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by

Björgvin Vigfússon

Cashflow Forecasting Services (UK 2025/26): Rolling 52-Week Forecasts That Stop Surprises

Who this page is for (and who it isn’t)

If you run a UK service business with 5–30+ staff, tight customer payment cycles, and HMRC dates always looming, this is for you. You want fewer surprises, lender-ready numbers, and decisions grounded in cash reality, not vague “gut feel”.

If you’re pre-revenue or your bookkeeping isn’t up to scratch, start with our DIY Bookkeeping Checklist (UK 2025/26) first—clean data makes or breaks a forecast.

We’re not the cheapest. We’re the partner you bring in when you want clarity + control and you’re ready to run a weekly cash rhythm your team (and lender) can trust.

What exactly is a rolling 52-week cashflow forecast?

A rolling 52-week forecast shows, week by week, cash in / cash out / cash on hand for the next 12 months. It’s updated every week—so you always see a full year ahead—capturing seasonality, VAT quarters, PAYE cycles, Corporation Tax timing, loan repayments and hires.

For lenders who prefer a shorter window, we also produce a condensed 13-week extract straight from your 52-week model (alongside the monthly 12-month view). Professional guidance notes that 13-week weekly forecasts are commonly used in lending/turnaround, typically alongside a 12-month monthly view, we simply give you both. See ICAEW’s guidance Nine principles for finance professionals.

The Heights 4-Step Cashflow Framework (our service, end-to-end)

1) Build (Weeks 0–2)

  • Connect secure bank feeds and map AR/AP ageing to real expected payments.
  • Set opening cash tie-out and ring-fence HMRC cash (VAT, PAYE, CT) inside the model so it can’t “accidentally” get spent.
  • Create lender-ready outputs: 52-week weekly model + 12-month monthly summary, with a 13-week lender extract pre-formatted for credit packs.

2) Govern (Weekly, 20 minutes)

  • Refresh data, reconcile, and review last week vs forecast.
  • Flag red/amber items; assign 1–3 actions (e.g., top-10 debtor sprint, reschedule non-critical spend).
  • Roll forward: the horizon always stays at 52 weeks.

3) Decide (Scenarios on tap)

  • Stress-test “slow payers”, “price rise”, “new hire”, “loan drawdown”, “VAT spike”.
  • If a shortfall appears, follow our escalation ladder (below).

4) Report (No surprises)

  • Send a clear weekly pack to leadership (and your lender if needed): 52-week snapshot, variance bridge, covenant headroom, and action log.
  • Where relevant, align your cadence with MTD ITSA (mandation begins 6 April 2026 for >£50k qualifying income; 6 April 2027 for >£30k; government has set out plans to legislate >£20k from April 2028). See MTD ITSA eligibility and the government update on the £20k threshold.

Compliance dates we hard-code into your forecast (so you’re never caught short)

  • VAT: Your submission and payment deadline is usually one calendar month and 7 days after the end of the accounting period, and the payment must reach HMRC’s account by then. See Send a VAT Return.
  • PAYE/NIC: If paying electronically, your PAYE bill is due by the 22nd of the following tax month (19th if paying by post). See Pay employers’ PAYE.
  • RTI: Submit the Full Payment Submission (FPS) on or before payday. See Reporting to HMRC (RTI).
  • Corporation Tax: Standard payment due 9 months + 1 day after period end; large and very large companies may pay by Quarterly Instalments (QIPs). See Pay Corporation Tax and QIPs for large / very large companies.

Callout: The real cost of being late: HMRC late-payment interest is 8.00% from 27 August 2025. See HMRC interest rates. GOV.UK

Callout: VAT penalties changed: For VAT periods from 1 January 2023, HMRC uses a points-based regime for late VAT submissions, with a £200 penalty at thresholds; late payment penalties and interest apply separately. See VAT penalty points and Late submission penalties (overview).

