SmartHelping / Cash Flow Planning / Excel
13-Week Cash Flow Planner
Plan short-term liquidity week by week, compare budget with actual results, and see cash shortages before they create a crisis. The unlocked Excel template brings weekly inputs, cumulative free cash flow, and decision-ready charts into one practical planning tool.
Immediate download after purchase. By purchasing, you agree to the Terms of Service.
See the model in action
See how the weekly plan, actuals, and dashboard work together.
Walk through the budget and actual input tabs, weekly liquidity calculations, and four visualizations designed to make near-term cash decisions easier to see.
What the model includes
A focused system for the next 13 weeks of cash.
Build a detailed weekly budget, record actual performance, and turn the difference into a clear view of liquidity, free cash flow, and immediate operating priorities.
Plan every week across a 13-week horizon
Map near-term cash activity period by period so timing issues remain visible instead of disappearing inside monthly totals.
Build the expected cash-flow plan
Enter expected receipts and payments by week to establish a practical liquidity baseline for the quarter ahead.
Track what really happened
Update actual inflows and outflows as each week closes, creating an operating record that can be compared with the plan.
Use multiple receipt line items
Separate customer collections, financing, asset sales, refunds, and other sources so the timing of cash coming in is transparent.
Organize all expected payments
Track payroll, vendors, occupancy, debt service, taxes, and other disbursements with enough detail to prioritize payments.
See weekly and cumulative cash generation
Review net cash flow for each period and the cumulative result across all 13 weeks to understand the direction of liquidity.
Turn the schedule into decision-ready charts
Use weekly ending-cash and net-cash-flow charts plus separate budget and actual waterfall views to communicate the plan quickly.
Adapt the workbook to your operation
Inspect the formulas, rename line items, and adjust the structure as needed without being locked into a black-box application.
The 13-week liquidity framework
Follow cash from the opening balance to the ending position.
The model keeps the core cash equation visible while adding enough detail to support payment timing, working-capital management, and short-term operating decisions.
Beginning cash
Start with the cash available at the beginning of the first week, then carry each period's ending balance forward automatically.
Cash inflows
Schedule collections and other receipts in the week they are expected to arrive, making delayed or concentrated inflows easier to identify.
Cash outflows
Lay out each payment category by expected timing so critical obligations, discretionary spending, and rescheduling opportunities are clear.
Ending cash and cumulative flow
Calculate weekly net cash flow, ending liquidity, and the cumulative result to expose shortfalls early and quantify the size of any funding need.
How to use it
Move from starting cash to a rolling weekly decision tool.
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Enter the starting cash balance
Set the opening liquidity position that anchors the first week and flows through the rest of the schedule.
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Build the 13-week budget
Enter expected cash receipts and payments by line item and week, using the level of detail appropriate for the business.
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Update actual performance
Record realized inflows and outflows as the weeks close so variances against the original budget remain visible.
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Review variances and act
Use the cash summaries and charts to manage collections, prioritize payments, adjust spending, or arrange funding before a shortage arrives.
Who gets value from it
Built for teams that need close control of near-term cash.
Business owners and operators
See when cash is expected to tighten and make collection, purchasing, staffing, or spending decisions before the problem grows.
CFOs, controllers, and accountants
Maintain a consistent weekly budget-versus-actual process and communicate liquidity clearly to management.
Turnaround and restructuring teams
Prioritize critical payments, quantify funding gaps, and keep stakeholders aligned during periods of uncertainty.
Lenders, investors, and advisors
Review the timing and drivers of near-term cash movement instead of relying only on monthly financial statements.
Also available in these bundles
Need a broader spreadsheet library?
The 13-Week Cash Flow Planner is also included in the Accounting Templates, Tracking Spreadsheets, and Super Smart bundles.
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A few useful details.
What inputs does the model require?
Enter the opening cash balance and the expected cash inflows and outflows for each of the next 13 weeks. The actual module uses the same weekly structure for realized results.
How does budget versus actual work?
The workbook keeps separate budget and actual inputs, then summarizes both so you can identify timing and amount variances as each week closes.
What visualizations are included?
The dashboard includes weekly ending-cash and weekly net-cash-flow charts, plus waterfall charts for both the budget and actual cash-flow views.
Does it show cumulative free cash flow?
Yes. The model summarizes free cash flow by weekly period and cumulatively across the full 13-week planning horizon.
Who is the template designed for?
It is useful for owners, finance teams, accountants, fractional CFOs, turnaround professionals, advisors, lenders, and anyone managing short-term business liquidity.
Is the workbook editable and included in bundles?
Yes. The Excel formulas are unlocked and the line items can be adapted. The planner is also included in the Accounting Templates, Tracking Spreadsheets, and Super Smart bundles.
See the cash shortage before it arrives
Turn the next 13 weeks into a practical liquidity plan.
Build the weekly budget, update actuals, and use four clear visualizations to support cash decisions in one unlocked Excel template. One-time purchase for $45.
