This worksheet from Blackcroft Business Capital in Russellville, Arkansas works a contractor's job cash flow by hand, with invented figures you replace with your own. It is arithmetic on your numbers, not an offer or a quote.
Draws In, Materials and Crew Out: The Lines on the Worksheet
Each line on the sheet is a week. Two columns hold money in and money out, and a third keeps the running position: everything received so far minus everything paid so far.
- In: deposit, each draw on the date it is actually paid (not billed), and retainage when it is released.
- Out, materials: each supplier payment in the week it is due, whether paid up front or on a 30-day account.
- Out, crew: payroll and payroll taxes for each pay period, plus any subcontractor payments.
- Out, equipment: rentals, fuel, and payments on owned equipment for the weeks of the job.
Use the dates money moves, not the dates work happens. A draw approved on a Friday and paid the next Wednesday belongs in the week it lands in the account.
An Invented Framing Job Worked Week by Week
Illustration only, invented figures. A framing contractor signs a $78,000 job paid in three draws at weeks 3, 6 and 9, with 10% held back until week 14. The lumber package costs $21,500 in week 1 and $6,800 more in week 5. The crew costs $3,200 a week for nine weeks, and a rented telehandler $700 a week for eight. Nothing moves in weeks 10 to 13.
| Week | In this week | Out this week | Running position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | $0 | $25,400 | $25,400 short |
| Week 2 | $0 | $3,900 | $29,300 short |
| Week 3 | $19,500 | $3,900 | $13,700 short |
| Week 4 | $0 | $3,900 | $17,600 short |
| Week 5 | $0 | $10,700 | $28,300 short |
| Week 6 | $27,300 | $3,900 | $4,900 short |
| Week 7 | $0 | $3,900 | $8,800 short |
| Week 8 | $0 | $3,900 | $12,700 short |
| Week 9 | $23,400 | $3,200 | $7,500 |
| Week 14 | $7,800 | $0 | $15,300 |
The deepest point on the sheet is $29,300 short at week 2 (our arithmetic). The position stays short in each of weeks 1 to 8, and the job ends $15,300 ahead once retainage is paid in week 14.
Sizing a Credit Line From the Deepest Week on the Sheet
The deepest point is the core of a credit line request. In the invented job, a line of at least $29,300, drawn as the weeks run short and repaid from each draw, carries the job. Add a margin for a draw paid a week late or a material price that rises, and check one more thing: a contractor running two or three jobs at once should add the sheets together, since their deepest weeks can overlap.
- Work the sheet for each job under contract, then combine them by week.
- Take the deepest combined point and add a margin.
- Note how many weeks in a row the position stays short; a line has to be paid back down, not left at its limit.
- Bring the combined sheet to the call; the business line of credit page covers how lines are set.
Running the Same Sheet for a Repair Shop or a Retailer
The same sheet works outside construction with different lines. A repair shop puts parts bought and technician payroll in the out column and customer payments in the in column; the gap shows up in months with a large parts buy. A retailer puts stock orders out and daily sales in; the gap shows up before a busy season, when orders land months before the sales.
In each case, the deepest point is what a line or an inventory loan has to cover, and the weeks it stays short show how long.
Running It for a Plant Waiting on a Large Customer
A plant waiting on a large customer works the sheet in longer steps: raw material and wages out during the production run, then nothing in until the customer pays 30, 45 or 60 days after shipment. One order can push the position short for two months or more. Weekly lines still work, but monthly columns may be clearer for a plant with several overlapping orders.
What a Cash Flow Worksheet Cannot Tell You
A worksheet built from expected dates shows what the plan says, not what will happen. It does not catch a change order that adds material before it adds a draw, an owner who pays late, a crew that runs over, or a draw held for an inspection. It treats each figure as certain, which none of them is.
Treat the sheet as a map of the pattern and as real figures to bring to a funding partner. A partner will read your bank statements and contracts directly and may size a line differently. For tax and accounting questions, ask your accountant. The short form is the next step once the figure is ready.
By Blackcroft Business Capital · Updated