1.2.5. Cash-Flow Budget
We now have all the data we need to prepare the cash flow budget. This can be a little difficult as not all revenue from sales is received in cash and other cash may be received from sources other than sales, such as when plant and equipment is sold.
In the case of the cash flow budget not all expenses represent cash and there may be cash to be outlaid for things such as dividend payments, capital requisitions, and loan or lease payments, which are not expenses.
These things need to be combined to report cash receipts and payments which, when adjusted for the cash at hand figure at the beginning and end of the period, will give you the cash-flow budget for the year. An example of a cash flow budget is detailed below.
Table 1 Cash flow budget for the Creek Clothing Company (1/7/20xx)
Cash Receipts |
|
Sales |
19,600,000 |
Other Cash |
600,000 |
Total Cash Receipts |
20,200,000 |
|
|
Cash Payments |
|
Expenses |
1,300,000 |
Purchases |
4,600,000 |
Dividends |
800,000 |
Capital Items |
2,600,000 |
Lease Payments |
400,000 |
Total Cash Payments |
9,700,000 |
|
|
Cash Surplus for the year |
10,500,000 |
Cash at hand beginning 20XX |
1,800,000 |
Cash at hand end 20XX |
12,300,000 |
The annual budget will be broken down into monthly, and even weekly, estimates of cash flow. The importance of managing cash cannot be underestimated as cash flow is said to be the lifeblood of business. There has been many businesses that have been profitable but have failed because they could not pay their daily expenses due to poor cash flow management.