Guide

Cash flow forecast template UK

A practical 13-week cash flow forecast template for UK small businesses, with tax dates included, plus a printable blank you can save as PDF.

Last updated: 9 July 2026

Searching for a cash flow forecast template in the UK usually means one of two things: you need a blank grid this week, or you need to know what to put in it so the numbers are honest. This guide covers both.

This page is general information for UK small businesses. It is not a forecast of your firm, and it is not regulated advice. Prefer current GOV.UK guidance and a qualified accountant for your situation.

Free printable template

Open the printable 13-week cash flow template, fill it on screen or print it, and save as PDF from your browser. No sign-up required.

What a UK cash flow forecast template should include

A useful template is not a profit and loss. It is a week-by-week picture of money in and money out. For UK small businesses, the grid should make room for:

Opening bank balance across the accounts that pay the bills.

Thirteen week columns (or rows) with clear week-ending dates.

Customer receipts you can defend, not every invoice at 100% in week one.

Supplier and wage payments on the weeks they leave the account.

Tax: VAT, PAYE, corporation tax dates and any payment plans.

A closing balance each week so you can see the trough, not only the final week.

If your template cannot show tax timing, it will look calm until HMRC day. That is the gap most generic templates miss.

How to fill the template in one sitting

  1. Lock today's cash. Use a reconciled bank balance as the opening figure.
  2. Write the thirteen week-ending dates across the top (or down the side).
  3. Add committed outflows first: payroll, rent, finance, known tax dates.
  4. Add expected inflows with honesty. Put overdue invoices later, or weight them down.
  5. Compute each week's closing balance. Circle the lowest point. That is the trough.
  6. Stress one assumption. What if your biggest debtor slips two weeks?

For the fuller method, read 13-week cash flow forecasting explained. If the trough looks unsafe, read when will my business run out of cash.

Spreadsheet versus printable PDF

Either works. A spreadsheet is easier to recalculate. A printable page is easier to mark up in a meeting or hand to your accountant. Our free template is a browser page you can print or save as PDF. Use whichever you will actually update next Monday.

Keep the template alive

Cashwatch™ is built to keep that rhythm without a blank-sheet rebuild: 13-week view, debtor ageing and tax timing in one place. Alfred prepares. You decide.

Related glossary terms

What to read next

This page is general information for UK small businesses. Nothing here is regulated financial advice, and nothing regulated should be submitted without a human approval from a qualified professional.