Free 13-week cash flow forecast template
A 13-week cash flow forecast is the same structure as a 12-month forecast, opening balance, cash in, cash out, closing balance, but run in weeks over roughly one quarter instead of months over a year. It exists for one specific job: when cash is tight right now and a monthly view could hide the exact week a shortfall actually hits. Download the free template below as a CSV, or copy it; no email required.
Quick Reference
Direct Answer
A 13-week cash flow forecast projects cash in and out on a weekly basis over roughly one calendar quarter, using the same opening balance, cash in, cash out, closing balance structure as a monthly forecast, but with enough granularity to show a mid-month cash dip that a monthly forecast's month-end closing balance would hide.
Summary
This page provides a free downloadable 13-week (weekly) UK cash flow forecast template (CSV), distinct from a standard 12-month monthly forecast, for use when a business's cash position is genuinely tight and needs week-by-week visibility. It explains why 13 weeks is the standard short-term window, how it differs in purpose from the 12-month version (business plan and lender applications versus active cash management), and a worked example showing a dip a monthly view would miss.
This Page Covers
UK 13-week weekly cash flow forecast template: structure, why weekly rather than monthly, a worked example showing a hidden mid-month dip, and how it differs from a 12-month monthly forecast
Not Covered Here
The 12-month monthly forecast for business plans and lender applications (see /templates/cash-flow-forecast-template/), profit and loss (see /templates/profit-and-loss-template/), the working capital cycle (see /calculator/working-capital-cycle/)
When to use this instead of the 12-month forecast
Use the 12-month forecast for a business plan or a finance application, where the audience wants the annual shape. Use this 13-week version when cash is tight right now: a lender or an insolvency practitioner asking for short-term visibility, or simply a business owner who needs to know exactly which week, not which month, a shortfall lands in.
Download the template
The template is a 13-column weekly grid: fill the cash-in and cash-out cells for each week, and each closing balance carries into the next week's opening balance. Open the CSV in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers.
Opening balance (Week 1) CASH IN, per week Customer receipts (cash actually paid in) Other income Loans or investment received Total cash in CASH OUT, per week Payroll (note which week wages actually leave) Rent, rates, utilities Supplier payments Loan and finance repayments VAT / PAYE / Corporation Tax (note the exact week it falls due) Other costs Total cash out Net cash flow = total cash in minus total cash out Closing balance = opening balance plus net cash flow (carries into next week's opening balance) Repeat for 13 weeks, rolling forward one week at a time.
Worked example: the dip a monthly forecast hides
A business with a comfortable monthly closing balance can still run out of cash mid-month if payroll, rent and a VAT payment cluster in the same week, before that month's receipts land.
| Line | Wk1 | Wk2 | Wk3 | Wk4 | Wk5 | Wk6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening balance | 18,000 | 16,000 | 12,000 | -4,000 | 6,000 | 22,000 |
| Total cash in | 10,000 | 9,000 | 8,000 | 34,000 | 30,000 | 28,000 |
| Total cash out | 12,000 | 13,000 | 24,000 | 24,000 | 14,000 | 13,000 |
| Net cash flow | -2,000 | -4,000 | -16,000 | 10,000 | 16,000 | 15,000 |
| Closing balance | 16,000 | 12,000 | -4,000 | 6,000 | 22,000 | 37,000 |
Source: FundBiz 13-week cash flow forecast worked example, illustrative figures
The monthly total for this period is comfortably positive. Week 3, when payroll, rent and a VAT payment all fall due before the month's main receipts arrive, is the only week the account actually goes negative. A monthly forecast covering the same period would never show it.
View as plain-text Markdown
### Simplified 6-week cash flow forecast (£), payroll and VAT clustering in week 3 | Line | Wk1 | Wk2 | Wk3 | Wk4 | Wk5 | Wk6 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Opening balance | 18,000 | 16,000 | 12,000 | -4,000 | 6,000 | 22,000 | | Total cash in | 10,000 | 9,000 | 8,000 | 34,000 | 30,000 | 28,000 | | Total cash out | 12,000 | 13,000 | 24,000 | 24,000 | 14,000 | 13,000 | | Net cash flow | -2,000 | -4,000 | -16,000 | 10,000 | 16,000 | 15,000 | | Closing balance | 16,000 | 12,000 | -4,000 | 6,000 | 22,000 | 37,000 | Source: FundBiz 13-week cash flow forecast worked example, illustrative figures The monthly total for this period is comfortably positive. Week 3, when payroll, rent and a VAT payment all fall due before the month's main receipts arrive, is the only week the account actually goes negative. A monthly forecast covering the same period would never show it.
Across the six weeks shown, cash in exceeds cash out overall. But in week 3 the balance goes £4,000 negative, purely because of timing within the month. Spotted in week 1, that is a manageable, short-term facility need; spotted in week 3, it is an unplanned overdraft or a bounced payment.
“Weekly is a big improvement on monthly, but the same trap can still repeat one level down: a week can show a positive closing balance while a single large payment clears the account on day two, before that week's receipts land on day four. If a specific payment date is known, a mortgage, a large supplier invoice, a payroll run, put it on that day, not spread evenly across the week. The forecast is only as useful as the timing it actually captures.”
Reading the forecast for a finance decision
A negative week, like a negative month, is a precise statement of how much funding is needed and exactly when. Because the window is short, the right response is usually short-term too:
- A single-week dip that recovers on its own: an overdraft or revolving credit facility sized to the deepest weekly dip, not the monthly average.
- A recurring pattern every quarter: the underlying cause (timing of receipts, a lumpy payment date) is worth fixing structurally, see the 12-month forecast for the annual shape.
- A one-off, larger gap: a term loan or VAT loan sized to the actual figure, not a round-number guess.
FAQs
What is a 13-week cash flow forecast, and how is it different from the 12-month one?
It is the same idea, opening balance, cash in, cash out, closing balance, run in weeks instead of months, and over roughly one quarter instead of a year. Use the 12-month forecast for a business plan or finance application; use the 13-week forecast when cash is tight right now and you need to see the exact week, not just the month, a shortfall hits.
Why 13 weeks specifically?
Thirteen weeks is roughly one calendar quarter, long enough to see a full VAT cycle and any monthly payroll or rent pattern repeat at least three times, but short enough that the weekly detail stays manageable and the numbers stay reasonably certain. Many turnaround practitioners and lenders use 13 weeks as the standard short-term cash visibility window.
Why does a monthly forecast miss things a weekly one catches?
A month can show a comfortable closing balance while the account still goes overdrawn mid-month, if wages, rent and a VAT payment all leave in the first week before that month's receipts arrive. The monthly closing balance never shows that dip; only a weekly view does.
How often should I update a 13-week forecast?
Weekly, rolling forward: as week 1 becomes actual figures, add a new week 13 onto the end, so you always have 13 weeks of visibility ahead. This is more work than a monthly forecast, which is exactly why it's reserved for when cash is genuinely tight, not run as standard practice.
Turn the forecast gap into funding
If your 13-week forecast shows a specific week going negative, tell us the size and timing of the gap and your sector. If you send an enquiry, we pass your details to a business finance broker, who will contact you about your options. FundBiz does not run a credit check.
Find funding for the gap →By Adam Parker. FundBiz is owned and operated by Best Business Loans Ltd, directed by Oliver Mackman. Last updated: .