How much cash will I have in 60 days?

Why 60 days is the sweet spot for cash planning

A 30-day forecast tells you if you can make payroll. A 60-day forecast tells you whether you can hire, invest, or need to pull back. It's the difference between reacting and planning.

Imagine you're thinking about bringing on a new contractor at $6,000/month. Your bank account says you can afford it. But when you look 60 days out, you realize that a large client's contract renews in 45 days and you haven't gotten confirmation yet. If they don't renew, that $6,000/month hire puts you in a hole by day 50.

Most business decisions play out over 60-90 days, not 30. If your cash visibility only extends to the end of the month, you're making two-month bets with one-month data.

What makes a 60-day forecast different from a 30-day forecast

The formula is the same (starting cash + inflows - outflows), but the inputs get harder to pin down:

• Receivables become less certain.You know what invoices are due in 30 days. But in the 30-60 day window, you may be forecasting revenue that hasn't been invoiced yet. That requires assumptions about sales pipeline and contract renewals.
• Expenses stack up. Two months of payroll, two rent payments, and any quarterly or annual expenses that fall in the window. Missing even one large expense throws off the projection significantly.
• Late payments compound.If a client who owes you $15,000 pays 30 days late, it doesn't just affect your 30-day number. It ripples forward and shrinks your 60-day position too.

How to build a 60-day cash forecast in QuickBooks Online (7 steps)

QuickBooks does not offer a 60-day cash projection. You need to pull several reports and build the forecast in a spreadsheet.

1. 1
   Get your current cash balance

   Go to Reports→ search “Balance Sheet.” Run it as of today. Note the “Total Bank Accounts” figure under Current Assets.

2. 2
   Pull your receivables aging

   Go to Reports→ search “A/R Aging Summary.” Note the totals for Current, 1-30 days, and 31-60 days. The first two columns are your likely inflows for the next 60 days.

3. 3
   Estimate new revenue for month two

   Look at your Sales by Customer Summaryreport for the past 3 months to estimate recurring revenue. For the second month, include only revenue you're confident about (signed contracts, recurring clients).

4. 4
   Pull your payables

   Go to Reports→ search “A/P Aging Summary.” Check your Recurring Transactionslist (Gear icon → Recurring Transactions) and note everything that will hit in the next 60 days.

5. 5
   Review the Statement of Cash Flows

   In Reports, search “Statement of Cash Flows.” Run it for the last 2 months. This reveals cash movement patterns and helps you catch expenses you might have missed, like loan payments or tax disbursements.

6. 6
   Build a two-month spreadsheet

   Create two columns: Month 1 and Month 2. For each month, list starting cash, expected inflows, and expected outflows. Month 2's starting cash is Month 1's ending cash. The final number is your 60-day projection.

7. 7
   Build a pessimistic scenario

   Copy your spreadsheet. In the copy, remove any revenue that isn't locked in and assume your slowest-paying clients pay 30 days late. If this scenario goes negative, you need a contingency plan.

How to build a 60-day cash forecast in Xero (6 steps)

Xero's built-in cash flow tool only projects 7 or 30 days. For 60 days, you'll need to extend the projection manually.

1. 1
   Start with Xero's 30-day projection

   Go to Business → Short-term cash flow. Set the timeframe to 30 days. Note the projected balance. This is your Month 1 ending cash.

2. 2
   Pull the Aged Receivables report

   Go to Accounting → Reports → Aged Receivables Summary. Look at invoices in the 31-60 day range. These are potential inflows for Month 2.

3. 3
   Estimate Month 2 revenue

   Review your Profit and Loss report (under Accounting → Reports) for the past 3 months to establish a baseline for recurring revenue. Only count revenue you're confident about.

4. 4
   Estimate Month 2 expenses

   Use last month's P&L as a baseline for recurring expenses. Add any known one-off expenses (tax payments, annual renewals). Check Accounting → Reports → Aged Payables Summary for bills due in the 31-60 day window.

5. 5
   Build the Month 2 projection

   In a spreadsheet: Month 1 ending cash (from Xero's tool) + Month 2 expected inflows - Month 2 expected outflows = your 60-day cash position.

6. 6
   Run a worst-case scenario

   Reduce Month 2 inflows by 20-30% and see what happens. If the number goes negative, you may need to accelerate collections or delay a planned expense.

What it takes to maintain a rolling 60-day cash forecast

A one-time forecast is useful. A rolling forecast that updates every month is powerful. But the effort adds up:

• You're updating it at least monthly. Every time a payment comes in late, a new expense appears, or a contract changes, your forecast needs updating. Most owners do this monthly. Some need to do it weekly.
• Month 2 is always a guess.No matter how carefully you estimate, the second month of a 60-day forecast has a margin of error. The question is whether that margin matters for the decisions you're making.
• It's worth the effort. Even a rough 60-day forecast has saved countless businesses from unexpected cash crunches. The 30 minutes you spend now can prevent the scramble later.

Or get your 60-day cash forecast automatically

Bottomline connects to your QuickBooks or Xero account and builds rolling 30, 60, and 90-day cash forecasts automatically. It combines your current balance, open receivables, upcoming payables, and historical payment patterns into a single projection:

Bottomline also factors in payment history. If a client has paid an average of 12 days late over the past 6 months, the forecast adjusts their expected payment date accordingly. You get a realistic projection instead of an optimistic one.