Guide
Making Tax Digital: what UK businesses must do
Who is in scope, which software qualifies and the deadlines HMRC expects you to hit.
Read guideBusiness financial planning services
Budgets, forecasts, scenario models and exit planning — put structure behind your growth plans instead of running the business on gut feel.
Contact us about financial planningNeed help with business financial planning?
Tell us what you need. It takes about five minutes and there's no obligation.
How business financial planning work
Financial planning turns your commercial plan into numbers: a budget for the year, a rolling forecast, and scenarios showing what happens if sales slip or costs rise.
For owner-managed businesses it usually extends to personal outcomes too — remuneration, pensions, and what the business needs to be worth for an eventual exit.
The output is a model you actually use monthly, not a spreadsheet built once and never opened again.
What affects the cost of business financial planning
- Complexity of your revenue model
- Number of scenarios and sensitivities required
- Whether the model must satisfy a lender or investor
- Frequency of forecast refresh
- Integration with your accounting software
Why get in touch about business financial planning with us
Rolling forecasts
A live view of cash for the next 12 months, refreshed each month.
Scenario modelling
Test hiring, price rises and downturns before committing.
Lender ready
Formats that banks and investors recognise and trust.
Planning services compared
Typical UK fees for owner-managed businesses.
| Service | Typical cost | Frequency | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual budget | £800 - £2,500 | Once a year | Established SMEs |
| Rolling forecast | £300 - £900/mo | Monthly | Growing businesses |
| Funding model | £2,000 - £6,000 | Per raise | Debt or equity raises |
| Exit planning | £3,000 - £12,000 | Multi-year | Owners planning a sale |
What a planning pack usually contains
Deliverables vary, but a credible pack covers all of these.
| Component | Purpose | Refresh |
|---|---|---|
| P&L forecast | Profitability by month | Monthly |
| Cash-flow forecast | Timing of money in and out | Weekly / monthly |
| Balance sheet forecast | Covenants and funding needs | Monthly |
| Scenario sensitivities | Downside and upside cases | Quarterly |
| KPI dashboard | Operational drivers | Monthly |
Expert advice
Our finance team reviews UK providers, pricing tiers and service levels every quarter.
“A forecast you refresh every month is worth more than a perfect model you build once and file away.”
business financial planning: pros and cons
Pros
- Cash surprises spotted months in advance
- Hiring and investment decisions get properly tested
- Stronger position in lender and investor conversations
- Clear link between operational KPIs and profit
Cons
- Only as good as the assumptions behind it
- Requires monthly discipline to stay useful
- Bespoke models cost more than templates
How to choose business financial planning
The cheapest headline price is rarely the cheapest total cost. Work through these points before you commit.
- 1
Insist on drivers
A model built on volume, price and headcount beats one built on percentage growth.
- 2
Check who owns the file
You should be able to update the model without going back to the adviser each time.
- 3
Match the audience
A bank wants covenant headroom; an equity investor wants growth and unit economics.
- 4
Plan the refresh
Agree who updates the forecast each month and by what date.
Get in touch about business financial planning
Tell us what your business needs today. It takes just minutes.
Getting help with business financial planning
It takes a few minutes to get in touch, and there is no obligation.
1. Tell us about your business
Turnover, structure, headcount and how many transactions you process each month.
2. Get matched with a specialist
We put you in touch with a provider that genuinely supports businesses of your size and sector.
3. Understand the real costs
Monthly fees, per-user charges, onboarding costs and what is bundled versus billed extra.
4. Get set up
Your chosen provider handles onboarding, data migration and HMRC registrations where needed.
Things to watch out for
Forecasts built once and never revisited quickly become misleading.
Beware models with hard-coded numbers inside formulas — they break silently.
Regulated investment advice for personal wealth requires an FCA-authorised adviser.
Our business financial planning service
We put you in touch with established UK providers and independent practices for business financial planning, so you can weigh price against the level of support you actually get.
There is no fee to get in touch, and we will tell you plainly when your existing arrangement is already competitive.
Getting started
1
Gather your numbers
Latest accounts, current provider costs and your accounting year end.
2
Check the transfer
Confirm how records, payroll history and HMRC authorisations move across.
3
Set the go-live date
Most businesses switch at a quarter or year end to keep reporting clean.
Why choose Grow Your Business?
Specialists, not generalists
We put you in touch with UK specialists who actually fit how your business operates.
No cost to enquire
There's no fee to get in touch, and no obligation to go ahead once you hear back.
Simple and fast
It takes just a few minutes to send your enquiry, and a specialist will be in touch shortly after.
Types of business financial planning
Different setups suit different stages of growth.
Annual budget build
A single budget for the coming financial year, agreed with the board.
Rolling forecast
Monthly refresh of a 12-month cash and profit view.
Funding model
Investor or lender-grade model with sensitivities and covenants.
Exit planning
Valuation drivers and a multi-year plan to improve them.
Who we work with
Logos are shown for identification. We are not affiliated with every provider listed and do not cover the whole market.
Crunch
Mazuma
TaxAssist
The Accountancy Partnership
1st Formations
Osome
Sage
XeroComparing with us is a no-brainer
“The downside scenario told us to delay two hires. That decision alone kept us cash positive.”
Tom, logistics operator, Nottingham
business financial planning guides
Guide
Cutting the cost of your accounting stack
Where subscription tiers, per-user fees and add-on modules quietly inflate your bill.
Read guide
Guide
In-house vs outsourced finance
When a bookkeeper, an accountant or a fractional finance director makes more sense.
Read guidebusiness financial planning FAQs
How often should a forecast be updated?
Monthly for cash flow, quarterly for the full P&L and balance sheet view. Weekly during a cash squeeze.
Do I need this if I already have an accountant?
Accounts look backwards. Planning looks forwards, and many practices treat it as a separate advisory service.
Is business financial planning regulated?
Commercial forecasting is not, but advice on personal investments or pensions must come from an FCA-authorised adviser.
Written by the Grow Your Business editorial team · Updated 26 July 2026