Cash Flow Projector

Project your cash position for the weeks ahead from your accounting data. Joy reads open receivables, payables, and known commitments and returns a week-by-week view of inflows, outflows, and ending balance, with the tightest week called out.

For CFOs and Finance Leaders Controllers FP&A Teams Founders and Owners
Sample prompt to Joy's Assistant

Project our cash flow for the next [number of weeks] weeks from our accounting data, using open receivables, payables, and known commitments, and show me the tightest week and how much cushion we have.

What it can look like

An illustrative example. Your output will reflect your own sources, data, and prompts.

Project our cash flow for the next 6 weeks from our accounting data, using open receivables, payables, and known commitments, and show me the tightest week and how much cushion we have.

I read your open receivables and payables plus the committed payroll, rent, tax, and loan items in your ledger and projected cash week by week for the next six weeks. You stay cash-positive throughout, but week 5 is where it tightens.

6-week cash flow projection

Scope: Operating account, all entities
Horizon: 6 weeks
Basis: Open receivables, open payables, and committed items as of today

Starting from $485,000 in the operating account, the next six weeks stay cash-positive throughout, but the balance dips to $230,000 in week 5 before recovering to $315,000. Net cash movement over the horizon is negative $170,000, driven by the quarterly obligations that land in week 5.

$485,000
Starting cash
$230,000
Lowest projected balance
▼ week 5
-$170,000
Net change, 6 weeks
▼ outflows lead inflows

Net cash flow swings week to week. Two collection-heavy weeks (3 and 6) offset the steady payroll and supplier outflows, but week 5 carries the quarterly tax payment and rent and goes deep negative.

Projected net cash flow by week ($000s)

Week 1-$30K
Week 2-$70K
Week 3+$130K
Week 4-$65K
Week 5-$220K
Week 6+$85K

The full week-by-week projection ties back to the running balance.

PeriodInflowsOutflowsNetEnding balance
Starting———$485,000
Week 1$210,000$240,000-$30,000$455,000
Week 2$165,000$235,000-$70,000$385,000
Week 3$320,000$190,000+$130,000$515,000
Week 4$140,000$205,000-$65,000$450,000
Week 5$180,000$400,000-$220,000$230,000
Week 6$260,000$175,000+$85,000$315,000
Total$1,275,000$1,445,000-$170,000$315,000

Week 5 is the tightest point in the horizon. The quarterly tax payment, rent, and a mid-month payroll all clear the same week against lighter collections, pulling the balance to $230,000. That is roughly one week of average outflow in reserve, since outflows run about $241,000 a week, so it reads as a real pinch rather than a shortfall.

  • Cover the week-5 trough. Pull one of the large week-6 receivables forward, or move a discretionary payable out a week, and the low point rises back above $300,000 with room to spare.
  • Weeks 1, 2, and 4 each run a small deficit. All three are funded comfortably by the opening balance, so no action is needed beyond confirming the week-3 collections land on schedule.

Net: you have enough cushion to clear the quarter’s obligations, but week 5 leaves little margin. If the week-3 or week-6 collections slip, that is the first place it would show.

Want me to test the timing of the week-5 obligations against a pulled-forward receivable, or extend this to a 13-week projection?

Turn current data into a weekly cash view

Your bank balance tells you where cash is now, not where it's headed. The receivables you're owed, the bills coming due, and the committed payroll, rent, and tax runs are all sitting in your accounting system, but lining them up week by week to find the pinch point is slow manual work you rarely have time for.

  1. Connect your accounting or ERP

    Point Joy at your accounting or ERP system through a read-only connector. It reads open receivables, open payables, current cash, and the committed items already on the books.

  2. Ask for the projection

    Ask Joy to project cash flow for the number of weeks you care about. It lines up expected collections against bills, payroll, rent, tax, and loan payments due in each period.

  3. Read the week-by-week picture

    Get inflows, outflows, net, and ending balance for every period, plus your starting cash, lowest projected balance, and net change, with the tightest week and your cushion called out.

  4. Use it where you work

    Copy the projection into your board update, lender note, or treasury review. Ask follow-ups to test timing a payment, pulling an invoice forward, or extending the horizon.

  5. Make it one click for your team

    Save this ask as a custom command on the assistant your team already uses, so anyone can run it in one step.

Make it yours

Reads AR and AP Directly

Joy pulls open receivables, open payables, and committed items straight from your connected accounting or ERP system, so the projection starts from real balances, not a spreadsheet you maintain by hand.

Week-by-Week Net and Balance

See inflows, outflows, net movement, and running balance for every period in the horizon, so you know not just the ending number but the path it takes to get there.

Tightest-Week Callout

Joy names the period where the balance bottoms out and puts a figure on how much cushion is left, so the pinch point is obvious before it arrives.

Timing What-Ifs

Ask what happens if a large payable moves a week or a receivable lands early, and Joy re-projects the balance so you can see the effect before you commit.

13-Week Cash Forecast

Extend the horizon to the standard 13-week treasury view for a full-quarter look at coverage.

Payment-Timing Scenario

Test moving a large payable earlier or later and see how the tightest week shifts.

Multi-Entity Roll-Up

Project several entities or accounts together to see consolidated cash by period.

Minimum-Balance Check

Ask whether the projected trough stays above a covenant or comfort threshold across the horizon.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Joy project cash flow?

Joy reads your open receivables, open payables, current cash balance, and committed items like payroll, rent, tax, and loan payments from your connected accounting or ERP data. It lines up expected collections against payments due in each period and returns inflows, outflows, net movement, and running balance week by week, with the tightest week called out.

Is this a live dashboard that updates on its own?

No. It's an on-demand projection from your current data. You ask Joy to project the weeks ahead and it reads the latest figures and returns the picture right then. It doesn't run on a schedule, push alerts, or refresh itself in the background.

Does Joy move money or change anything in my accounting system?

No. Joy reads through a read-only connector. It projects and explains the numbers but never writes back, posts entries, or moves funds. You bring the decision; Joy gives you the clear picture to make it.

How many weeks ahead can it project?

Ask for whatever horizon you need. Six weeks is a common near-term view, and the standard 13-week treasury forecast is a natural extension. The further out you look, the more the projection depends on your collection and payment timing patterns holding.

Can it show what happens if I move a payment?

Yes. Ask Joy to test timing a large payable a week later or pulling a receivable forward, and it re-projects the balance so you can see how the tightest week changes before you commit to anything.

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