Choose your... Country

SALE

Buy now and
save 50% off today See plans + pricing

SALE

See plans + pricing

CASH FLOW MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Managing cash flow made easy

Q: I already use QuickBooks Online. Can I use this feature?

Yes, the Cash Flow planner is available for all QuickBooks customers.

Q: How do you make a cash flow statement?

To create a cash flow statement, you’ll need to:Gather data and receipts of your income and expenses, as detailed above in ‘What to include in a cash flow statement’.Use a self-created spreadsheet or a template to organize your data into a cash flow statement. Your entries will show cash incoming and outgoings each month for the reporting period of your cash flow statement.Record the totals of your cash incomings and outgoings over your reporting period.Total your total money going out and subtract from your total money going in. You’ll be left with an accurate view of your company’s cash flow for the period you’ve set.

The Cash Flow Planner is an interactive tool that lets you manage your financial data, forecast your operating cash flow, and get actionable insights, all in one place.

See plans & pricing

Effortlessly manage your business operating cash flow right in QuickBooks

You can never have 100% certainty when running a business, but with the new cash flow planner, you get customized, data-driven financial insights to help you make informed business decisions. Generate an overview of your cash flow, and plan the future for your business by projecting future expense and income scenarios — without editing your actual financial records.

Black and white photograph of a person with a laptop.

Take control of your cash flow

Connect your bank to start getting cash flow insights. Discover ways to improve your cash flow, like chasing overdue invoices, and review which recurring expenses are unnecessary and can be trimmed away.

A black and white photo of a person holding a tray of food.

See the future of your cash flow

See how your cash flow might look in the next 90 days, by keying in potential purchases, investments and income scenarios — without editing your actual records.

A black and white photo of a person with a clock face.

See your cash flow projection

Stay prepared by forecasting cash transactions over 30 and 90 days. Your data is imported and synced automatically for accurate cash flow analysis, without multiple spreadsheets.

Look at your future cash flow using the 90-day cash flow planner.
Run and export reports including profit and loss statements, and balance sheets.
Share a summary of your cash flow projection data with your accountant.

A black and white photo of a person with a wine glass.

What is the cash flow planner?

The Cash Flow Planner is an interactive tool that forecasts cash flow, which is the in-and-out of your money over the next 90 days. It looks at your financial history to forecast future money in and money out events. You can also add and adjust future events to see how certain changes affect your cash flow without impacting your actual books.

You also have a Cash Flow Overview to get a picture of your cash flow position and take actions to improve it including:

Money in – Overdue invoices, open invoices, quotes
Money out – Overdue bills, open bills and other recurring expenses.

To view the Cash Flow Planner and Cash Flow Overview, go to the Cash Flow left menu item on your dashboard:

A drawing of a person sitting at a desk with a laptop.

How does the forecast work? What data is included?

The Cash Flow Planner chart uses historical data from your bank accounts connected to QuickBooks Online to forecast future recurring income and expenses. This includes categorized and uncategorized transactions. You can also manually include data to forecast cash flow by adding events that may occur in the future.

The Cash Flow Planner chart does not include:

Credit card transactions
Transactions you’ve entered manually into QuickBooks
Multi-currency enabled files

A black and white photo of a person smiling.

How do I add events for possible money in or money out?

You can manually add events for potential income and expenses. For example, if you have a big sale coming up, add it as an event so it will be a part of the forecast.

Important: Events aren’t actual transactions and won’t affect your finances in QuickBooks.

Select the Add Event button.
Select Money in if the event is income, or Money out if it’s an expense.
Name the event and enter an amount, then select Continue.
Select the date when the event will occur.
When you’re done, select Save.

To edit or delete an event:

Select and open an event.
Select the Date, Name, or Amount field, or change whether it’s Money in or Money out.
When you’re done, select Save.

Frequently asked questions

I already use QuickBooks Online. Can I use this feature?

I see a notification about overdue transactions in my planner. What does this mean?

This refers to any unpaid QuickBooks Invoices or Bills for which the due/expected date is now in the past. Because these transactions will not show up in the Planner unless they have due dates or expected dates in the future, this notification will prompt users to update the expected date so that the transaction will show up as a future event in the Planner. Any changes to the expected dates will not change the due dates on the QuickBooks transactions.

What is cash flow?

Cash flow is the amount of money flowing in and out of a business over a certain period. In other words, it represents the amount of cash held by a business.

Positive cash flow indicates that a business is liquid i.e. it has enough cash available to pay the bills, repay debts and reinvest in the business.

Negative cash flow indicates a mismatch between expenditure and income. Ongoing negative cash flow can signal ineffective credit management, wastage or long-term loss, all of which can lead to business failure if left unchecked.

How do you improve cash flow?

Improving your cash flow depends on your business, but there are some general ways you can help maintain positive cash flow:

Reduce outgoings: Look for areas of wastage in your recurring monthly, quarterly and annual expenses. Can you reduce the cost of utilities, rent, payroll, subscriptions or other unnecessary expenses?
Increase income: Look at ways to increase revenue by exploring new sales channels, expanding your offering or selling off assets you no longer need for a quick cash injection.
Review stock levels: Practice lean stock control to free up cash that can be used in other areas of the business.
Tighten your invoicing process: Make sure your terms of payment are clearly defined and streamline your invoicing process to avoid delays.
Review your profit margin: Consider revising your pricing or vendor costs to increase your profit margin.
Use a cash flow statement: A cash flow statement tracks money in and money out of your business. It’s useful for providing insights into expenses and income, how business changes impact your cash flow, and areas of wastage or costs that can be reduced.

What does statement of cash flow show?

A cash flow statement shows how much cash a business has over a certain period, where cash is being generated (cash inflows) and where it is being spent (cash outflows).

A cash flow statement usually includes the following information:

Beginning cash on hand: The amount of money you have available at a particular period.
Cash receipts: All the money coming into your business, including sales, financing, interest income and any other income.
Cash payments: All the expenses associated with running your business, including cost of goods sold, operating expenses and other expenses.

A cash flow statement provides an overview of:

Cash shortages and surpluses
Business expenses and income over time
How business changes impact your cash flow, for example new staffing costs

How do you make a cash flow statement?

To create a cash flow statement, you’ll need to:

Gather data and receipts of your income and expenses, as detailed above in ‘What to include in a cash flow statement’.
Use a self-created spreadsheet or a template to organize your data into a cash flow statement. Your entries will show cash incoming and outgoings each month for the reporting period of your cash flow statement.
Record the totals of your cash incomings and outgoings over your reporting period.
Total your total money going out and subtract from your total money going in. You’ll be left with an accurate view of your company’s cash flow for the period you’ve set.

Find the QuickBooks plan that’s right for you

See plans & pricing