Cash Flow Forecasting UK —
See Your Cash Position 13 Weeks Ahead
13-week rolling cash flow forecasts and 12-month annual projections — showing exactly what cash is coming in and going out, identifying shortfalls before they happen and giving you the insight to make proactive decisions. Essential for growing businesses and bank applications.
What Is Cash Flow Forecasting?
Cash flow forecasting is the process of projecting your future cash inflows and outflows — showing you exactly when money will arrive in your account and when it needs to go out. It’s the single most powerful tool for avoiding the cash crises that kill UK businesses.
More UK businesses fail from cash flow problems than from lack of profitability. You can be profitable on paper and still run out of cash if customers pay late, you have a large VAT bill due or you invest in stock before you’ve been paid. Cash flow forecasting prevents this by giving you visibility weeks and months in advance.
Our 13-week rolling cash flow forecast shows you — week by week — exactly what cash is expected in and out. When we see a shortfall coming, we alert you immediately with time to take action: chase debtors, arrange an overdraft, delay a purchase or draw on a reserve.
Our 12-month annual cash flow projection is built from your management accounts, revenue pipeline and known cost commitments — and is suitable for bank lending applications, investor presentations and board planning. We include scenario analysis (best, base and worst case) so you can plan for different outcomes.
✅ What’s Included
- ✓ 13-week rolling weekly forecast
- ✓ 12-month annual projection
- ✓ Revenue forecast (by customer/stream)
- ✓ Fixed cost schedule
- ✓ Variable cost projection
- ✓ VAT & PAYE payment schedule
- ✓ Loan & finance repayments
- ✓ Capital expenditure planning
- ✓ Cash shortfall early warning alerts
- ✓ Best / base / worst case scenarios
- ✓ Bank-ready format
- ✓ Monthly forecast vs actual review
Cash Flow — The Number One Business Killer
Cash Flow Forecasting — Common Questions
82% of UK small business failures are attributed to poor cash flow management — not lack of profit. A business can be profitable but still fail if it runs out of cash. Cash flow forecasting gives you advance warning of cash shortfalls, allowing you to take action — chasing debtors, arranging finance or delaying expenditure — before the problem becomes a crisis.
A 13-week rolling cash flow forecast projects your expected cash inflows and outflows week by week for the next 13 weeks (approximately one quarter). It rolls forward each week — as one week passes, another week is added to the end. This gives you a constantly updated 90-day cash visibility window and is the format preferred by banks and invoice financiers when assessing business cash flow health.
Yes — we prepare 12-month cash flow projections to bank credit team standards for all types of UK business lending applications including term loans, overdrafts, commercial mortgages and invoice finance. Our projections include clear assumptions, scenario analysis and are presented in the format lenders expect. We have a strong track record of supporting successful lending applications.
Cash flow forecast accuracy depends on the quality of the underlying data — how well your sales pipeline is tracked, how reliable your payment collection is and how predictable your costs are. We build forecasts from your actual historical data and known commitments, and review forecast vs actual each month to continuously improve accuracy. Most clients achieve 85-95% accuracy within 4-6 weeks of setting up their forecasting model.
Cash flow forecasting is included as part of our management accounts service. Standalone 12-month cash flow projections for specific purposes (bank applications, investor presentations) start from £299. 13-week rolling forecasting as an ongoing monthly service starts from £79/mo. Book a free consultation for an exact quote based on your requirements.
See Your Cash Position 13 Weeks Ahead
Book a free consultation and we’ll set up your cash flow forecasting — 13-week rolling forecast and 12-month projection, updated monthly with shortfall alerts.
Which Businesses Need This Service?
Businesses Applying for Bank Lending
UK banks require cash flow forecasts as standard for business loan applications. A 12-month projection showing loan serviceability — with clear assumptions and scenario analysis — is essential for any lending above £25,000.
Fast-Growing Businesses
Growth consumes cash — hiring, stock, marketing, premises. Fast-growing businesses need rolling cash flow forecasts to identify funding requirements before they become crises, not after.
Project-Based & Seasonal Businesses
Businesses with lumpy or seasonal revenue need cash flow forecasting most — to bridge the gap between slow and peak periods and ensure they have sufficient working capital at all times.
Businesses with Large Upcoming Tax Payments
VAT quarters, Corporation Tax due dates, payroll runs and loan repayments can create predictable cash pressure points. We build these into your forecast so you always know what’s coming and when.
4 Costly Mistakes UK Businesses Make — And How We Fix Them
Profitable businesses can and do run out of cash — this is one of the most misunderstood facts in business finance. Revenue recognised in the P&L hasn’t necessarily been collected. Stock purchased isn’t expensed until sold. Assets depreciate over years but are paid for upfront. Cash flow forecasting bridges the gap between profit (an accounting measure) and the actual movement of money in and out of your account.
A 4-6 week forecast gives you almost no time to act if a shortfall is identified. Our 13-week rolling forecast gives you a 90-day window — enough time to chase debtors, arrange short-term finance, delay a capital purchase or negotiate extended supplier terms before the shortfall actually hits.
VAT, Corporation Tax, PAYE, Self Assessment payments on account — these are predictable, sizeable cash outflows that must be built into every cash flow forecast. Businesses that don’t plan for tax payments are the ones caught short when the bill arrives.
A single-scenario cash flow forecast assumes everything goes to plan — customers pay on time, sales hit target, no unexpected costs. Reality is rarely so cooperative. We build best, base and worst case scenarios for every forecast so you can plan for a range of outcomes, not just the optimistic one.
Fixed Fees — No Surprises
All Britvex fees are fixed and agreed upfront. No hourly rates, no per-transaction charges. The fee quoted is the fee you pay — every month.
All packages include: dedicated accountant · client portal access · 2-hour response guarantee · HMRC agent services. Book a free consultation for your exact quote.
The Law & Standards — What Applies to You
Cash flow statement (FRS 102): Under FRS 102, companies above the small company threshold must include a statement of cash flows in their statutory accounts — classified under operating, investing and financing activities. This is the only statutory cash flow document; management cash flow forecasts are voluntary.
Insolvency Act 1986 — Directors’ duties: Directors have a legal duty to consider the interests of creditors when a company is in or approaching insolvency — effectively requiring awareness of the company’s cash position. Directors who continue trading while insolvent (unable to pay debts as they fall due) can face personal liability. Regular cash flow forecasting is the most effective way to identify approaching insolvency in time to take remedial action.
Bank covenant compliance: Many business loan facilities include cash-based covenants — minimum cash balance, maximum debtor days or minimum liquidity ratio. We track these covenants in your rolling cash flow forecast and alert you when you’re approaching a breach threshold — giving you time to take corrective action before the covenant is technically breached.