Property Cash Flow Calculator

Rent, Vacancy and Holding Costs

This property cash flow calculator subtracts paid holding costs and loan repayments from rent after vacancy. A positive figure is a cash surplus. A negative figure is a shortfall the owner must fund.

Enter rent for a week, month or year. The forecast converts it to annual rent, then removes the share lost during your vacancy weeks. It uses 52 weeks and 12 months. Weekly results divide annual cash flow by 52.

Include rates, insurance and management fees in annual paid costs. Add maintenance, strata levies and land tax where they apply. Keep loan repayments in the loan section so the forecast counts them once.

Use the client’s expected payments, including cash spent on items that receive different tax treatment. Non-cash deductions, such as depreciation, stay outside paid costs. Review the rent assumption against the lease and reconcile expenses with bills.

Moneysmart’s property investment guide explains the risk of rent failing to cover mortgage payments and other costs. Vacancy reduces receipts while holding costs can continue.

Mortgage Principal and Interest

Both interest and principal repayments reduce available cash. The interest-only option pays monthly interest and leaves the loan balance unchanged. Principal and interest repayments also reduce the outstanding loan.

The calculator models the next 12 equal monthly periods from the entered balance. It divides the annual rate by 12 and charges interest before each month-end repayment. The rate stays constant, and the remaining term sets the principal and interest payment.

Monthly repayments and interest round to cents. Principal is the repayment less interest. A final repayment clears any rounding residue when the remaining term ends within the forecast.

Incorrect tax treatment: deduct the whole mortgage repayment as interest. Correct treatment: separate principal from interest, then assess the interest deduction under the rental-property rules. Principal is a cash payment without an interest deduction.

Moneysmart explains interest-only repayments and the higher payments when that period ends. Choose the repayment type that applies throughout this forecast year. A midyear switch requires separate forecasts.

The model excludes daily interest, offsets and extra repayments. Add separately paid loan fees to annual paid costs. A deposit, purchase costs or sale proceeds need separate cash planning because this forecast covers holding the property.

Positive Cash Flow and the Tax Result

Positive cash flow means receipts exceed the cash payments included in the forecast. Taxable rental profit uses tax deductions and ownership rules, so it can differ from the cash result.

Benefit adds your expected annual tax saving. Choose Cost for an expected annual tax cost, which the calculator subtracts. Enter a positive amount for either choice. None leaves the after-tax scenario equal to before-tax cash flow.

The calculator applies that adjustment once to the annual forecast. The weekly after-tax figure is an average, even if a refund or tax payment occurs later. It does not show cash available in a particular week.

You supply the tax adjustment. This tool does not estimate it from tax brackets or depreciation. Use the investment property tax calculator to estimate the rental tax difference, then review the amount and expected payment timing before entering it here.

Worked Property Forecast and Export

The fictional default property earns $650 a week with two unpaid weeks. Rent received is $32,500 for the year. Paid holding costs are $6,800. A $480,000 interest-only loan at 6.2% costs $29,760 in annual interest.

Subtracting $6,800 and $29,760 from $32,500 leaves a $4,060 annual shortfall, shown as -$4,060. The weekly average is -$78. An invented $1,800 tax benefit changes the annual scenario to -$2,260 and the weekly average to -$43.

Keep those assumptions and choose principal and interest over 30 remaining years. Monthly repayments are $2,939.85. The first year includes $29,600 interest and $5,678 principal, leaving before-tax cash flow of -$9,578.

Download forecast CSV to keep the assumptions and cash reconciliation together. The file includes the signed tax adjustment and all 12 loan payments, with principal and interest separated. Amounts remain plain numbers for a spreadsheet.

The annual results show whole-dollar estimates. The CSV retains cents for reconciliation, so the rounded figures displayed on the page can differ slightly from their sum. The weekly figures average the annual amounts before display rounding.

Inputs stay in your browser and are not saved in browser storage. The downloaded file contains your assumptions. Keep it with the client’s working papers and replace the fictional values with the client’s own forecast.