What’s included (and why it matters)

  • Bank-fed 52-week model tied to your chart of accounts and debtor/creditor ledgers (no “Excel limbo”).
  • HMRC reserve rings for VAT, PAYE and CT—earmarked inside your weekly cash so those funds are not accidentally re-allocated. (See deadlines above.)
  • Weekly governance (20 minutes): data refresh, variances, actions.
  • Scenario planning: price rises, hiring, finance options, debtor slip, supplier squeeze.
  • Lender pack: 13-week extract + 12-month summary, assumptions, AR ageing, covenant headroom, formats lenders commonly expect; ICAEW notes 13-week and 12-month views are standard asks. See ICAEW guidance.
  • Escalation playbook when the forecast goes red:
    1. Collections sprint (top-10 debtors)
    2. Reschedule non-critical spend
    3. Supplier-term talks
    4. Short-term finance (with a forecast to support the ask)
    5. HMRC Time to Pay formal instalments to spread liabilities where appropriate. See Time to Pay / Set up a payment plan.

What it costs (and why value beats “cheap”)

We scope by complexity (volume of transactions, entities, seasonality, lender requirements). Yes, you’ll find cheaper “template-only” offers—but templates don’t make decisions. Weekly governance + scenarios + lender-ready reporting deliver ROI by reducing interest/penalties, overdraft drag, and last-minute firefighting. Just look at HMRC’s current 8.00% late-payment interest to see the hard cost of disorganisation HMRC rates.

If you purely want the tool, grab our 52-Week Cashflow Forecast Clarity Kit (2025/26 Edition) and run it in-house. If you want outcomes, bring us in to run the rhythm with you.

What results should you expect?

  • No missed HMRC payments (because they’re forecast, ring-fenced, and reviewed weekly).
  • Overdraft reliance down (we’ve seen meaningful reductions once the weekly discipline lands).
  • Lender confidence up (clean weekly + monthly pack signals control).

Want to see the rhythm in practice? Read Rolling Cashflow Forecasts: How to Stay Ahead of Surprises for the narrative behind the numbers—and how a weekly cycle avoids the classic “we ran out of cash on the 22nd” moment.

How the weekly rhythm works (after sign-off)

  1. Refresh & reconcile (bank + ledgers)
  2. Variance review (what changed vs last week)
  3. Decide & assign (three actions max)
  4. Re-forecast (always 52 weeks ahead)
  5. Share a short, lender-ready snapshot

UK guidance is clear: choose a forecast period that matches your cash cycle and ability to predict reliably, we operationalise that for you, every week. See British Business Bank: How to create a cash flow forecast.

FAQs (They Ask, You Answer)

Do I still need a monthly 12-month view if I have a 52-week weekly forecast?
Yes. Best practice is a 52-week weekly view plus a 12-month monthly summary. We’ll also provide a 13-week extract when a lender asks for it, as lenders commonly use that weekly window, see ICAEW guidance.

How does this help with VAT and PAYE timing?
We hard-code VAT “1 month + 7 days” and PAYE “22nd” into your model and ring-fence those amounts as they accrue, so cash is sitting there when due. See VAT Return deadline and PAYE deadline.

What if cash will be tight?
You’ll see it early. We’ll execute the escalation ladder and, where appropriate, explore HMRC Time to Pay to spread liabilities via instalments.

We’re growing fast—anything special for Corporation Tax?
If profits exceed thresholds, you may fall into Quarterly Instalment Payments (QIPs) for Corporation Tax; we build those dates into the model so there’s no shock. See QIPs (large) / QIPs (very large).

Is this linked to MTD ITSA?
The weekly discipline dovetails with digital record-keeping. MTD ITSA starts from 6 April 2026 for >£50k and 6 April 2027 for >£30k, with the government setting out plans to legislate >£20k from April 2028. See MTD eligibility and the government update on £20k from 2028.

Why choose Heights (and not a cheapest-wins provider)?

Because clarity isn’t a spreadsheet, it’s a habit. You’re buying a decision system: the model, the weekly governance, and the coaching that makes numbers stick. That’s what reduces financing costs, builds lender trust, and stops “22nd-of-the-month panic.”

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