Free Financial Projections Template (Excel)
What a Financial Projections Template Should Include
A useful projections file needs monthly detail for the near term (Year 1), rolled-up annual figures for the years after that (Year 2-3), a sense of how long your cash lasts (runway and burn rate), and ideally more than one growth scenario - since no single number is ever going to be right.
Most free competitors split this into pieces: Equidam offers a yearly model and a separate monthly model as two different downloads, and Score.org's template is one static scenario with no sensitivity toggle. This file combines all of it in one workbook.
Monthly Year 1, Annual Year 2-3
The Year 1 Monthly sheet projects revenue, opex, net cash flow, and cash balance for each of the first 12 months, growing revenue every month at your chosen growth rate. Year 2-3 Annual then rolls up your Year 2 and Year 3 figures at the annual level and carries the cash balance forward from where Year 1 ended - so your 3-year cash position stays connected across both views instead of living in two disconnected tabs.
The Best / Base / Worst Scenario Toggle
Type Best, Base, or Worst into the Scenario cell on the Assumptions sheet and the Effective monthly growth rate adjusts automatically (Best adds 3 points to your base growth rate, Worst subtracts 3 points) - every month on the Year 1 Monthly sheet, and the burn rate and runway on the Runway & Burn sheet, recalculate from that one cell. Neither Score.org's nor Equidam's templates include a built-in sensitivity toggle like this; they ship one static case per file.
Cash Flow, Runway, and Burn Rate
Runway & Burn averages your Year 1 monthly net cash flow to find your average monthly burn, then divides your Year 1 ending cash balance by that burn to estimate how many months of runway you have left. If your average net cash flow is positive, the sheet reports that you're profitable instead of a runway number - dividing by a zero or negative burn rate would be meaningless.
How to use it
- On the Assumptions sheet, type Best, Base, or Worst and set your starting revenue, starting cash, monthly opex, and base growth rate.
- Review Year 1 Monthly and Year 2-3 Annual - both recalculate instantly for your chosen scenario.
- Check Runway & Burn for your average monthly burn and months of runway.
Download the free Free Financial Projections Template (Excel)
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Small Business Bookkeeping & Tax Dashboard
Need to track the actuals behind these projections? The paid Bookkeeping template ($19) adds Schedule C categorization, a quarterly tax dashboard, and CPA-ready export.
See the full versionFrequently asked questions
How does the best/base/worst toggle work?
Type Best, Base, or Worst (exactly, case-sensitive) into the Scenario cell on the Assumptions sheet. Best adds 3 percentage points to your base monthly growth rate, Worst subtracts 3 points, and Base uses your entered rate as-is - every dependent number recalculates automatically.
Does it include a break-even or runway chart?
Yes - the Year 1 Monthly sheet includes a bar chart of monthly net cash flow so you can see visually when cash flow turns positive, alongside the numeric runway calculation on the Runway & Burn sheet.
Is Year 1 monthly and Year 2-3 annual in the same file?
Yes, in one workbook with the cash balance carried forward between them - unlike templates that split yearly and monthly views into two separate downloads.
Is this a real download or a lead-capture funnel?
It's a direct, ungated single-click download - no bit.ly redirect or email-gated funnel.
Is this a substitute for a CPA-reviewed forecast?
No. It's a planning tool for founders and small businesses to model scenarios quickly - have your accountant review any projections you share with investors or lenders.