13-Week Cash Flow
Also known as: 13-Week Cash Forecast, Thirteen-Week Cash Flow
Definition
A 13-week cash flow forecast maps weekly cash receipts, disbursements, debt service, payroll, vendor pressure, and liquidity headroom. It is the control tower for turnaround work because it shows when decisions must happen, not just whether the P&L looks profitable.
A monthly forecast is too blunt when the company is under pressure. The 13-week view forces the team to see payroll, collections, vendor exposure, and covenant risk week by week.
In turnaround work, this forecast becomes the operating cadence for cash decisions.
Related terms
- Cash Runway — The number of months a company can operate before cash runs out at the current burn rate.
- Lender Forbearance — A lender's temporary agreement not to exercise remedies after a default or covenant issue.
- Runway Extension — Actions that increase the time a company can operate before cash, liquidity, or financing becomes binding.
Where this gets applied
- Unit Economics — CAC payback, NRR, gross margin by segment, cohort analysis, paid-on-bookings vs. paid-on-cash.
- Financial Infrastructure — ARR waterfalls, deferred-revenue rules, board-pack standardization, FP&A architecture.
- Project Recovery — Stalled programs unblocked. We've rescued $13M and $3M Fortune 500 initiatives in under 30 days.