Monthly financial forecast with a calculated example
A monthly forecast turns your sales, expense and financing assumptions into dated statements. Software performs the calculations; the plan’s reliability also depends on the prices, volumes and payment dates you can justify.
Distinguish sales, profit and cash
Revenue describes sales. Profit compares income and expenses for the period. A cash flow plan tracks money movements on their expected dates: an invoice payable later cannot fund an immediate payment.
These statements use different amounts: sales and expenses are generally shown excluding VAT when VAT applies, while cash receipts and payments include VAT actually paid or received. Check the regime and dates used in your plan.
Build the schedule before calculating
- Choose a starting month and define the sales unit: day, repair, item or subscription. Describe available capacity before forecasting growth in volumes.
- Enter the price excluding VAT and the volume for each activity. Document them with your quotes, contracts or observations; distinguish an assumption that is still fictional from a confirmed amount.
- Add costs linked to sales, then fixed expenses, pay and capital expenditure. Distinguish stock, purchases consumed and durable equipment to avoid counting an expense twice.
- Place receipts, payments, recruitment and financing in the relevant months. An annual expense does not necessarily mean twelve equal payments.
- Calculate the baseline, then change one assumption in a scenario. Review profit, months with negative cash balances and sources still to be completed before choosing the financing.
Read three months of a fictional bicycle workshop
Monthly excerpt from the Bike workshop template, from Jan 2027 to Mar 2027.
These figures are fictional: they describe neither a real business, market prices nor expected profitability. Replace them with your quotes, prices and schedule.
| Indicator | Jan 2027 | Feb 2027 | Mar 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue excluding VAT | €18,950 | €18,950 | €18,950 |
| Net profit | €950 | €953 | €956 |
| Cash balance | €29,691 | €31,742 | €33,793 |
Source: assumptions from the Bike workshop template, version 0.2.0; calculation engine 0.6.1. The full calculation includes the template’s direct costs and tax conventions.
In this excerpt, monthly sales excluding VAT remain at €18,950, while month-end cash increases from €29,691 to €33,793. The cash balance also includes initial financing and the template’s other cash movements; it is not the month’s profit.
The table shows only the first three months of the 36-month calculation. It cannot establish the project’s viability on its own: also read the assumptions, subsequent months and calculation conventions.
Check the plan before sharing it
- A loan increases available funds but is not a sale. Principal repayments and interest must be examined separately.
- A positive opening cash balance may come from an equity contribution or a loan. Check its path across the full period, including planned recruitment and repayments.
- Then compare your assumptions with available actual data and update the differences. Have the tax and employment contribution rules specific to your situation reviewed by a qualified professional.
open-bp calculates three-year monthly forecasts in euros using documented French conventions. Choose a template, replace its fictional data, compare scenarios and review the plan before exporting it. English or Spanish translations do not change this scope.
Calculation conventions · Estimate expenses · Reproduce the consulting example with an AI assistant
Sources and scope of the example
The Bpifrance references explain the general method. They do not supply the prices or volumes in this example. The table’s amounts come from the open-bp template and calculation engine identified above.
- Bpifrance Création — Cash flow plan
- Bpifrance Création — Income statement
- Bpifrance Création — Business plan
Guide and links checked on 31 October 2026.