Set up your cash plan
First, what do you run?
Export these four reports from QuickBooks and drop them in together. The plan reads them and fills everything in for you. Next you'll check what it found.
Drag all four files here or click
Excel or CSV, all at once is fine
How to export these from QuickBooks
Invoices aren't in QuickBooks?
If you bill from another system or a spreadsheet, export or copy your open invoices with three columns: customer, due date, amount still owed. Paste them here instead of the Open Invoices report. If you don't send invoices at all, skip this: the plan finds clients who pay you every month in the bank register and asks about them on the next screen.
Bills aren't in QuickBooks?
From Bill.com or anywhere else: vendor, due date, amount still owed. Paste them here instead of the Unpaid Bills report.
Save them once, get them every Monday
Here's what we found
Uncheck anything that's wrong and change any amount. You can change all of this later too.
Which bank accounts should count?
Your renewal schedule
Paste each client's renewal: client, renewal date, amount, copied from Excel. The plan counts the ones not billed yet. You can edit them later under Renewals.
Anything missing?
These get left out a lot. Mark each one so nothing surprises you later.
Two settings
How low should the bank be allowed to get?
Your cushion is money you never plan to spend. Safe to spend is what's left above it in your tightest week. There's no one right answer: pick what lets you sleep at night.
These are example numbers so you can see how it works. Drop in your QuickBooks reports below and they'll be replaced with your real ones. Then change the regular payments to yours.
Safe to spend this week
Extra, on top of the bills and payroll already planned
$0
Why this number, and what it assumes
Last week: plan vs. what happened
| What | Effect on cash | Details |
|---|
How close the plan has been, week by week
| Week of | Plan said | Bank was | Difference |
|---|
Update your numbers
1Bank balance today
$
2Drop in QuickBooks reports
Drag files here or click
Excel or CSV, all at once is fine
Reports from QuickBooks:
3Check the regular payments
Payroll, card payments, rent and loans don't show up as bills. Keep the list below up to date and the plan includes them every week.
Next 13 weeks
Bars show the bank balance at the end of each week. The dashed line is your cushion.
| Week of | Coming in | Going out | Bank at end of week | Status |
|---|
Click a week to see what's in it.
By month
| Month | Signed money in | Going out | Month-end cash | Projected, not signed | Month-end with projected |
|---|
Signed money in is open invoices, regular deposits and renewals. Projected is the pipeline below, kept separate until it's signed.
Pipeline (not signed yet)
Work you expect to win but haven't signed. It shows in By month as projected and stays out of the weekly plan, so the safe-to-spend number only counts money you can rely on.
Paste from your CRM or Excel
Three columns: deal or client, expected pay date, amount.
| Deal or client | Expected pay date | Amount |
|---|
This week's checks
Bills due by Sunday and anything past due. Uncheck one to hold it, pick when you'll pay it, and the plan moves it there. You still owe it.
Moves that help most
The amount on the right: how much each raises the first tight week, or the lowest point (and Safe to spend) if no week is tightWhat if
How much can I take
starting ?
Regular payments and deposits
| What | In or out | Amount | How often | Next date or day |
|---|
Renewals
Each client's yearly renewal. The plan only counts a renewal that isn't billed yet. Once it's billed it's in Open Invoices, and once it's paid it's in the bank, so nothing counts twice.
Paste your list from Excel
Three columns: client, renewal date, amount. Copy the rows in Excel and paste here.
| Client | Renews | Amount | In the plan |
|---|
One-time items
A sub you'll pay by check, a loan draw, a deposit you know is coming. Anything not already in QuickBooks.
| What | In or out | Amount | Date |
|---|
Customers who owe us
Invoices aren't in QuickBooks? Paste them
Customer, due date, amount still owed. This replaces the invoice list.
Uncheck anything you don't expect to collect in the next 13 weeks.
Bills we owe
Bills aren't in QuickBooks? Paste them
From Bill.com or anywhere else: vendor, due date, amount still owed. This replaces the bill list.
Uncheck a vendor you pay by card (the card payment covers it) or a bill that isn't really owed.
Open questions
Not sure about a number? Write the question here so it doesn't get lost. Questions save with this company's plan.
Common questions
Burn rate and settings
Invoices that are already late are counted next week. Bills are paid on their due date, and past-due bills are counted this week. Very old items are left out because they usually need a closer look, not a check.