How-to · 6 min read

The cash-flow dashboard: six numbers, one page

Profit is an opinion; cash is a fact. A cash-flow dashboard is the page an owner or finance director opens first, and it is one of the simplest to build from the accounting system you already run. This guide lists the numbers that belong on it, the data each one needs, and the two definitions that cause arguments if they are not agreed first.

The six numbers

  • Cash position today, by bank account and entity, with the movement since yesterday and since month start.
  • Inflows and outflows this month, split by type — customer receipts, supplier payments, payroll, tax, loan service — as a waterfall from opening to closing balance.
  • Receivables due in the next 7, 14 and 30 days, from the invoice due dates, with the overdue total beside it.
  • Payables due in the same windows, from supplier invoice due dates.
  • Net cash forecast for the next 4 to 13 weeks: opening cash plus expected receipts minus committed payments, week by week.
  • Forecast vs actual for the weeks already passed, so the forecast earns trust or gets corrected.

Runway — cash divided by average monthly net outflow — belongs on the page for any business that is not yet cash-positive.

The data it needs

Four tables from the accounting system: bank transactions (account, date, amount, type), customer invoices with due dates and receipts matched to them, supplier bills with due dates and payments matched, and a small table of recurring commitments (payroll dates, rent, loan instalments) that usually lives in a spreadsheet. From these, the receivables and payables windows are date formulas, the waterfall is a grouping of transactions by type, and the forecast is opening cash plus the due-date windows plus the commitments table.

Where the books are in Tally, Busy, Zoho Books, SQL Account, Accurate or Xero the tables come in on a schedule; from SAP Business One, Odoo or Business Central they can be read live.

Two definitions to agree first

Expected receipts. Do you forecast on invoice due dates (optimistic) or on each customer's actual average payment delay (realistic)? The second needs DSO by customer, which the receivables ageing already gives you.

Committed versus expected payments. A supplier bill in the system is committed; next month's payroll is committed but not yet a bill; a planned purchase is neither. Decide which appear in the forecast and label them.

Where Klayara fits. The receivables and payables windows, the waterfall and the weekly forecast are formulas in Klayara over the tables from your accounting system, with the commitments sheet connected from Google Sheets or Excel. See the finance snapshot template and formulas.

FAQ

Questions this guide answers.

Something else on your mind? Ask us directly — a person answers.

What should a cash-flow dashboard include?

Cash position by account, inflows and outflows this month by type, receivables and payables due in 7, 14 and 30 days, a weekly net cash forecast for the next 4 to 13 weeks, forecast vs actual for past weeks, and runway where relevant.

What data does a cash-flow dashboard need?

Bank transactions, customer invoices with due dates and matched receipts, supplier bills with due dates and matched payments, and a small table of recurring commitments such as payroll and rent.

How far ahead should the cash forecast go?

Thirteen weeks is the common horizon for operational cash management; four weeks is enough for a weekly owner view. Show forecast vs actual for elapsed weeks so the forecast can be corrected.

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