What it is
A 13-week cash forecast is a direct-method forecast: it shows cash when it is expected to be received or paid, not when it is earned or incurred. The workbook carries weekly receipts and disbursements by category, opening and closing cash, and a revolver that draws to hold a minimum cash balance and, if you choose, repays from excess cash. Draws are limited to what remains of the commitment, so a shortfall that the revolver cannot cover is shown, along with total liquidity.
An Actual vs Forecast tab takes each week’s actual receipts, disbursements and closing cash and shows the variance, so you can see where the forecast has been biased. Lenders, trustees and restructuring advisers often ask for a 13-week schedule, and their format controls where it differs. For an auditor evaluating going concern, management’s forecast is evidence only to the extent its assumptions are supported.
When to use it
- Entities with tight liquidity, covenant pressure or a restructuring.
- Lender-required weekly cash reporting.
- Going-concern evaluation, where management’s cash plans need support the auditor can test.
What’s inside
- Setup: opening cash, first week, minimum cash, revolver commitment and balance, sweep switch
- Forecast: four receipt lines, eleven disbursement lines, net cash flow, cash before revolver
- Revolver draw, repayment, ending balance and availability, closing cash, shortfall and liquidity
- Flags for weeks below the minimum or negative, and 13-week totals
- Actual vs Forecast tracker with variance and a receipts accuracy measure
Standard cited
This template follows Management forecast; AU-C 570 support. It is written in our own words, except for phrases the standard requires the document to contain, with [bracketed placeholders] for client details, amounts in USD and dates as MM/DD/YYYY. Check it against the current standard and your firm’s methodology before use. See AU-C 570 explained.
Questions
Why a direct-method forecast?
Short-term liquidity depends on when cash moves. Collections follow your customers’ actual payment pattern and payments follow your payment runs, payroll calendar and debt and tax due dates, so a forecast built from the receivables and payables agings and those calendars is more reliable than one derived from the income statement.
How does the revolver logic work?
If cash before the revolver is below the minimum, the sheet draws the shortfall up to the undrawn commitment. If the sweep setting is Yes and cash is above the minimum, it repays the outstanding balance with the excess. A shortfall remains if the commitment is exhausted.
How do I roll it forward?
Replace week 1 with actuals, shift the columns by one week and add a new week 13. Keep the Actual vs Forecast tab to measure accuracy; a persistent difference in receipts or disbursements shows the assumption to fix.
Does an auditor rely on the forecast for going concern?
The auditor evaluates management’s plans and the forecast under AU-C 570, and considers whether the assumptions are supported and feasible. A forecast with unsupported assumptions is not persuasive evidence.
Related templates
- Going Concern Evaluation Memo (AU-C 570 / ASC 205-40)
- Budget vs Actual Variance Template
- Accounts Receivable Aging and Allowance Workpaper
- Debt and Interest Rollforward Schedule
Last updated 11/05/2026. All free templates.