Cash Flow Planner South Africa — 3-Month Business Cash Flow Projection
Project your business cash position over 3 months. Enter income and expenses to spot deficits before they happen. Free SA business cash flow planner.
Last updated: May 2026
Opening Balance
Your bank balance at the start of Month 1. Use 0 if starting fresh.
Income
Fixed Expenses
Variable Expenses
Income
Fixed Expenses
Variable Expenses
Income
Fixed Expenses
Variable Expenses
Projects your business cash position month by month across a 12-month period. Enter your opening balance, expected monthly income, and fixed or variable expenses — the planner shows you when cash runs short and by how much, so you can plan ahead rather than react.
Key inputs explained
- Opening balance
- The cash balance in your business bank account at the start of the planning period.
- Monthly income
- Your expected cash receipts each month — not sales invoiced, but cash actually received. Late-paying clients can create a gap between invoiced revenue and cash in.
- Fixed expenses
- Costs that stay the same each month regardless of sales — rent, salaries, insurance, subscriptions.
- Variable expenses
- Costs that change with sales volume — cost of goods, commissions, delivery. Enter a typical monthly estimate.
Most SA small businesses fail due to cash flow problems, not profitability problems. A business can be profitable on paper while running out of cash. Use this planner to spot negative months before they arrive and arrange an overdraft facility or delay non-essential spending accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cash flow is the movement of money into and out of your business each month. Even a profitable business can become insolvent if it runs out of cash — for example, if customers pay late while suppliers demand payment upfront. Monitoring cash flow lets you spot funding gaps before they become emergencies.
Profit is calculated on an accrual basis — revenue is recognised when invoiced, expenses when incurred. Cash flow only counts money that has actually moved. A business can show a profit while waiting 60 days for customers to pay, creating a cash shortfall. This is why cash flow planning is as important as profit forecasting.
The most effective levers are: shortening your debtor days (invoice promptly, offer early payment discounts, use CIPC or credit bureau checks on new clients), extending creditor payment terms where possible, building a cash reserve of 3–6 months of fixed expenses, and arranging an overdraft or revolving credit facility before you need it.
A commonly recommended minimum is enough cash to cover 3 months of fixed overheads (rent, salaries, debt repayments). High-seasonality businesses — retail, tourism, agriculture — should target 4–6 months given the uneven income pattern. Keep this buffer in a separate business savings account earning interest.
Yes. For a startup, enter conservative income estimates based on your sales pipeline or market research, and use realistic expense figures from your business plan. The planner is most useful for identifying the earliest month where cash could run out — this tells you how much startup capital or funding you need to survive until the business becomes self-sustaining.
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