The owner's workbench
Cash flow scorecard
A 13-week view shows the next quarter of cash week by week, so the squeeze shows up before it arrives.
Choose how consistently you follow each practice: 0 never, 1 rarely, 2 sometimes, 3 usually, 4 consistently. This self-assessment is not a lending or financial-risk rating.
Your answers
Answer all 15 questions to see your score.
13-week cash snapshot
Your numbers
Your results
| Line item | W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening cash | $25,000.00 | $26,500.00 | $28,000.00 | $29,500.00 | $31,000.00 | $32,500.00 | $34,000.00 | $35,500.00 | $37,000.00 | $38,500.00 | $40,000.00 | $41,500.00 | $43,000.00 |
| +Cash in | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 |
| −Cash out | $10,500.00 | $10,500.00 | $10,500.00 | $10,500.00 | $10,500.00 | $10,500.00 | $10,500.00 | $10,500.00 | $10,500.00 | $10,500.00 | $10,500.00 | $10,500.00 | $10,500.00 |
| =Ending cash | $26,500.00 | $28,000.00 | $29,500.00 | $31,000.00 | $32,500.00 | $34,000.00 | $35,500.00 | $37,000.00 | $38,500.00 | $40,000.00 | $41,500.00 | $43,000.00 | $44,500.00 |
Guide: 13-week cash flow forecast
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Estimates only. Results depend on your inputs.
Formulas
- Ending cash for a week = starting cash + receipts − payments
- Next week's starting cash = this week's ending cash
Worked example
Illustrative example. Numbers are made up to show the math.
Starting cash of $40,000.00, weekly receipts of $18,000.00 and weekly payments of $20,000.00 leave $38,000.00 after week 1 and $14,000.00 after week 13.
What a 13-week cash forecast is
It is a simple grid: weeks across the top, starting cash, receipts, payments and ending cash down the left. Each week starts with the cash the last week ended with. The point is not precision; it is seeing the low week early enough to move a payment, chase an invoice or draw on a line before it hurts.
Read next: How to forecast cash flow
How to use it
- Answer all 15 practice questions.
- Enter starting cash and weekly receipts and payments.
- Review the score and 13-week cash grid; check uneven payment timing separately.
Read the explainer
Questions owners ask
What is a 13-week cash forecast?
A week-by-week list of the cash you expect to come in and go out over the next quarter, with the balance at the end of each week.
Why 13 weeks?
Thirteen weeks is one quarter: long enough to see payroll, rent, tax and loan dates coming, short enough to estimate each week with care.
How often should I update it?
Once a week. Replace last week's estimate with what actually happened and add a new week at the end.
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Sources
No external research cited. Calculations and illustrative assumptions are shown above; this is not evidence of a real owner outcome.
Educational content, not tax, legal or investment advice.
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