash flow is survivable; twelve of them compound into insolvency, and the forecast shows you which month that becomes real while you still have time to change it.

Growth compounds the same way. Five percent monthly revenue growth is not five percent better over a year, it is roughly eighty percent higher revenue by month twelve. Set growth to zero if you want the pessimistic case, which is usually the more useful one to plan against. To go deeper, read when will you run out of cash or check your burn rate first.

Common questions

How do you forecast cash flow?

Start with the cash you have today. For each month ahead, add the money you expect in and subtract the money you expect out, then carry the closing balance into the next month. Repeat for 12 months. The month the balance goes below zero is the month you run out.

What is the cash flow forecast formula?

Closing balance = opening balance + cash in - cash out. The closing balance of one month becomes the opening balance of the next, which is what makes a forecast compound rather than repeat.

Do I need an Excel template for a cash flow forecast?

No. A spreadsheet template works, but it goes stale the moment your numbers change and formulas break quietly. This calculator does the same 12-month projection in the browser, and nothing is stored.

How far ahead should a startup forecast cash flow?

Twelve months is the standard planning horizon, because it covers a full hiring and fundraising cycle. Anything beyond that is a guess with too many assumptions stacked on top of each other.

Should I include one-time costs in a cash flow forecast?

Yes, but put them in the specific month they land rather than in your recurring monthly spend. A one-off legal bill or hardware purchase is real cash leaving, but treating it as recurring will understate your runway badly.

A forecast is only true the day you build it

Every hire, price change and late payment moves these numbers. Plainhub keeps the forecast live: you type what happened and the projection updates with it.

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