Cash flow for tradies: what to track, and apps that work with Xero

The short answer

Most tradies on Xero can start with what Xero already includes: invoicing with online payments, and short-term cash-flow projections in Xero Analytics. If you need longer forecasts or scenarios, dedicated forecasting apps such as Float and Calxa connect to Xero. AI assistants that read Xero can answer questions about cash in plain English. Whatever the tool, the habit that matters is a short weekly look at cash, debtors and what is due out.

Why cash is lumpy for tradies

A trade business can be profitable on paper and still short of cash in a given week. The usual reasons:

• Deposits and progress claims. Money arrives in stages tied to the job, not evenly across the month.
• Materials bought up front. Timber, fittings or equipment are often paid for before the customer pays anything.
• Retention. On some commercial or builder contracts, a percentage of each claim is held back until the job is complete or the defects period ends.
• Slow payers. A few large invoices paid late can matter more than many small ones paid on time.
• Quarterly obligations. GST collected over a quarter is paid in one amount when BAS is due.

What to track weekly and monthly

Weekly

• Cash in the bank, less money already committed (GST collected, super owing, bills due).
• Debtors: who owes what, and how overdue it is.
• Bills and wages due in the next two to four weeks.
• Super for employees. Under Payday Super, from 1 July 2026 employers must pay super so it reaches the employee’s fund within 7 business days of payday, with some exceptions (ATO: About Payday Super). The super guarantee rate is 12% for the 2026–27 income year (ATO: super guarantee rates). Super now moves with each pay run rather than once a quarter.

Monthly

• Debtor days: roughly, how many days of sales are sitting unpaid. A rising figure means customers are taking longer to pay.
• Upcoming BAS. For 2026–27, quarterly BAS is due on 28 October, 28 February, 28 April and 28 July; monthly BAS is due on the 21st of the following month (ATO: BAS due dates). Lodging through a registered tax or BAS agent can change these dates. See BAS due dates for 2026–27.
• PAYG instalments, if the ATO has set your business up for them; your activity statement or instalment notice shows the amount.
• Cash runway: how many months current cash would cover at current spending. The cash runway calculator works this out.

A worked example (illustrative)

Example · illustrative figures. A plumbing business with two employees starts November with A$18,000 in the bank. Over the next four weeks:

The bank balance looks comfortable. But the business also has A$22,000 owed by customers, A$7,500 of it more than 30 days overdue, and GST collected during October–December will be paid with the BAS due 28 February. If that overdue A$7,500 stays unpaid and the next job also needs materials up front, the closing figure falls quickly. Tracking debtors and committed amounts alongside the bank balance shows this weeks earlier than the balance alone.

Tools that work with Xero

Broadly, there are three categories:

• Xero itself. Invoicing with online payment options helps get paid sooner, and Xero Analytics projects your cash position over the next 7 or 30 days from upcoming invoices, bills and quotes.
• Forecasting apps. Float provides short-term cash-flow forecasting from live accounting data and works with Xero and QuickBooks Online in Australia and other countries. Calxa, an Australian product, covers budgeting, cash-flow forecasting, KPIs and consolidations, and works with Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks Online and others.
• AI assistants. Tools such as Nella read Xero and answer questions like “who owes me the most?” or “how many months of runway do I have?” in plain English, with a 3 or 6-month cash-flow forecast. Australian tax payments such as BAS and PAYG instalments are not yet added to that forecast, although BAS dates are shown separately.

Descriptions of other products come from their own sites, read on 30 October 2026. More on trade businesses: finance for tradies.

Where professional judgement comes in

A cash-flow tool shows what is coming in and going out. It does not decide whether to take on a job, how to structure retention terms, or how to handle a BAS or super shortfall. For those questions, speak to a registered tax agent or qualified accountant.

Sources

• ATO: About Payday Super
• ATO: Super guarantee rates
• ATO: Due dates for lodging and paying your BAS
• Xero Analytics (Australia)
• Float
• Calxa fact sheet

Nella provides financial information and education, not accounting or tax advice. Nella shows you the numbers. When a question needs professional judgement, such as a filing or a tax decision, Nella says so and points you to a qualified accountant.