Free cash flow forecast template UK: a 13-week cash plan

Why should UK owners forecast cash?

Forecast cash to identify payment timing before it becomes a funding problem. ONS found 72% of businesses concerned about energy prices in late September 2026 [4]. Use cleared opening cash and your expected bank receipts and payments to calculate the available balance.

In my published work, I link pricing and profitability [5]. Here, I check bank timing too.

Is payment timing hiding a cash gap?

Diagnose timing before treating growing sales as available cash. British Business Bank’s guidance, checked in 2026, puts receipts in the period when customers pay or bank payments clear [1]. Place unpaid invoices in expected collection weeks to reveal shortfalls before payment.

How do you use the cash plan?

Enter opening cash and the expected clearing week for each receipt and payment. The 2026 workbook’s 13-week view [6] calculates totals, net cash flow and closing balances. Review the lowest balance against your chosen cash buffer, and extend the horizon if it does not cover your operating cash cycle [1].

Enter bank timing

Replace placeholders; use zero only when no cash is expected.

Review the cash balance

Include taxes and committed payments. Keep unapproved borrowing out of expected receipts.

Refresh the entries

Save the prior forecast, reconcile actual cash and move entries with dates. Changing the start date alone does not roll them [6].

Complete the scorecard

• Verify opening cash.
• Date collections.
• Date payments.
• Check taxes.
• Set the buffer.
• Review shortfalls.

I separate profitability [5] from bank timing here.

What should you check?

Check assumptions before interpreting the spreadsheet as a cash position. British Business Bank’s forecast guidance, checked in 2026, includes both sales receipts and non-sales income, alongside payments [1]. Reconcile the opening balance, include each expected bank transaction once and keep uncertain funding separate from committed receipts before reviewing the closing cash.

• Confirm dates.
• Reconcile opening cash.
• Validate receipts.
• Include payroll.
• Include taxes.
• Check finance commitments.
• Review blanks.
• Save versions.

Check premises assumptions with the rates guide.

Where can you download the template?

Download the free spreadsheet and enter your own dated cash assumptions. The 2026 template contains 13 weekly columns [6]; formulas keep missing required inputs from appearing as completed balances. The file calculates your entered assumptions, so it cannot verify customer payment dates, approve borrowing or establish the correct tax due for your business.

Download the cash flow forecast template.

Which cash forecast questions matter?

The key questions concern timing, completeness and refresh discipline. British Business Bank’s guidance, checked in 2026, says a forecast should cover at least the cash cycle [1]. Use the answers below to check how the template works; a convenient weekly horizon does not replace a longer forecast when the business requires one.

Is cash flow the same as profit?

Cash flow tracks money entering and leaving the bank; profit and cash timing differ. British Business Bank’s forecast guidance, checked in 2026, puts customer receipts in the week or month when payment clears [1]. Record that timing even when the sale or invoice was recognised earlier.

Is a 13-week forecast enough for every business?

The 2026 template provides a 13-week horizon [6], rather than a claim that every business needs that exact period. British Business Bank says the forecast should cover at least your cash cycle [1]. Extend the plan when collections, seasonal commitments or other payments fall beyond the available weeks.

Does changing the start date automatically roll the forecast?

Changing the start date relabels the weekly headers in the 2026 template; it does not move the cash entries [6]. Save the prior version, reconcile actual opening cash and move assumptions with their dates when refreshing. Add the new final week rather than leaving old entries under new dates.

What happens if I leave a cash input blank?

In the 2026 workbook, a blank required receipt or payment input leaves the affected total unavailable [6]. A numeric zero remains a valid assumption when no cash is expected. Complete the start date and opening cash too, then set your chosen buffer before relying on the buffer-review row.

Which sources support it?

The sources explain the cash method and the business context separately. ONS’s October 2026 bulletin measures conditions across businesses [4], while the commercial survey concerns financial SMEs [3]. Neither supplies your forecast inputs: the downloadable workbook uses your own receipts, payments and opening balance, with a transparent weekly cash calculation.

1. British Business Bank: cash forecast method — Bank timing and forecast horizon. Tier 1.
2. FSB: Scotland SBI Q2 2026 — Contains the UK confidence index. Tier 2.
3. Wolters Kluwer via Startups — 2026 financial-SME survey. Tier 3.
4. ONS: Business insights, October 2026 — Official statistics in development. Tier 1.
5. Satya Prakash Rai: public profile — Self-reported professional work. Author disclosure.
6. XnMark: cash forecast workbook 2026 — Template design, not survey evidence. Template documentation.

Source values were checked on 12 October 2026. Extend the horizon when needed. Related: UK pricing guide.