# 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

| Month | Aug '26 | Sep '26 | Oct '26 | Nov '26 | Dec '26 | Jan '27 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Beginning Cash | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| "+ Inflows" | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| "− Outflows" | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| "Net Cash Flow" | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| "Ending Cash" | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 |

### 📊 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.