What is a Cash Flow Table
Cash Flow Table Definition
A cash flow table is a categorised summary of cash flows (income and expenses) over multiple specified periods, typically a month each. They are used for money management to regularly check where the cash comes from and where is goes.
The reason they are so useful is that a well designed cash flow table represents the right information at the right level to manage money. This enables you to focus on the more important matters such as "is this the most effective use of the money", rather than focusing on keeping track of a bunch of transactions.
In the cash flow table below, you can see how easily you can see how much is being spent each month on Home subscriptions in total and broken down by the different subscriptions. The presentation of this information is what puts you in control.
Sections of a Cash Flow Table
- Columns: are the time periods you wish to report on. In the example we have used months, they are in the grey across the top of the table.
- Rows: These are the categories you wish to group your income and expenditure into. Typically, there will be a hierarchy so that you can see a summary and drill down. In this example there is a hierarchy one called "Subscriptions", and below that a separate hierarchy two for each of the subscriptions.
- Data: All of the amounts in the table are a total of the transactions for that combination of row and column.