Project Cash Flow Calculator
Forecast a construction or contract project's cash flow: cost and revenue S-curves, advance payment, retention, and client payment delay — with the peak funding requirement, the month it hits, and a cumulative month-by-month schedule.
Input
Contract
Spending & Earning Profiles
Payment Terms
Paid at month 0 and recovered pro rata from progress billings.
Withheld from each billing, released after completion.
Months between billing and receiving cash.
Compared against the peak funding requirement.
Output
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| No data yet | |
| Month | Costs Paid | Work Billed | Retention Held | Advance Recovered | Cash Received | Net Cash Flow | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No data yet | |||||||
More ways to use this tool
REST API
curl -X POST https://api.iotools.cloud/v1/tool/project-cash-flow-calculator \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"contractValue": "1000000",
"totalCost": "900000",
"duration": "12",
"costProfile": "front",
"revenueProfile": "scurve",
"advancePct": "0",
"retentionPct": "5",
"retentionLag": "3",
"paymentDelay": "1",
"availableFunding": "50000",
"currency": "USD"
}'Swap in your own key from your account. The tool's fields are the body — no wrapper.
Ask an AI agent
Use the IOTools `project-cash-flow-calculator` tool (Project Cash Flow Calculator) on this input:
YOUR_INPUT_HEREPaste this at any agent connected to the IOTools MCP server, then add your input.
Embed widget
<iframe
src="https://iotools.cloud/embed/project-cash-flow-calculator/"
width="100%" height="520" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" loading="lazy"
title="Project Cash Flow Calculator — iotools.cloud"
sandbox="allow-scripts allow-forms allow-same-origin allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"
allow="clipboard-write"
style="width:100%;border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden"></iframe>
<script src="https://iotools.cloud/embed.js" async></script>Drop this into your own page — free, no key required, just a link back.
| Cost per API/MCP call | From 5 credits |
|---|---|
| Need more credits? | View pricing |
Also available with
Guides
What this project cash flow calculator does
A profitable project can still run out of cash: you pay suppliers and crews as the work happens, but the client pays later and holds back retention. This calculator models that gap. Enter the contract value, total cost and duration, choose how spending and billing are spread over time, add an advance payment, retention and a client payment delay — and it shows your peak funding requirement, the month it hits, and a month-by-month cumulative cash schedule.
How to use it
- Enter the contract value (what you will bill) and total project cost.
- Set the duration in months and pick a cost profile and billing profile: S-curve (slow start, fast middle, slow finish), even, front-loaded or back-loaded.
- Set the advance, retention, retention release lag and client payment delay.
- Optionally enter your available funding or credit line to see whether it covers the peak.
How it's calculated
Cost(month) = Total cost × cost-profile weight
Billed(month) = Contract value × billing-profile weight
Advance recovered = Advance × billing-profile weight
Retention held = Billed × retention %
Cash received = Billed − advance recovered − retention (arrives after the payment delay)
Retention release = Contract value × retention % (month n + release lag)
Net cash flow = Cash received − Costs paid
Peak funding = deepest negative point of the cumulative net cash flowMonth 0 holds the advance payment. The schedule extends past the last work month until the final delayed payment and retention release have landed, so the final cumulative cash equals your expected profit.
Simplifications: costs are paid in the month they are incurred (no supplier credit), and there is no interest on borrowing or inflation. Treat results as a planning estimate.
Frequently asked questions
What is peak funding? The most cash you must have available at once to carry the project before client payments catch up. It is the lowest point of the cumulative cash line.
Why does an S-curve matter? Real projects ramp up, peak, then taper. An S-curve is a more realistic spread than a straight line, and it changes when the cash dip occurs.
How is this different from the Cash Flow Calculator? The Cash Flow Calculator projects flat recurring monthly income and expenses. This tool is for a project with a defined contract value, progress billing, retention and payment delay.
Can the advance and retention exceed the contract? Together they can't exceed 100%, since retention and advance recovery are both taken out of each billing.
Privacy
Everything runs in your browser. Your project figures are never uploaded or stored.