13-Week Cash Calendar

A 13-week cash flow forecast is a weekly rolling projection of cash in and cash out for the next 13 weeks (about a quarter). It is the standard format used by CFOs, lenders, and turnaround consultants because 13 weeks is long enough to see seasonal patterns and short enough to remain precise at the weekly level.

Monthly forecasts hide timing gaps that can cause cash crunches. A company with positive monthly cash flow can still run out mid-month if large payables hit before receivables arrive. Weekly forecasting catches these timing gaps 1-2 months before they happen.

Include expected rent receipts, invoice payments (based on payment terms, not invoice date), recurring subscription revenue you collect, capital contributions, tax refunds, and loan proceeds. Use the expected receipt date, not the invoice or billing date — especially for invoices with 30-60 day terms.

Include payroll (both pay dates and associated tax deposits), rent, vendor payments by due date, software and subscriptions, loan payments, quarterly tax estimates, insurance premiums, and owner draws or distributions.

Weekly at minimum. The point of a 13-week forecast is that each week you drop the oldest week and add a new week 13 out. Most CFOs update at least once a week; companies in a cash-tight period often update every 2-3 days.

Set the threshold to the minimum operating cash you need to cover 1 month of essential payroll plus rent. If your payroll is $50K/month and rent is $5K, set threshold at $55K. Below that, you're in "emergency" territory and should accelerate receivables or raise cash.

This free tool supports a single entity's cash calendar. For consolidated cash flow across multiple entities with intercompany transfers, use our multi-entity consolidator (for snapshot view) or sign up for culta for connected multi-entity cash calendars updated from bank feeds.

Monthly forecasts aggregate all activity in one month and miss intra-month timing. A 13-week calendar shows that you might collect $100K on Monday but pay $120K in payroll on Friday — a crunch that wouldn't show up in a monthly view. Weekly granularity is the standard for real cash management.