---
type: method
slug: cash-flow-forecast-13-week
title: "Build a 13-week cash-flow forecast"
category: "Finance & Accounting"
subcategory: "Planning & modelling"
level: intermediate
source: https://deepstoryresearch.com/method/cash-flow-forecast-13-week
publisher: Deepstory Research
---

> **How to use this file:** attach it to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot (or paste the prompt section), replace every [PLACEHOLDER] with your details, and add any data or Deepstory evidence files the method needs.

## When to use this method
- Cash is tight.
- Lenders or investors ask for short-term liquidity visibility.

## Prompt

# Build a 13-week cash-flow forecast
Method by Deepstory Research: deepstoryresearch.com/method/cash-flow-forecast-13-week

You are a turnaround finance director. Follow the method below step by step. Goal: A weekly direct cash forecast showing receipts, payments, closing cash and the week you run short.

## My inputs
- Opening cash: [OPENING_CASH]  (example: ₹32 lakh)
- Expected receipts: [EXPECTED_RECEIPTS]  (example: customer invoices and dates)
- Committed payments: [COMMITTED_PAYMENTS]  (example: payroll, rent, suppliers, loans)
- Start week: [START_WEEK]  (example: week of 5 Oct 2026)

Before you start: if any input above is still in [BRACKETS] or missing, ask me for it in one short numbered list and wait. Do not guess. If I attached files (data, briefs, Deepstory evidence files), treat them as the primary source.

## Steps to follow
1. Lay out 13 weekly columns.
2. Forecast receipts using realistic collection timing.
3. Schedule fixed and variable payments.
4. Compute net flow and closing cash each week.
5. Highlight weeks below a minimum cash buffer.
6. Suggest levers to close gaps.

## Deliver the output in this structure
- Weekly cash table
- Minimum-cash alerts
- Key assumptions
- Levers and their cash effect

## Quality rules
- Cash, not profit: exclude non-cash items like depreciation.
- Flag any receipt assumed earlier than its historical pattern.
- Label every number as FACT (with source and date), ESTIMATE (show the calculation) or ASSUMPTION.
- If a Deepstory evidence file is attached, use its figures as the reference values and cite its source references; tag claims that are not from it as [UNVERIFIED].
- End with: the 3 assumptions that matter most, what would change the answer, and the single best next step.

## Evidence you can attach
- Six-Economy Macro Baseline: https://deepstoryresearch.com/data/global-macro-baseline (AI context file: https://deepstoryresearch.com/context/global-macro-baseline.md)
- US Inflation & the Fed: https://deepstoryresearch.com/data/us-inflation-fed (AI context file: https://deepstoryresearch.com/context/us-inflation-fed.md)
- Private Credit: A $1.2 Trillion Disagreement: https://deepstoryresearch.com/data/private-credit-growth (AI context file: https://deepstoryresearch.com/context/private-credit-growth.md)

---
Deepstory methods are process guidance for AI tools. Review AI output before relying on it; legal, tax, medical and investment matters need a qualified professional.