A cash-flow forecast your bank can check, line by line
For overdraft renewals and increases, term loans, invoice finance and asset finance. Monthly cash for twelve months or more, a week-by-week view of the tight stretch, and the assumptions written down so the credit team can test them.
When you need one
- An overdraft renewal or increase. The bank wants to see the peak need, when it falls and how it unwinds.
- A term loan or asset finance. Repayments, VAT and tax in the months they are actually paid, with the cover shown.
- Invoice finance or a new contract. Debtor days, retentions and the gap between paying staff and getting paid.
- A tight few months. Sometimes you just need to know whether you get through to spring, and what to do if not.
What's in the document
- A monthly cash-flow forecast for 12 to 48 months, built from receipts and payments, not from the profit and loss
- A 13-week weekly view of the tightest period, so intra-month lows are visible
- VAT, PAYE, corporation tax and loan repayments in the month the cash leaves
- Facility headroom, peak funding need and the low point, with the date
- Stress tests: slower sales, customers paying late, a lost contract
- A short written commentary a lender can read in two minutes, with my view of the weakest assumption
- The Excel workbook behind it, unlocked, so you or your accountant can update it
What it costs
Christmas price until 31 January 2027, then from £650.
Every quote is fixed in writing before I start, after a short brief. You pay nothing up front. Drafts come as PDFs; when the final version is ready I invoice, payable within 7 days, and send the final files and the Excel workbook once it's paid.
What takes it above the "from" price: A forecast longer than three years, more than one trading company, weekly detail for the whole year rather than 13 weeks, or a facility comparison across several lenders.
How it works
A free 10-minute call if you want one, or straight to the brief by email. Ten essential questions, a fixed quote within 24 hours of your answers, the first draft within five working days, then two rounds of changes.
No one can guarantee a funding decision, and I won't pretend to.
Three complete cash-flow forecasts
Full documents for made-up businesses in real Surrey and London towns, every page included. The format, depth and tone you would receive.
Electrical contractor, Woking
Overdraft increase to carry retentions and a van. 9 pages · PDF 235 KB
Open the sample →
Online homeware retailer, Kingston
£175k seasonal credit facility for the Christmas stock build. 10 pages · PDF 235 KB
Open the sample →
Home-care agency, Epsom
£150k invoice finance to fund a new council contract. 7 pages · PDF 210 KB
Open the sample →What the credit team checks first
I spent six years reading other people's forecasts for a living. These are the things that decide whether yours gets read past page two.
The opening balance ties to the bank statement
If month one does not match the statement, nothing after it is trusted.
The low point, not the year-end
Credit teams look for the worst month and the headroom against the limit on that day.
Tax and VAT on the right dates
A quarterly VAT bill in the wrong month moves the low point by thousands.
Debtor days that match history
If customers paid in 52 days last year, a forecast assuming 30 gets questioned.
Repayments included
The new loan has to be repaid inside the same forecast that justifies it.
A downside case
Banks run their own stress test. Showing yours first saves a round of questions.
About this service
Do I need management accounts?
Not necessarily. For a trading business I work from the last accounts, recent bank statements and your sales pipeline. For a start-up, from costings and quotes. The brief tells you exactly what to send.
How is a cash-flow forecast different from a business plan?
A cash-flow forecast is the numbers and a short commentary, for a lender who already knows your business. A business plan adds the written case: market, competition, operations and risks, for a lender or investor meeting you for the first time.
Can you use my accountant's figures?
Yes, and I will copy them in if you want. I do not do accounts, tax or bookkeeping, so there is no overlap.
What if the forecast shows I cannot afford the loan?
Then you find out before the bank does, which is the point. I will tell you plainly and show what would need to change: timing, terms, a smaller facility or a different type of finance.
How fast can you turn it round?
First draft within five working days of accepting the quote. If the bank has given you a date, tell me on the call.
Do you offer a charity rate?
Yes. Registered charities (including CIOs) and community interest companies pay half my standard fee all year round, so £325 for this service. Same work and the same Excel model. Just give me your charity or company number when you ask for a quote.
More questions, including fees, confidentiality and timing, in the main FAQ.
Before you apply
What a bank looks for in a cash-flow forecast
A credit analyst reads a forecast in a set order and stops at the first thing that does not tie up. Here is what they check, from someone who used to read forecasts for a living.
Read the guide → 5 min readHow to read the low point in your cash-flow forecast
The lowest balance in your forecast is the most important number in it. Here is how to find it, what it tells a lender, and what to do if it sits too close to the limit.
Read the guide →