Source: https://bluefinchadvisors.com/tools/job-cash-flow-planner Payment resources for owner-run local businesses # Job cash flow planner See how deposits, material bills, labor costs and payment delays affect a job's cash gap. Try four sample jobs, download a CSV or print to PDF. [Get a free three-statement audit]() ## Plan receipts against job costs A deposit lands on one day. Parts, film and payroll leave on another. Map the gap before you commit cash to the job. Start with a sample job, then replace every figure with your own. Each example assumes a 3% receipt fee and a two-calendar-day wait for funds. Those assumptions are not a BlueFinch quote, an industry average or a promised settlement schedule. - Transmission repair: illustrative $5,400 repair. - Paint protection film: illustrative $6,000 installation. - Commercial window film: illustrative $18,000 project. - Vehicle restoration: illustrative $24,000 staged job. ## Set payment and availability days Day 0 is the start of your plan. Enter when a customer pays or a cost leaves your account. For receipts, add the calendar days until funds are available to spend. Include weekends, holidays or expected holds in your own delay. This tool does not predict your processor's settlement schedule. The ledger sorts every entry by the day cash is available or leaves your account. On the same day, costs are counted before receipts. This conservative order exposes a possible intraday shortfall instead of assuming incoming funds arrive first. ## How the cash-gap calculation works Net receipt = payment amount minus its percentage fee and fixed fee. Amounts and fees are rounded to cents for each entry. Job balance = accumulated net receipts minus accumulated outlays. Maximum funding needed = the largest shortfall in that running balance, starting from zero. Additional funding needed subtracts the cash you already allocated, with a minimum of zero. Job contribution is net receipts minus the outlays you entered. It excludes overhead and tax. It is not profit. Opening cash changes funding availability, not job contribution. A deposit is part of the job's receipts, not a separate profit figure. The model includes only the receipts, costs, fees and delays you enter. Add separate cost entries for other job expenses. Refunds, chargebacks, reserves, financing costs, sales tax and overhead are not modeled automatically. Each receipt row represents one payment. Split payments into separate rows when fixed fees or availability dates differ. ## Compare timing, not promised savings Try the same job with a later balance payment, an earlier materials bill or a longer wait for funds. A smaller cash gap doesn't tell you what deposit to charge. Your actual payment terms, customer agreement and applicable requirements remain separate from this plan. ## A private, reusable job worksheet Your figures stay in this tab; BlueFinch doesn't receive or save them. Export a local copy if you want to keep the plan. Refreshing the page resets it. Keep a dated working copy by downloading the CSV or printing from your browser. You can choose Save as PDF if your browser offers it. Share this original worksheet with your bookkeeper or trade group, crediting BlueFinch Advisors and linking to this page. ## Related job workflows ### [PPF deposits and material cash flow]() ### [Transmission teardown authorization and payments]() ### [Commercial window film progress payments]() ### [Body shop calibration sublet reconciliation]() ### [Per-vehicle fleet wrap deposits and balances]() ## Review the cost of collecting these payments Once the timing is clear, compare processing charges using your own statement. The instant quote reads your statement in your browser and gives you figures to review. ### [See your savings instantly]() ## Check the system as well as the rate. A full job value is not this month's settled card volume. Compare the actual collection schedule. How are deposits, milestone invoices and refunds matched to one project? ### [Help choosing your payments]() Check integrations, payment channels, funding and the full cost. ### [Review your business expenses]() Work from your own bills and stated replacement costs. ### [Charges that may remain]() Distinguish the merchant credit-card rate from other account fees. ## Useful next steps and sources. ### Primary references - [SBA: Managing business finances and cost-benefit analysis]() Use consistent records and consider both recurring and one-time costs. [AI site overview](https://bluefinchadvisors.com/llms.txt) ยท [Full Toolbox details](https://bluefinchadvisors.com/llms-full.txt)