Cannabis Dispensary Cash Flow Forecasting Worksheet — 13-Week Rolling Forecast with 280E Tax Planning

Cannabis operators run out of cash for one reason: they don't see it coming. This worksheet fixes that.

The Cannabis Dispensary Cash Flow Forecasting Worksheet is a professional 13-week rolling cash flow model built specifically for cannabis retailers — with 280E tax planning, operating cost tracking, and automatic alerts when your projected balance falls below your minimum threshold. Built from 13+ years of hands-on cannabis retail experience.

Opens in Excel, Google Sheets (free), or Numbers on Mac. No software purchase required.

WHAT'S INSIDE (4-tab workbook, 612 live formulas):

TAB 1 — 📋 Instructions

Complete guide to using the worksheet, color coding explained, 280E-specific notes, and the weekly update process. Read once, reference as needed.

TAB 2 — ⚙️ Assumptions

Your single input tab. Fill in your store's weekly revenue, all 11 operating cost categories, 280E effective tax rate (with auto-calculated quarterly payment estimate), opening cash balance, minimum cash threshold, and up to 5 large irregular payments with their target weeks. Change inputs here — the entire forecast updates automatically.

TAB 3 — 📊 13-Week Rolling Forecast

The main working sheet. Weekly revenue rows are highlighted for easy override with actual or projected numbers. Every cost line flows from Assumptions. Shows:

— Weekly cash inflows (revenue + other)

— Cost of Goods Sold (auto-calculated from your margin)

— 11 operating expense categories

— 280E federal and state tax payment weeks (enter in due week)

— Up to 5 large irregular payments (auto-placed from Assumptions)

— Net weekly cash flow

— Running cash balance with opening and closing balance per week

— ⚠️ ACT flag on any week projected below your minimum cash threshold

— Key metrics: gross margin %, operating cash flow margin %, 280E tax as % of revenue

TAB 4 — 📈 Dashboard

Six KPI summary cards (total revenue, COGS, operating costs, tax payments, net cash flow, projected Week 13 balance) plus a complete week-by-week summary table. All data pulls automatically from the Forecast tab.

CANNABIS-SPECIFIC FEATURES:

— 280E tax section with effective rate input and auto-calculated quarterly payment estimate

— Built around cash-heavy operations — assumes same-week cash collection

— Operating costs include cannabis-specific line items: banking fees, seed-to-sale software, compliance & legal, armored transport

— Large irregular payment tracker for rent adjustments, license renewals, equipment, and large inventory orders

— Minimum cash threshold with automatic flags — the most important cannabis cash flow tool

WHO THIS IS FOR:

— Dispensary owners who've been surprised by a 280E tax bill and want to plan ahead

— Operators who want to see cash crunches 8-10 weeks before they happen

— New operators building their financial management systems from scratch

— Anyone whose accountant has told them they need better cash flow visibility

Works with Excel, Google Sheets (free), or Apple Numbers. 612 live formulas, zero errors.

Built by a cannabis retail operator with 13+ years of experience in dispensary operations and financial management.