Customer payments and cash flow: use the receipt date, not just the order total

Keep three dates distinct: the order date, the agreed payment due date and the date money is actually received. An expected receipt date in a forecast is an assumption that may need revision. It does not change the agreement with the customer.

Follow one order without counting its value twice

In this fictional example, order O-104 has a current value of $1,200. A $300 deposit arrives on October 5. The remaining $900 is due on October 19.

If opening cash already includes the deposit, adding another future $300 receipt duplicates it. Conversely, deleting the deposit from the payment history would make the order record incomplete. Use each record for its own question rather than trying to make every screen contain the same number.

Put the remaining receipt into a dated forecast

Start with the actual opening cash for your chosen scope and date. Add only future receipts and payments relevant to that forecast. Distinguish customer due dates from your assumptions about receipt timing, and keep a note when those assumptions differ.

The Australian government's cash-flow planning guidance describes opening cash, incoming and outgoing amounts, and clearly labeled estimates. The example below applies that basic timing question to weekly periods; it is not a prediction about a real customer.

Assume $800 opening cash on October 6, including the deposit. Expected payments are $500 in week one, $600 in week two and $200 in week three. The $900 balance is expected in week two. Compare that with the same receipt arriving in week three instead.

Both scenarios end at $400, but their paths differ. The delayed case reaches a negative week-two close. That result exposes a gap in the assumptions; it does not authorize an overdraft, arrange financing or decide which bill to delay. With a chosen $200 reserve, the delayed week-two close sits $500 below that reserve.

Weekly closes also hide the order of movements within a week. A positive weekly total cannot establish that money is present for a payment due earlier that week. Check actual dates separately when that timing matters.

Choose an order record, a forecast, or both

Use the Order and Sales Tracker when the task is linking actual receipts and refunds to an order and reviewing balances, overdue amounts and credits. It supports 300 order records and 600 dated payment entries. Order progress and payment status remain separate. It does not create invoices or synchronize with a marketplace.

Use the 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast when the task is comparing dated expected cash movements with a receipt-delay scenario. It supports 200 expected receipts and payments and reviews weekly closing cash against a reserve you choose. It does not promise that a customer will pay or show every daily low.

If both jobs matter, keep them reconciled manually. A receipt entered in Order and Sales Tracker does not automatically update the forecast. You do not need both products simply because they appear in the same example.

Update the plan when a payment arrives

Match the actual receipt to the correct order. Check its amount and date, including whether it is only a partial payment. Then update your forward view without retaining an expected receipt that has already been included in opening cash.

At a new forecast start date, use the corresponding opening cash and remaining future movements. Keep a dated copy if you want to compare what was expected with what happened. This is a manual review process, not an automated rollover feature.

For money that has already moved through the business, the monthly cashbook review provides a separate record-checking workflow. The Small Business collection lets you compare the tools by task rather than by the number of files in a bundle.