Unrestricted Cash Calculator
Start from the bank balance, take out restricted funds and the payroll, supplier, and debt payments already due, and see the cash actually available and how many weeks it covers.
Built on question 4 of Dr. Michelle Gordon's guide, How to Tell If Your Financial Statements Are Accurate.
How do I calculate unrestricted cash?
Unrestricted cash is the bank balance minus any funds held for a specific purpose, such as grants, customer deposits, escrow, or loan reserves. Cash actually available for operations goes one step further: subtract the payroll, supplier, debt, and other payments already committed over the next few weeks. What is left is the money you can decide about. Divide it by your weekly net burn to see how many weeks it covers.
How to use this tool
- 1
Start from the bank
Enter the bank balance and the part of it that is restricted to a specific use.
- 2
Set aside what is committed
Add the payroll, supplier, debt, and other payments due inside the window you choose.
- 3
Read what is left
See the cash actually available, its share of the bank balance, and how many weeks it covers at your burn rate.
A healthy bank balance can still mean a tight month
Dr. Gordon frames it directly: "The question is not simply how much money is in the bank." "It is how much is actually available to meet the organization's obligations." These are the four gaps between the two numbers.
Restricted is not yours to spend
Grant funding tied to a program, customer deposits, security deposits, and cash held against a loan covenant all sit in the balance and none of it can pay rent. Treat it as already gone.
Committed is already spent
Payroll on Friday and the supplier run approved last week are decisions already made. Counting that cash as available double-spends it.
Profit is not cash
A profitable month with receivables piling up can leave less cash than a loss-making month with fast collections. The P&L will not show you the squeeze.
Receivables are a hope, not a balance
This calculator deliberately leaves expected receipts out. Model them in a weekly forecast using how customers actually pay, not their terms.
One number, one point in time
This gives you the available figure for today. The weekly picture, including which receipts are reliable and which payments can move, needs the full AR and AP detail rolled forward week by week. That is the 13-week forecast, and keeping it current by hand is a permanent weekly task. DataWyse builds it from your connected ledger and shows the source of every line.
See how DataWyse answers thisQuestions finance teams ask about this tool
What is the difference between cash and unrestricted cash?
Cash is the total bank balance. Unrestricted cash excludes amounts that can only be used for a specific purpose, such as grant funds, escrow, customer deposits, or a required loan reserve. Only unrestricted cash can fund day-to-day operations.
Should I include undrawn credit lines?
No. Track them separately. A credit facility is a real backstop, but it carries covenants and lenders can reduce it when conditions worsen, which is exactly when you would need it.
Why are expected customer payments left out?
Because this measures the cash you have, not the cash you are owed. Receipts belong in a weekly forecast, timed by how each customer actually pays. Use the 13-week cash forecast tool for that.
How many weeks of available cash should a business keep?
There is no universal number. A practical floor is enough to cover at least one full payroll cycle plus the supplier runs you already know about, and less than eight weeks of cover is a sensible point to start acting. Your own minimum depends on how predictable your receipts are.
What counts as a restricted fund for a small business?
Customer deposits you may have to refund, cash pledged as collateral, amounts held for sales tax or payroll taxes you have collected, and for nonprofits, donor-restricted grants. If you cannot spend it on rent tomorrow, treat it as restricted.
Is this tool really free?
Yes. No signup, no email required, no usage limit. It runs entirely in your browser: nothing you type is uploaded to a server or stored anywhere. We build these because the people who find them useful are the people who eventually need a financial analyst that works the same way.
Related reading
- How to Tell If Your Financial Statements Are Accurate: 7 Questions Every CEO Should Ask Industry Expert · Dr. Michelle Gordon, CPA, CMA, CPHR, EMBA, DBA · 7 min read
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