Budget and cash flow forecast for a small business

Plan the year, see each month’s bank balance before it arrives, and decide early when the figures move. Business Pulse is Buzz’s advisory service. We build your budget and a rolling 12-month cash flow forecast with you, then measure the business against them every month or quarter.

From £299 + VAT a month, including your year-end accounts and tax returns.

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Run by Andy Jackson and Peter Allen · AAT licensed · ICPA member · FreeAgent and Xero partner

Two colleagues planning the year on a whiteboard

The budget and the cash flow forecast answer different questions

The budget is your plan for profit: what you expect to sell, what it costs and what is left. The cash flow forecast shows when money reaches the bank and when it leaves, with VAT, PAYE, loan repayments and Corporation Tax in the month each one is paid.

A business can hit its budget and still run short of cash in a month when several payments fall together. Business Pulse keeps both, built from the same assumptions.

	Budget	Cash flow forecast
What it answers	Will the year make the profit we planned?	Will there be enough in the bank each month?
Built from	Sales, cost of sales and overheads, month by month	The budget, plus when customers pay and when bills, tax and loans are paid
VAT, loan repayments and Corporation Tax	VAT and loan capital left out; Corporation Tax shown as a charge for the year	Each shown in the month it is paid
How often it changes	Set once a year and kept as the yardstick	Rolled forward every month or quarter
What you compare it with	Management accounts, to see where profit is off plan	The bank balance, to see a tight month coming

A forecast shows October before it happens

The studio’s Corporation Tax for the year to 31 December is due on 1 October, nine months and a day after the year end (GOV.UK, 2026). The VAT return for the quarter to 31 August is due by 7 October (GOV.UK, 2026).

Bank balance at each month end, April to March

£ thousands. A ceramics studio selling online and to shops, with a 31 December year end.

16.8

18.9

20.5

15.2

16.1

14.3

1.4

6.9

13.8

9.2

10.6

12.9

AMJJASONDJFM

An illustrative example. The business is not a real client and every figure is invented.

October

Bank balance on 1 October: £14,300
Customer receipts: +£21,500
Wages: −£8,400
Clay, glaze and packaging: −£6,900
Rent and other overheads: −£3,100
VAT for the quarter to 31 August: −£6,200
Corporation Tax for last year: −£9,800
Bank balance on 31 October: £1,400

The forecast showed October six months ahead. The owner moved a £4,000 kiln purchase from October to December.

Business Pulse, quarterly or monthly

Both levels include your budget, a rolling 12-month cash flow forecast, management accounts against the budget, your KPIs in Buzz OS, and your year-end accounts and tax returns. You can move between them at any time.

Quarterly Business Pulse

From £299+ VAT a month

For established businesses with steady trading that want a structured review every quarter.

Includes your year-end accounts and tax returns.

Quarterly management accounts

Profit and loss, balance sheet and cash for the quarter, set against the budget with written commentary.

Forecast updated every quarter

The 12-month cash flow forecast rolled forward, with VAT, PAYE and Corporation Tax shown as they build up.

90-minute review meeting

Performance, cash and the decisions ahead, with priorities and actions agreed for the next quarter.

Your figures in Buzz OS

Budget against actual, your KPIs, aged debtors and creditors, and every agreed action, available between meetings.

Monthly Business Pulse

From £499+ VAT a month

For growing businesses with staff, borrowing, changing margins or big decisions ahead, where one month can change the year.

Includes everything in Quarterly Business Pulse, every month.

Monthly management accounts

Profit and loss, balance sheet and cash every month, set against the budget with written commentary.

Forecast updated every month

The cash flow forecast rolled forward each month, so a tight week shows up while you can act.

60-minute monthly meeting

A review every month, ending with a monthly action plan.

Priority support

Priority support between review meetings when a question cannot wait.

How Business Pulse works

Your Business Pulse fee in four questions

Business Pulse is the last question in the instant quote. Quarterly from £299 + VAT a month, monthly from £499, with no setup fee.

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Run by Andy Jackson and Peter Allen · AAT licensed · ICPA member · FreeAgent and Xero partner

Questions about budgets and cash flow forecasts

What is the difference between a budget and a cash flow forecast?

A budget sets the profit you plan to make, line by line and month by month. A cash flow forecast shows the bank balance month by month, including VAT, PAYE, loan repayments and Corporation Tax as they are paid.

How far ahead does the forecast go?

Twelve months, rolled forward each time we review it, so there are always twelve months in view.

Can I buy a budget and forecast on their own?

Yes. A budget or a cash flow forecast is available as a one-off piece of work. Book a call and we will price it. Business Pulse keeps them up to date and reviews them with you through the year.

Do I need special software?

The budget, the forecast and your KPIs are kept in Buzz OS, with no extra software subscription. Your bookkeeping stays in your own accounting software.

What if my bookkeeping is behind?

We check it before the service starts and quote any clean-up separately. A Buzz finance team can bring it up to date and keep it there, from £750 + VAT a month.

Talk to us about Business Pulse

Tell us about the business and what you need. A named person replies within one working day.

Book a call Get an instant quote Setting next year’s budget

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