A cash flow dashboard is the live view of cash: the bank balances now, what's due in from customers and out to suppliers over the coming weeks, the fixed dates that will hit (payroll, VAT, PAYE, loan repayments), how this week compares with what the forecast said, and the levers that move the number: overdue debtors you could collect, creditors you could pay later, stock that's tying cash up. The bank balance is one tile out of seven. It sits next to the 13-week cash flow forecast, which is the forward model; the dashboard is what you look at on a Monday morning to see whether the forecast is coming true and what to do about it if it isn't. Every tile on it comes from the accounts system and the bank, so it's a single-source build.
What should be on a cash flow dashboard?
Seven tiles, one page. In the order people read them:
| Tile | What it shows | Source | Refresh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash now | Balance by bank account, total, less committed payments already released | Bank feeds via the accounts system (Xero, Sage, QuickBooks, Business Central) | Daily, or on bank feed refresh |
| Due in, next 4 weeks | Open sales invoices by due week, split not-yet-due / overdue, with the expected collection based on each customer's payment history | Sales ledger + payment history | Daily |
| Due out, next 4 weeks | Open purchase invoices by due week, plus the known fixed outflows | Purchase ledger + a small table of fixed dates | Daily |
| Fixed dates ahead | Payroll, PAYE/NI, VAT return, loan and lease payments, rent, with amounts | A table finance maintains, or the ledger's recurring entries | Monthly maintenance |
| Forecast vs actual, this week and last | What the 13-week forecast said cash would be versus what it is, and why | The forecast's stored weekly figures + the ledger | Weekly |
| Levers | Overdue debt by customer with owner; creditors past due you're holding; stock value by age | Sales ledger, purchase ledger, stock | Daily |
| Runway | Months of cash at the trailing three-month average net outflow | Derived from the ledger | Weekly |
Source: my working layout; the sources are the systems I see most in UK SMEs. Payment-history-based collection expectations are a modelling choice, explained below.
The page reads top to bottom as a story: here's what we have, here's what's coming in and out, here are the dates we can't move, here's how we're doing against plan, and here's what we can do about it.
How is the dashboard different from the 13-week forecast?
The forecast is a model of the next thirteen weeks built from open items, expected sales, planned spend and assumptions, and it's re-done every week by a person who knows what's changed. I've written it up at The 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast.
The dashboard is the actuals and the near-term knowns, updating from the ledger without anyone re-doing anything, plus the comparison against what the forecast said. The forecast tells you what you think will happen; the dashboard tells you what is happening and where the forecast was wrong. You need both, and the tile that links them (forecast vs actual) is the one that makes the forecast get better over time, because every miss is visible and gets explained.
Where does each number come from?
All of it from the accounts system, which is why this is one of the more common first reports:
- Bank balances come through the accounts system's bank feed. Xero, Sage 50, Sage 200, QuickBooks Online and Business Central all hold them. Reading the bank directly is possible but adds a source; the ledger's copy is usually within a day and good enough.
- Due in is the open sales invoices with due dates. The useful addition is an expected collection date per invoice based on how that customer has actually paid over the last twelve months (if they average 14 days late, expect it 14 days late). That's a measure over payment history, and it's the difference between a dashboard that says "£200k due next week" and one that says "£200k due, £120k likely".
- Due out is the open purchase invoices with due dates, plus the fixed dates.
- Fixed dates are a small table someone in finance maintains: what, when, how much, how often. It takes an hour to set up and five minutes a month.
- Forecast vs actual needs the forecast's weekly closing cash figures stored somewhere the model can read (a sheet, a table), which is a habit the forecast process has to adopt.
- Levers are the overdue debtors (with owner, from a small context table; see The Aged Debtors Report), the creditors past due, and stock by age from the stock module if there is one.
How the accounts system connects to Power BI depends on which one it is; the routes are in How to Connect Your Accounting Software to Power BI.
What makes people trust it?
Two things.
The bank tile matches the bank. Obvious, but the dashboard has to show the same balance the online banking shows, or nobody looks past that tile. If the feed lags, print the as-at time on the tile.
A reconciliation page. The model's open sales ledger total against the accounts system's aged receivables total, and the same for purchases, every refresh, with the difference shown. Zero, or it isn't published. This is the check that catches the invoice type the model missed, and it's on every cash report I build.
What does it cost?
Power BI Pro is £10.80 per user per month on Microsoft's UK page as of September 2026, paid yearly, excluding VAT, for everyone who opens it; for a cash dashboard that's usually the FD, the MD and whoever chases the debt.
The build, from one accounts system, is what the First Report is for: one system, one report answering "where is the cash and what's coming?", the headline figure reconciled back to the ledger to the penny, published to your own workspace, £1,950 fixed, ten working days. Details at the First Report. If the forecast lives in a separate planning tool that's a second source and a Reporting Sprint.
Common questions
What should a cash flow dashboard include?
Cash now by account, due in and due out over the next four weeks by due week, the fixed dates ahead (payroll, VAT, loans), forecast versus actual for the week, the levers (overdue debtors with owners, creditors held, stock by age), and runway in months. Seven tiles, one page.
What's the difference between a cash flow dashboard and a cash flow forecast?
The forecast is a forward model of the next thirteen weeks, re-done weekly by a person. The dashboard is the live actuals and near-term knowns from the ledger, plus the comparison against what the forecast said. The dashboard is what you check on Monday; the forecast is what you rebuild on Friday.
Can I build a cash flow dashboard in Excel?
Yes, for a single entity read by one or two people, with Power Query pulling from the accounts system. It stops being the right tool when it needs to update itself daily, be read on a phone, or be shared with row-level access. The Excel-versus-Power BI line is in Power BI vs Excel: When the Spreadsheet Is the Right Answer.
Does Xero or QuickBooks have a cash flow dashboard already?
Xero's Short-term cash flow (and Xero Analytics on the Ultimate plan) and QuickBooks' Cash Flow planner both show a projection from open items. They're worth using first. They stop at the forecast-versus-actual comparison, the levers with owners, and anything shared outside the accounts system.
How do you calculate cash runway?
Cash balance divided by the average monthly net cash outflow over the last three months. If net cash flow is positive, runway is not the right measure; show months of cover for fixed costs instead.
How do you predict when customers will actually pay?
From their history: for each customer, the average days late over the last twelve months, applied to their open invoices. It's a simple measure over the payment history the ledger already holds, and it turns "due next week" into "likely next week or the week after".
How much does a cash flow dashboard cost to build?
From a single accounts system, it's a First Report: £1,950 fixed, ten working days, reconciled to the ledger before it ships. Power BI Pro is £10.80 per viewer per month (Microsoft UK, September 2026).