Managing cash flow is crucial for businesses of all sizes. Understanding your company's cash inflows and outflows can help you make informed decisions, optimize operations, and improve financial performance. One of the most effective ways to gain visibility into your cash flow is by creating a cash flow statement in Excel. Excel is a powerful tool that allows you to organize, analyze, and present financial data clearly and concisely. A cash flow statement in Excel will help youeasily track your cash flowandidentify trends,risks,andopportunities. Moreover, Excel provides flexibility and control over your data, enabling you to make changes quickly. In this guide, we will show you how to create a cash flow statement in Excel that does not suck. We will provide step-by-step instructions onbuilding your cash flow statement from scratchandbest practicesfor accuracy and error-proofing. We will also introduce you toZebra BI for Office, a powerful add-in for Excel that can help you take your cash flow statement to the next level with actionable charts and next-level tables. Whether a small business owner or a controller, this guide will provide the tools and knowledge you need to create a top-notch cash flow statement in Excel. So let's get started! The fastest way to create a cash flow statement in Excel Get the feature-rich report template that shows how different factors affect your cash flow and presents your numbers in context. Download now Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of creating a cash flow statement in Excel, it's essential to understand what a cash flow statement is and why it matters. A cash flow statement is a financial statement that shows how cash is coming in and going out of a company during a specific period. It provides an overview of a company's cash position by breaking down cash inflows and outflows into three categories: operating activities, investing activities, and financing activities. By tracking these three categories, a cash flow statement provides a comprehensive picture of a company's cash position, helping investors and managers understand how well the company manages its finances. The next section will discuss how to prepare to create your cash flow statement in Excel, including determining data sources and organizing your data. Outlining your cash flow statement, determining your data sources, and organizing your data are crucial steps before you start building the cash flow statement in Excel. A step-by-step procedure would look like this: By taking these steps to prepare your cash flow statement in Excel, you will be able to create a statement that is accurate, comprehensive, and easy to read. The next section will discuss building your cash flow statement in Excel, including creating a layout and inputting data. Now that you have prepared to create your cash flow statement in Excel, it's time to start building it. Here's what you need to do: By following these steps, you can create a cash flow statement in Excel that is accurate, comprehensive, and easy to read. For a more advanced cash flow statement, consider Zebra BI for Office. As we move forward, we will explore how Zebra BI can make your cash flow statement more powerful and actionable. As we've learned, the cash flow statement shows how a company's cash and cash equivalents have changed over a specific period. It provides invaluable insight into a company's liquidity and ability to generate cash flow. Table of Contents
Understanding the Cash Flow Statement
Preparing to Create Your Cash Flow Statement in Excel
Building Your Cash Flow Statement in Excel
Enhancing Your Cash Flow Statement in Excel with Zebra BI
Let's have a look at how this works in the example below.
![Cash Flow Statement in Excel: How To Create A Good One In 2024 - Zebra BI (1) Cash Flow Statement in Excel: How To Create A Good One In 2024 - Zebra BI (1)](https://i0.wp.com/zebrabi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cash-Flow-Statement-In-Excel-hierarchical-1030x584.png)
We can see that a cash flow statement displays cash inflows and outflows fromoperations,investments,andfinancingactivities. The final items clearly show the amount of cash and cash equivalents that a company had at thebeginning of the periodand theendof it.
However, the report in the image above is not your regular cash flow statement. Most cash flow statements have nothing but plain numbers on a chart, which makes them extremely difficult to read. The one created with Zebra BI for Office includes powerful elements that make iteasily understandable with just one glance. Let's have a look at what some of them are.
Key elements of an actionable cash flow statement
The above cash flow statement is a feature-rich report that uses a waterfall chart on the actual value to illustrate how various categories affect cash flow. Additionally, it displays absolute variances, which show how actual results deviate from the plan and the previous year's numbers.
![Cash Flow Statement in Excel: How To Create A Good One In 2024 - Zebra BI (2) Cash Flow Statement in Excel: How To Create A Good One In 2024 - Zebra BI (2)](https://i0.wp.com/zebrabi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/A-combination-of-absolute-values-in-waterfall-charts-and-variances.png)
Once again, the report is structured to clearly show how individual elements combine into larger groups, using subtotals and calculations.
![Cash Flow Statement in Excel: How To Create A Good One In 2024 - Zebra BI (3) Cash Flow Statement in Excel: How To Create A Good One In 2024 - Zebra BI (3)](https://i0.wp.com/zebrabi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/A-table-displaying-individual-components-making-up-larger-categories.png)
When you understand your cash flow, you can make more informed decisions about hiring, equipment purchases, expansion, and salary increases.
Creating a cash flow statement
Now, let's create a simple cash flow statement. Open the Excel spreadsheet with your data and insert a Zebra BI Tables visual. To do that, click Insert on your tool ribbon, then click the My Add-ins button. SelectZebra BI Tables for Office. You will see a table with an overlay, where you should click Continue with a free license.
To change the Zebra BI Tables visual into a waterfall chart, expand it and click on the AC column.
![Cash Flow Statement in Excel: How To Create A Good One In 2024 - Zebra BI (4) Cash Flow Statement in Excel: How To Create A Good One In 2024 - Zebra BI (4)](https://i0.wp.com/zebrabi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Zebra-BI-Tables-add-in-change-table-to-waterfall-1030x358.png)
The next step is to change the selected values to Results.
What's super neat is that these visuals areinteractive: enlarging the chart willautomatically add more information. For example, it also adds relative and absolute variances for a more complete overview.
See exactly how this works in the gif below:
![Cash Flow Statement in Excel: How To Create A Good One In 2024 - Zebra BI (5) Cash Flow Statement in Excel: How To Create A Good One In 2024 - Zebra BI (5)](https://i0.wp.com/zebrabi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/cash-flow-statement-in-excel-responsive-Zebra-BI-for-Office-Add-in.gif)
So cool, right? For even faster results, you can also grab a cash flow statement template & start there.
What's important to note is that Zebra BI Charts and Tables for Office are IBCS-certified, which ensures consistent reporting out of the box.
Creating a cash flow statement in Excel doesn't have to be difficult. Following the steps outlined in this guide, you can create an accurate and effective cash flow statement that provides valuable insights into your company's financial performance. With Zebra BI for Office, you can take your cash flow statement to the next level with stunning visualizations that make it easy to understand and communicate your financial data.
Check this short video to see how easy it is to create a cash flow statement in Excel with Zebra BI for Office:
Now that you know just how easy it can be to build such an actionable cash flow statement in Excel, why not give it a go with your data?
Create advanced cash flow statement in Excel fast
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