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Weekly Cash Forecast Worked Example

Trace a four-week hypothetical cash schedule that ends the month positive while exposing an unfunded payment shortfall during the second week.

By PriceAndProfit Editorial Updated

The month begins with $5,000. Its total receipts are $14,000 and payments are $16,000, leaving a positive month-end balance of $3,000. The weekly schedule reveals something the monthly total misses: the second week has $6,000 of payments but only $4,000 available from its opening balance and receipts.

Each closing balance = opening balance + dated receipts − dated payments
Hypothetical worked values; no market or statutory rates
WeekOpening cash or gapReceiptsPaymentsClosing cash or gap
1 $5,000 $2,000 $4,000 $3,000
2 $3,000 $1,000 $6,000 −$2,000
3 −$2,000 $8,000 $2,000 $4,000
4 $4,000 $3,000 $4,000 $3,000

How to read and reuse this example

The negative $2,000 is an unfunded shortfall. Carrying it forward is a forecast convention that displays the amount requiring action; a business cannot spend nonexistent cash. Adding $2,000 before the second-week payments would bring the minimum modeled balance to zero. A separately chosen $1,000 minimum reserve would require $3,000 of additional opening cash for this schedule.

Boundaries and exceptions

Use actual due dates and supported collection dates before making an operational change. If a receipt is delayed, move it to the later week instead of deleting it from revenue. If a supplier date changes by agreement, update the relevant payment bucket. This worksheet neither assumes borrowing nor recommends a reserve level. It isolates timing so the cash gap can be seen and discussed.

Method reference: OpenStax: Financial Budgets. Checked October 22, 2026. Dated receipts and payments; no borrowing or investment model is implemented.

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