Cash Flow Calculator
What's your net cash flow — are you cash positive or negative? Calculate personal or business cash flow, check your savings rate, or project how your cash flow changes over the next 12 months. Works with any currency.
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How to Use This Calculator
Tab "Personal Cash Flow"
Enter your monthly income sources (salary, freelance, rental, dividends, other) and expenses (housing, transport, food, utilities, debt payments, insurance, other). The calculator shows your net monthly cash flow, annual cash flow, and savings rate as a percentage.
Tab "Business Cash Flow"
Enter your revenue, cost of goods sold, operating expenses, loan payments, taxes, and capital expenditures. The calculator shows operating cash flow, free cash flow, and key margins.
Tab "Projection"
Enter your current monthly cash flow and up to three expected changes (a raise, a debt payoff, a new expense) with the month they take effect. The calculator builds a 12-month projection showing how your cash flow evolves over time.
The Formulas
Net Cash Flow = Total Income − Total Expenses
Savings Rate:
Savings Rate = Net Cash Flow / Total Income × 100%
Operating Cash Flow (business):
Operating CF = Revenue − COGS − Operating Expenses
Free Cash Flow:
Free Cash Flow = Operating CF − Capital Expenditures
Gross Margin:
Gross Margin = (Revenue − COGS) / Revenue × 100%
All calculations use standard cash flow analysis. No country-specific tax rates are applied. For personal cash flow, enter take-home (after-tax) income.
Worked Examples
Example 1 — Personal: $6,500 income, $5,200 expenses
A salaried employee earns $6,500/month after tax and has $5,200 in monthly expenses.
A 20% savings rate is considered healthy. This person saves $15,600 per year, which can be invested or used to build an emergency fund.
Example 2 — Business: $50K revenue, $9K free cash flow
A small business has $50,000 in monthly revenue, $20,000 COGS, $18,000 operating expenses, and $3,000 in capital expenditures.
The business generates $12,000 in operating cash flow and $9,000 in free cash flow after reinvestment. The 24% operating margin indicates solid profitability.
Example 3 — Projection: +$1,300/mo with upcoming changes
Starting at $1,300/month net cash flow, with a car loan ending in month 4 (+$450/month) and a raise in month 6 (+$300/month).
By month 7, cash flow has increased from $1,300 to $2,050/month — a 58% improvement from two life changes. The projection shows the cumulative impact over a full year.
Understanding Cash Flow
What Is Cash Flow?
Cash flow is the net amount of money moving in and out over a period. Positive cash flow means more money coming in than going out — you can save, invest, or pay down debt. Negative cash flow means you are spending more than you earn and need to draw from savings or take on debt.
Personal vs Business Cash Flow
Personal cash flow tracks your household income and expenses. The key metric is your savings rate — the percentage of income you keep. Business cash flow tracks revenue against costs of production (COGS), operations (opex), and reinvestment (capex). The key metrics are operating cash flow and free cash flow.
Why Savings Rate Matters
Your savings rate is the single best predictor of financial health. A 20% savings rate means you keep 1 in 5 dollars earned. At 50%, you reach financial independence in roughly 17 years. The FIRE Calculator can show you exactly how savings rate maps to years-to-retirement.
Free Cash Flow for Businesses
Free cash flow (FCF) is what remains after a business covers operating costs and reinvests in itself. It is the cash available to pay dividends, repay debt, or fund growth. A business can be profitable on paper but cash-flow negative if too much is locked in receivables or inventory.
Limitations
This calculator uses simplified categories. Real cash flow varies month to month with irregular income, seasonal expenses, and one-time events. Use these results as a planning baseline, not a budget. For detailed budgeting, consider tracking actual spending over 2–3 months.