Profit and available cash answer different questions
A sale may contribute to profit before the marketplace pays it into your bank. Stock can require payment weeks before it sells. Refunds, payment reserves, tax and loan repayments also change what is available. Your bank balance today is useful, but it does not show the commitments already due next week. Separate the sales target from the money you can actually spend.
Forecast the receipt date
Build a weekly plan for the next 13 weeks. Start with available opening cash, then place receipts in the week you reasonably expect them to arrive. Use the platform’s actual payout schedule and any reserve. For invoice customers, allow for the agreed terms and the customer’s payment history. Do not count the same money as both a marketplace sale and a later settlement.
Include the payments you would rather forget
List stock, shipping, packaging, software, advertising, wages, tax, rent, refunds and other commitments. Include a tax payment when it leaves the bank, not automatically when a sale occurs. Avoid counting a transfer to a reserve pot and the final bill twice. Owner funding or borrowing changes cash, but is not sales revenue. Use the planner with your own figures and check categories with your accountant.
Look for the lowest point, then test a delay
A healthy closing balance can hide an earlier shortfall. Review the lowest weekly balance and model receipts arriving one or two weeks late. Decide what you can reasonably change: collect an overdue invoice, stagger a stock order, stop an unused subscription or negotiate terms before a bill falls due. Update the forecast weekly with actual figures. The planner is a timing estimate, not a solvency test or promise that funding will be available. Get prompt professional advice if you cannot meet commitments.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Make the next move a clearer one.
- Start with available cash and known commitments.
- Use payout and invoice receipt dates, not just sales dates.
- Allow for refunds, tax, wages and stock deposits.
- Inspect the lowest balance across all 13 weeks.
- Stress-test delayed receipts and update with actual figures.
Where we checked the details
Primary sources checked 11 October 2026. Rules, prices and eligibility can change. Confirm current terms with the official service.
General UK guidance and editorial checklists. Apply the official rules to your circumstances and seek qualified help where needed. This is researched guidance, not a claim that we have tested every provider or situation.
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