# How to Create a Cash Flow Forecast in Google Sheets Source: https://www.cashflowforecasttemplates.co.uk/guides/how-to-create-a-cash-flow-forecast-in-google-sheets Updated: September 25, 2026 > To create a cash flow forecast in Google Sheets, lay out months across the columns and cash in and cash out lines down the rows, make each opening balance equal the previous closing balance, total each section with SUM, and add conditional formatting to flag low balances. You can also upload an Excel template to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. Google Sheets is a natural home for a cash flow forecast when more than one person needs it: a business owner and a bookkeeper, two partners, or a founder and an adviser. Everyone sees the same live version, changes are saved automatically, and version history shows what changed. This guide explains how to build a forecast in Google Sheets from scratch, and how to use a ready-made template instead. ## Option 1: Use a template The quickest route is to start from a template: 1. Download a template such as the [free 12-month template](/templates/simple-12-month-cash-flow-forecast-template) or the [free 13-week template](/templates/free-13-week-cash-flow-forecast-template). 2. In Google Drive, click New, File upload, and choose the .xlsx file. 3. Right-click the uploaded file and choose Open with, Google Sheets. 4. Choose File, Save as Google Sheets so you edit a native copy. All formulas in our templates work in Google Sheets, because they use only functions that both programs share. Charts sometimes need resizing after import. ## Option 2: Build it yourself ### Set up the sheet Rename the first tab Forecast. In cells A4 to A7 add labels for Business name, First month, Opening balance and Minimum buffer, with the values in column B. Give the input cells a light yellow fill. Name the key cells: select B6, choose Data, Named ranges, and name it OpeningBalance. Do the same for StartDate and MinBuffer. Named ranges make formulas easier to read and survive when rows are inserted. ### Month headers In B10 enter =StartDate and in C10 enter =EDATE(B10,1). Drag across to column M and format the row as a date showing the month and year (Format, Number, Custom date and time). ### Cash lines and totals List cash in categories from row 13 and cash out categories from row 21, each followed by a total row using =SUM() over the lines above. Add Net cash flow (total in minus total out) and Closing balance rows below. ### The link that makes it a forecast In B11 enter =OpeningBalance. In C11 enter =B36 (the previous closing balance), and drag across. Closing balance in B36 is =B11+B35. Now every month carries forward. ### Low balance warning Select the closing balance row, choose Format, Conditional formatting, “Less than”, and enter =MinBuffer. Set a red fill. Months below your minimum turn red automatically. ### Summary Add a summary above the grid: - Lowest balance: =MIN(B36:M36) - When: =INDEX(B10:M10, MATCH(MIN(B36:M36), B36:M36, 0)) - Months below buffer: =COUNTIF(B36:M36, "<"&MinBuffer) ### Chart Select the header row and the Total in, Total out and Closing balance rows, choose Insert, Chart, and pick a combo chart with columns for money in and out and a line for the balance. ## A worked example A two-person design studio shares its forecast between the owner and a part-time bookkeeper. The settings show a first month of October, an opening balance of $18,000 and a minimum buffer of $12,000. Cash in has three lines: retainer clients, project invoices and other income. Cash out has seven: salaries, freelancers, rent, software, insurance, quarterly tax and owner drawings. The bookkeeper updates actual figures every Friday from the bank feed in the accounting software. The owner adds new projects as they’re confirmed, with a comment on each receipt showing the invoice date and the client’s usual payment delay. In the first review, the summary shows the lowest balance of $9,400 in January, when a tax payment and a slow client coincide. The red cell starts a conversation in October, not a crisis in January: the owner asks the slow client for a deposit on the next project and moves a software renewal to February. ## A weekly routine for two people 1. **Monday:** the owner adds new sales, confirmed projects and any known changes to costs. 2. **Friday:** the bookkeeper replaces the finished week’s forecast with actuals and adds a comment on anything that differed by more than 10 percent. 3. **Month end:** name a version in version history, review the summary together for fifteen minutes, and agree actions for any red month. Sharing works best when each person knows which cells they own. Colour-code them or protect the rest. ## Features that make Sheets especially useful - **Sharing and comments.** Share with your bookkeeper as an editor and your business partner as a commenter. Comments on a cell (“Is this invoice really arriving in March?”) keep questions attached to the numbers. - **Protected ranges.** Data, Protect sheets and ranges lets you lock formula rows so collaborators can only change inputs. - **Version history.** File, Version history, See version history shows every past version. Name a version at each month end (“Forecast at 31 March”) so you can compare later. - **Mobile access.** The Google Sheets app lets you check the forecast before a meeting or update a figure on the go. - **Notifications.** Tools, Notification settings can email you when someone changes the forecast. ## Keeping it current Every week or month, replace forecast figures with actuals from your bank statement or accounting software. A simple way is to add an Actuals tab with the same layout and a Variance tab that subtracts forecast from actual. Review the variances, adjust your assumptions, and roll the forecast forward. The [how to make a cash flow forecast](/guides/how-to-make-a-cash-flow-forecast) guide explains what to look for. ## Excel or Google Sheets? Choose Google Sheets when several people update the forecast, when you work across devices, or when your business already uses Google Workspace. Choose Excel when you work offline a lot, your accountant prefers Excel files, or you need Excel’s more advanced charting. A well-built template works in both, so you can switch later. For a comparison of template options, see [how to choose a cash flow forecast template](/guides/cash-flow-forecast-template-excel). ## Common problems after importing into Sheets - **Dates show as numbers.** Select the row and apply a date format. - **A formula shows an error.** Usually an Excel-only function; our templates avoid them, but other templates may not. - **Charts look different.** Open the chart editor and adjust series types or colours. - **Conditional formatting missing.** Check Format, Conditional formatting and re-add any rules that didn’t import. ## Get started For weekly detail, scenarios and your industry’s cash lines already in place, see the [templates by industry](/cash-flow-forecast-template). Every premium template works in Google Sheets. ### Is Google Sheets good for cash flow forecasting? Yes. It handles everything a small business forecast needs, and it’s easy to share with a partner, bookkeeper or accountant who can edit or comment in real time. ### Can I use an Excel cash flow template in Google Sheets? Yes. Upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive, right-click it and choose Open with, Google Sheets. Templates without macros or Excel-only functions work fully. ### How do I share a forecast without letting people change it? Share it with Viewer or Commenter access, or protect the formula ranges so only input cells can be edited. ### Can Google Sheets pull in my bank transactions? Not directly without add-ons. Most people export a CSV from their bank and paste totals into an actuals tab each month. ### Does Google Sheets keep old versions? Yes. File, Version history shows every change, so you can see what the forecast looked like last month.