Free Cash Flow Forecast Template

Project your cash flow forward

Enter your recurring inflows and outflows. See your cash position month by month — and where the danger zones are.

Setup

• Business name

• Starting cash balance

• Monthly Inflows $0/mo

• Monthly Outflows $0/mo

One-Time Items (Optional)

Negative = expense. Positive = income (e.g., grant received).

Download Forecast

• 6 months
• 12 months

Monthly Net Cash Flow

• $0
• End Balance (Mo 6)
  $50,000
• Danger Months
  0 ✓
  Healthy throughout
• Lowest Point
  $50,000

Ending Cash Balance by Month

📊 What-If Scenarios

See how changes in revenue or costs affect your runway.

• Revenue drops 20%
• Revenue drops 40%
• Costs rise 15%
• Costs rise 30%
• Revenue grows 25%
• Worst case (rev −30%, costs +20%)

Custom: Revenue ±0% Costs ±0%

How to Forecast Cash Flow

1. Set your starting balance
   Enter your current cash-on-hand as the starting point for your forecast.

2. Add expected income
   Project monthly revenue from each source — invoices, recurring payments, grants, donations.

3. Add expected expenses
   Enter recurring costs (rent, payroll) and planned one-time expenses.

4. Review the forecast
   See monthly cash position, cumulative balance, and any negative months highlighted.

5. Export or adjust
   Download the forecast as a PDF or tweak inputs to model different scenarios.

Why Forecast Your Cash Flow?

Prevent cash crunches

See negative months coming 30-90 days in advance so you can act before it's a crisis.

Plan seasonal spending

Model how seasonal revenue dips affect your cash position and plan reserves accordingly.

Visual clarity

A clear month-by-month view beats staring at spreadsheet rows every time.

Scenario modeling

Test what-if scenarios — what if revenue drops 20%? What if you hire next month?

Forecast on real numbers

This forecast runs on your estimates. A free Holdings account feeds it with your actual income and expenses, so the projection updates itself as money moves.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can the forecast use my real numbers instead of estimates? Yes. A free Holdings account supplies your actual income and expenses, so the cash-flow forecast reflects live data rather than manual guesses.

• How far out should I forecast? Most businesses benefit from a 6-12 month rolling forecast. Update it monthly as actuals come in to keep it accurate.

• Is this accurate enough for investors? This tool provides a solid directional forecast. For investor presentations, you may want to add more detailed assumptions, but this is a great starting template.

• Can nonprofits use this for grant planning? Yes. Nonprofits can model grant income timing against program expenses to ensure they have cash to cover operations between grant disbursements.

• What's the difference between cash flow and P&L? A P&L shows profitability (revenue minus expenses). Cash flow shows actual money in and out — including timing. A business can be profitable on paper but still run out of cash if payments come in late.