Project your monthly cash inflows and outflows to see whether your bank balance is growing or shrinking.
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Enter your cash flow assumptions, then click Calculate to see results.
| Month | Inflow | Outflow | Net Cash Flow | Ending Balance |
|---|
This cash flow calculator projects your business's monthly cash inflows and outflows across a 12-month horizon so you can see whether your bank balance is trending up or down before it becomes a real problem. Enter a starting cash balance, a base monthly cash inflow, a base monthly cash outflow, and optional monthly growth rates, and it instantly returns your net cash flow, projected ending balance, a full monthly breakdown table, and a running balance chart. It's built for founders, bookkeepers, and small business owners who need a fast, forward-looking view of liquidity rather than a backward-looking profit and loss statement.
Cash flow projection matters because a business can look healthy on paper and still run out of money to pay its bills. Revenue booked this month might not turn into cash for another 30 to 60 days, while payroll, rent, and supplier invoices often come due on a fixed schedule regardless of when customers actually pay. This calculator makes that timing gap visible by rolling a starting balance forward month by month, so a cash shortfall shows up as a projected number weeks or months before it would otherwise show up as an overdrawn account.
This tool suits small business owners planning around seasonal swings in revenue, startup founders tracking how long their current cash will last, bookkeepers and finance teams preparing a rolling cash forecast for management, and lenders or investors sanity-checking a borrower's or portfolio company's near-term liquidity. Because the inputs are simple — a starting balance, inflows, outflows, and two growth rates — it also works well as a quick planning exercise before building a more detailed spreadsheet model.
Cash flow projection is the earliest warning system a business has for a liquidity crunch. Profit and loss statements are useful for measuring overall performance, but they recognize revenue and expenses on an accrual basis — meaning the numbers on the income statement don't always match the cash actually sitting in the bank on a given day. Projecting inflows and outflows month by month surfaces exactly when a cash crunch might hit, giving you time to arrange financing, delay a discretionary purchase, tighten collections, or negotiate supplier terms before the balance turns negative rather than after.
Each month's ending balance carries forward into the next month's starting point
A positive 12-month ending balance can still hide a rough month 3 or 4 — always scan the monthly breakdown, not just the final number.
Depreciation, accrued expenses, and unpaid invoices affect profit but not cash. This tool only tracks money that actually moves.
Aim to keep at least 1-3 months of operating outflows in reserve to absorb slow-paying customers or seasonal dips.
From a starting balance to a full 12-month projection in seconds
Input your actual current bank balance — every month of the projection rolls forward from this starting point, so accuracy here matters.
Input the cash you expect to collect each month from customer payments, revenue, or other collections — based on real cash timing, not booked revenue.
Input the cash you expect to pay out each month for payroll, rent, suppliers, loan payments, taxes, and other operating costs.
Optionally enter a compounding monthly growth percentage for inflows and outflows to model an expanding, contracting, or steady business.
The calculator projects net cash flow and running cash balance for each of the next 12 months in a single pass.
Check the monthly breakdown table and cumulative cash balance chart to see exactly when, if ever, your projected balance dips below zero.
A realistic 12-month cash flow projection, step by step
Suppose a small business starts with a $10,000 cash balance, expects $12,000 in monthly cash inflows and $10,000 in monthly cash outflows, and projects 3% monthly inflow growth against 1% monthly outflow growth as it grows.
Explanation: Because inflow growth (3%) outpaces outflow growth (1%), the monthly net cash flow widens every month — from $2,000.00 in month 1 to $5,454.12 in month 12 — and the running balance climbs steadily with no month dipping below the $10,000 starting point. This is what a healthy, growing cash position looks like in the monthly breakdown table: inflows pulling further ahead of outflows each period rather than the gap narrowing.
Comparing to the calculator's defaults: the calculator's own default scenario ($20,000 start, $15,000 inflow, $13,000 outflow, 2% / 1% growth) also produces a widening positive net cash flow, but a different ending balance — proof that the ending balance depends on the specific starting balance and base inflow/outflow figures, not just the direction of the growth-rate gap.
What a positive, negative, or break-even cash flow projection actually signals
The single most useful number in a cash flow projection isn't the 12-month total — it's whether, and when, your running balance dips toward zero. These are general reference signals, not a formal liquidity standard.
| Signal | General Read | Typical Response |
|---|---|---|
| Negative or falling balance | Cash crunch risk — outflows are outpacing inflows | Arrange financing, delay spending, accelerate collections |
| Flat or thin positive balance | Break-even liquidity — little cushion for surprises | Build reserves before committing to new fixed costs |
| Steadily rising balance | Healthy liquidity with a growing cash cushion | Consider reserves, debt paydown, or reinvestment |
For the monthly breakdown: scan every row, not just the final month — a strong 12-month ending balance can still hide a single month where the running balance turns negative, which is the month that actually determines whether you need a credit line or a delayed payment.
For net cash flow direction: a widening positive net cash flow (inflow growth outpacing outflow growth) points to improving liquidity, while a narrowing or negative net cash flow — even with a currently positive balance — is an early warning that the trend, not just the current number, needs attention.
Risk considerations: this projection assumes steady compounding growth and can't capture a seasonal spike, a one-time expense, or an irregular loan repayment in a specific month. Treat the result as a planning estimate to stress-test against real invoices and bills, not a guaranteed outcome.
This calculator provides estimates for educational and informational purposes only. Results may vary depending on business conditions, accounting methods, taxes, market trends, and other factors. It should not be considered financial, legal, tax, accounting, or investment advice. Consult qualified professionals before making business decisions.
Where a forward-looking cash flow projection earns its keep
See whether your current inflows and outflows keep the bank balance growing month over month.
Model how a slow season's lighter inflows interact with fixed outflows before the dip actually hits.
Track how a growing burn rate erodes a starting cash balance over the next 12 months.
Sanity-check a borrower's projected cash position before extending a line of credit or loan.
Prepare a quick rolling cash forecast for management before building a full spreadsheet model.
See how tightening or loosening customer payment terms shifts monthly cash inflow assumptions.
Check whether a new rent commitment or hire is affordable against the projected running balance.
Identify the exact month a balance is projected to turn negative, so a credit line can be arranged ahead of time.
Compare inflow-growth-outpaces-outflow scenarios against the reverse to see how sensitive liquidity really is.
Present a clean 12-month cash projection and ending balance alongside other financial reporting.
Check that cash on hand covers a large inventory purchase before committing to it.
See net cash flow and running balance computed step by step for finance or accounting coursework.
What this cash flow calculator does well, and where it can't replace a full cash flow statement
Two related but very different measures of business health
| Feature | Cash Flow | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Actual cash moving in and out of the bank | Revenue minus expenses recognized in a period |
| Timing basis | Cash basis — when money actually moves | Accrual basis — when revenue/expenses are recognized |
| Includes non-cash items? | No — depreciation and accruals are excluded | Yes — depreciation and accrued expenses count |
| Can be positive while the other is negative? | Yes — profitable businesses can still run out of cash | Yes — cash-positive businesses can still show an accounting loss |
| Best NeftCal calculator | This Cash Flow Calculator | Profit Margin Calculator |
A business can be profitable on its income statement and still run out of cash if collections lag behind expenses, growth outpaces available cash, or a large payment comes due all at once. This calculator deliberately tracks only cash timing — it's the fastest way to check whether the money will actually be there when the bills come due. When you need to check per-sale or overall profitability instead, NeftCal's Profit Margin Calculator and Gross Profit Calculator use the same kind of revenue and cost inputs to answer that separate question.
Common questions about cash flow calculations
Official guidance to complement this calculator — not a substitute for licensed accounting advice
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