A pre-built Excel workbook with weekly inflow and outflow categories, net cash movement calculations, opening and closing balance rows, and a formatted chart — ready to populate with your actuals for a rolling thirteen-week liquidity view.
The 13-week cash flow forecast is the most practical short-term liquidity tool available to finance teams. Unlike monthly forecasts that smooth out timing, the weekly view exposes the real cash pinch points — the week payroll lands on the same day as a quarterly VAT payment, the fortnight where customer receipts dip because of a public holiday cycle, the period where a capital expenditure drawdown overlaps with a supplier prepayment. This template makes those patterns visible before they become crises.
The workbook contains three tabs. The first is the forecast itself: thirteen weekly columns with pre-defined row categories for operating receipts, operating disbursements, financing activities, and investing activities. Each category includes common line items — customer collections, payroll, rent, tax payments, loan repayments, capital purchases — with blank rows for additions specific to your business. Formulas calculate weekly net movement and running closing balance automatically. The second tab is an actuals tracker where you paste or enter real weekly figures to compare against forecast, with variance calculations built in. The third tab is a summary chart that visualises forecast versus actual closing balance across all thirteen weeks.
Start by entering your current bank balance in the opening row, then populate the first four weeks with known commitments from your accounts payable and receivable ledgers. Extend weeks five through thirteen with reasonable estimates. Update weekly, roll the window forward, and within a month you will have a living liquidity model that the CFO, treasurer, or business owner can review every Monday morning. For organisations ready to automate this process, pair the template with our Cash Flow Forecast Tool or request a customised implementation through our Accounting Solutions service.