BUSINESS FUNDING, EXPLAINED
Contractor Payment Delay Calculator
Estimate the cash gap when a customer pays an invoice 15, 30 or 60 days late. Compare payroll and material expenses with expected receipts.
If an invoice arrives late
No signup required. Calculator inputs stay in this page and are not submitted or saved. Standard site traffic measurement is separate. Refreshing clears your entries.
Spread weekly costs across seven calendar days. Exclude the delayed invoice from other receipts. This assumes full payment at the end of the delay.
Cash needed to avoid going below zero
Complete the amounts and enter a whole-number delay from 1 to 365 days.
A profitable project can still tie up cash
Labor and suppliers may need payment before a customer pays your invoice. This calculator starts on the invoice due date and compares immediate payment with a delay. Use calendar-day averages for all cash flows.
How the calculation works
Cash before payment = starting cash + (other daily receipts − daily expenses) × days late. The gap is the amount needed to keep that steady-flow projection at or above zero before the invoice arrives. The on-time scenario adds the invoice on day zero.
Illustrative example
With $12,000 cash, a $30,000 invoice, $1,500 daily expenses and $700 other daily receipts, a 30-day delay produces a $12,000 cash gap. Full invoice payment then brings the projected balance to $18,000. These are invented examples, not actual customer outcomes.
This model excludes interest, penalties and retainage; actual bills may cluster on particular dates. Plan those dates with the cash-shortfall planner. Read our construction funding guide for next steps.
See what could fit your business.
Email, mobile and current revenue status are required. Financial figures and bank statements are optional. Loan Sweet Loan is a lead-generation and referral platform, not a lender or broker.
By Loan Sweet Loan · Updated October 9, 2026 · Educational, AI-assisted content. About our guides
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