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Build a 13-week cash flow forecast

See the tight weeks coming, with BAS, super and wages already in the picture.

Try it: 10 minIntermediateSample file included

Profit on paper doesn't pay the bills. Cash in the bank does. A 13-week forecast covers about one quarter, week by week, so you can see a tight spot coming while there's still time to act. An AI agent can draft it from your accounting reports and bank balance. It drafts. You check it and make the call.

The steps.

Step 1. From Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks, export your aged receivables (who owes you and when it's due) and aged payables (bills you owe). Note today's bank balance. Keep using the system you already have.

Step 2. List the regular payments those reports miss: wages and pay dates, rent, loan repayments, subscriptions, insurance, and anything you pay once a year.

Step 3. Add your BAS payment, which covers GST and PAYG withholding (plus PAYG instalments if you get them). Quarterly BAS for July to September is due 28 October, October to December 28 February, January to March 28 April, and April to June 28 July. Monthly BAS is due on the 21st of the following month. If a BAS agent lodges for you, your dates may be later, so use the date they give you.

Step 4. Put super next to every payday. Under Payday Super, from 1 July 2026, super must reach each employee's fund within 7 business days of payday. It's no longer a quarterly lump, so it belongs in the same week as wages.

Step 5. Give your agent the exports and the prompt below. It drafts a week-by-week table: opening balance, money in, money out, closing balance, with any week below your safety buffer flagged.

Step 6. Check the draft line by line. Are the customer payment dates realistic? Is anything missing? Are amounts shown as they hit the bank, including GST?

Step 7. Decide what to do about any tight week: chase an invoice early, move a purchase, or talk to your accountant or bank. Each Monday, drop the oldest week, add a new week 13 and swap estimates for actuals.

Here is the prompt to copy and paste. I run a small business in Australia and use [Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks]. Attached are my aged receivables, my aged payables and my bank balance as at [date]. Draft a 13-week cash flow forecast starting [Monday's date], one column per week, showing opening balance, cash in, cash out by category and closing balance. Include wages on each payday ([weekly, fortnightly or monthly]), super due within 7 business days of each payday under Payday Super, my BAS payment (GST, PAYG withholding and any PAYG instalments) on [BAS due date], rent, loan repayments and regular bills. Show amounts including GST, as they hit the bank. Unless I say otherwise, assume customers pay [number] days after the due date. Flag any week where the closing balance drops below [safety buffer], and list every assumption you made so I can check it. This is a draft for me to review. Don't change anything in my accounting system.

Before you rely on it.

A forecast is a best guess, not a promise. Check every figure and date yourself, and confirm BAS and super dates with the ATO or your accountant. Your agent can get amounts or timing wrong, and nothing should be paid, moved or sent until you approve it. This is general information, not advice.

A few minutes each Monday, and the tight weeks stop being a surprise.

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