Free burn rate calculator
Cash runway calculator
See how cash decisions change your runway.
Start the toolEstimated: 3 minutes
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Your decision window
Cash runway and act-by date
The model uses cash collected and cash paid, spreads monthly activity across calendar days, and shows the base case beside your scenario.
Scenario cash runway
16.4 mo
+7.4 months versus the base case.Act by October 25, 2027 to preserve a 90-day decision window.| Period | Base case | Scenario |
|---|---|---|
| Now | $120,000 | $120,000 |
| 3 mo | $120,205 | $147,113 |
| 6 mo | $59,754 | $113,864 |
| 9 mo | $0 | $80,977 |
| 12 mo | $0 | $48,090 |
What this means
The modeled buffer is strong. Use the scenario to protect it before adding fixed costs, and refresh the forecast whenever collections or hiring timing changes.
Show the burn-rate and runway assumptions
Net burn = monthly cash outflows minus monthly cash inflows. Runway is projected day by day from cash on hand, with the selected receivable arriving once on its collection day. Scenario cost cuts and revenue changes start now; new-hire cost starts in the selected month. The act-by date is 90 days before modeled cash depletion. This is general planning information, not financial advice.
Export the scenarios + 13-week starter.
Unlock a Sheets-ready scenario model, a blank 13-week cash-flow starter, the decision plan, and a safe weekly agent recipe. Your financial inputs stay in this browser.
- Your runway scenarios
- Dated cash projection
- Decision plan
Preview the result or example included in this kit
NERD OUT — CASH RUNWAY DECISION PLAN Version: cash-runway-v1 Generated: 2026-09-12 Privacy: Generated in your browser. Your financial inputs were not uploaded. General planning information only; not financial advice. BASE CASE Runway: 9.0 months Projected cash-out date: 2027-06-13 Act-by date: 2027-03-14 SCENARIO Runway: 16.4 months Projected cash-out date: 2028-01-24 Act-by date: 2027-10-25 NEXT THREE DECISIONS 1. Confirm the date and probability of every material receivable; do not treat booked revenue as cash. 2. Assign an owner and deadline to the scenario levers you can actually execute. 3. Update the 13-week view weekly and compare forecast cash with the bank balance. SAFE AGENT RECIPE Trigger: Run after the weekly books and receivables list are updated. Draft: Summarize changed assumptions, the earliest cash risk, and the three largest variances. Human review: The owner or finance lead verifies every source number and approves every action. Stop rules: Never move money, contact customers, change payroll, or cancel spending automatically. Escalate missing or conflicting data. MODEL NOTES Monthly inflows and outflows are spread evenly across average calendar days. Receivables are modeled as one cash receipt on the selected collection day. The act-by date is 90 days before modeled cash depletion, or today when less than 90 days remain.
How this tool works
Cash, inflows, outflows, and receivables in. Base runway, an act-by date, and a side-by-side what-if scenario out.
- Enter the current cash picture.
- Test collections, costs, revenue, and hiring.
- Get the scenario model and 13-week starter.
The useful distinction
Burn rate is an average. Runway is a dated decision window.
Net burn rate is monthly cash outflows minus monthly cash inflows. Cash runway asks how long cash on hand can support that burn, while the dated model also accounts for when a material receivable is expected to arrive.
A scenario is useful only when its assumptions can become actions. Treat faster collections, cost cuts, revenue changes, and hiring dates as decisions with owners, not optimistic lines in a spreadsheet. This calculator is general planning information, not financial advice.
Questions owners ask
Burn rate and cash runway FAQ
How do you calculate net burn rate?
Net burn rate equals monthly cash outflows minus monthly cash inflows. If a business collects $70,000 and pays $90,000 in a month, its net burn is $20,000. Use cash actually collected and paid rather than booked revenue or non-cash accounting entries.
How do you calculate cash runway?
A simple estimate divides cash on hand by monthly net burn. This tool projects cash day by day instead so it can include the timing of one material receivable, a cost or revenue scenario, and a future new-hire cost.
What does the act-by date mean?
It is 90 days before the modeled cash-out date, or today when less than 90 days remain. It is a planning guardrail that preserves time to make decisions; it is not a financial rule or guarantee.
Does Nerd Out store my financial numbers?
No. The calculation and personalized exports are generated in your browser. Email capture uses the magnet identity, but does not send your cash, revenue, expense, receivable, or scenario values.