How Payments and Cash Flow Work Together 

Payments and Cash Flow are directly connected in Mastt. When you mark a payment as Paid and assign it to a month, it automatically appears in your Cash Flow view. This integration eliminates double-entry and ensures your forecasts reflect actual payment activity.

This article explains how payments populate cash flow data, what the visual indicators mean, and how open versus closed months affect your reporting. Understanding this relationship helps you maintain accurate financial forecasts and track project cash flow in real time.

Two Ways to Populate Cash Flow

Automatically from Payment

When you record a payment in Mastt, you control where it appears in your Cash Flow by selecting two fields:

• Set the Payment Status to Paid
• Select the month in the Month Paid field (e.g., September 2025)

Once saved, the payment amount automatically appears in that month's column in Cash Flow.

For example, if you mark a $50,000 payment as Paid and select September in the Month Paid field, that $50,000 will flow into the September column of your Cash Flow view.

Result: This creates a direct connection between your payment records and cash flow forecasting - no manual data entry required.

Note: For step-by-step instructions on creating payments, refer to the "How to Add Payments" article.

Manually with Forecasted Values

You can enter projected amounts directly into Cash Flow before recording any actual payments. This is useful for planning ahead or budgeting future periods. As you record actual paid payments later, Mastt compares those actuals against your forecasts.

Note: For detailed instructions on entering forecasted values, refer to the "How to Edit Budget and Object Level Cash Flow" article.

Most teams use both methods: they forecast future months manually, then let paid payments automatically populate actuals as the project progresses.

How Automatic Population Works

For a payment to appear in Cash Flow, two specific conditions must be met:

Step 1: Set Payment Status to 'Paid'

• Navigate to Payments in the top navigation
• Click the Action button next to any payment
• Select Edit Payment
• Locate the Payment Status dropdown in the payment form
• Select Paid from the dropdown

Step 2: Select the Month Paid

• Locate the Month Paid field (appears when status is set to Paid)
• Click the calendar icon
• Select the month and year this payment should be counted in for Cash Flow purposes (e.g., September 2025)

Result: The payment will appear in the selected month's column in your Cash Flow view

The Green Underscore Indicator

After saving a payment with both conditions met, navigate to the Cash Flow tab in top navigation. Look at the bottom of the cell for the month you selected.

A green underscore appears at the bottom of any month that has paid payments recorded. This visual indicator makes it easy to scan your Cash Flow timeline and identify which months have actual payments versus forecasts only.

Hover over the green underscore to see a tooltip displaying:

• Cash Flow: The forecasted amount for that month
• Paid: The total amount of payments marked as Paid for that month
• Percentage: The percentage of the forecast that has been paid

For example, if you forecasted $144,000 for November and recorded $50,000 in paid payments, the tooltip shows:

• Cash Flow: 144000
• Paid: 50,000
• Percentage: 34.72%

What displays in the Cash Flow cell:

• If the month is open, the cell displays the forecast amount ($144,000)
• If the month is closed, the cell displays the actual paid amount ($50,000)

Understanding Open vs Closed Months

Anyone with access to the project can enter cash flow data, edit forecasts, and close months. However, reopening closed months requires Workspace or Project Admin permissions.

Open months

Open months are current or future reporting periods. In open months:

• Forecast values display at the top of the cell
• Green underscores show for any paid payments
• You can view and edit forecast amounts
• The main number shown is your forecast - paid amounts are only indicated by the green underscore and won't replace the forecast until the month is closed

Closed months

Closed months are past or locked reporting periods. When you close a month, the view changes:

• Actual (paid) values display prominently
• Forecast values are hidden - they're no longer relevant
• You cannot edit forecast values, modify existing payments, or add new payments for that month
• The green underscore remains visible to indicate paid payments exist

Closing a month "locks in" your actuals and transitions from forecasting to reporting view. This creates a clear financial record for that period.

Practical Workflow Example

Step 1: Forecast Cash Flow

• Navigate to Cash Flow in top navigation
• Scroll down to the table.
• Choose how you want to set your cash flow:
  • Budget Level – Enter forecasts for overall budgets
    • Turn on the Budget Cash Flow Entry toggle in Settings (top right)
  • Object Level – Enter forecasts for specific Contracts, Changes, or Forecasts
    • Turn off the Budget Cash Flow Entry toggle in Settings (top right)

• Click the Action button next to the Budget (for budget-level cash flow) or select the specific object (e.g., Contract, Change, or Forecast) if you’re doing object-level cash flow
• Enter your forecasted amount (e.g., $144,000 - for budget-level cash flow)
• Add note if needed
• Click Confirm to save changes

Step 2: Record Payments as They Occur

• Navigate to Payments in the top navigation
• Click + Add Payment
• Set the Payment Status to Paid
• Select month and year in the Month Paid field (should be same as when you set the forecast)
• Enter the payment amount (e.g., $50,000)
• Click Add to save the payment

Result: A green underscore immediately appears in the September column in Cash Flow. The underscore length is proportional to the percentage paid - it extends as you record more payments until it spans the full width at 100% of the forecast.

Step 3: Close the Month

• Navigate back to Cash Flow in top navigation
• Close the month where you added amount and made a payment
• The view changes from showing the $1,728,000 forecast to displaying the actual paid amount ($600,000)
• The month is now locked and becomes part of your permanent financial record

Step 4: Reopen if Needed (Optional)

• Contact your Workspace or Project Admin if you need to edit after closing
• Once your administrator reopens the month, it returns to the "open" state
• You can now make edits to payments or forecasts

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: What if my payment has 'Approved' status but isn't showing in Cash Flow?

Change the payment status to Paid and ensure you've selected a month in the Month Paid field. Only payments with Paid status populate Cash Flow, regardless of approval status.

Q: Why can't I edit a month in Cash Flow?

The month is likely closed. Only Workspace or Project Admins can reopen closed months. Check with your admin if you need to make changes to a past reporting period.

Q: How do I know if a month has actual payments or just forecasts?

Look for the green underscore at the bottom of the month cell. If present, actual paid payments exist for that month. Hover over it to see the total amount paid and percentage of forecast achieved.

Q: What's the difference between what I see in open vs closed months?

Open months display your forecast values as the main number. If there are paid payments, green underscores appear to indicate them. Closed months display actual paid values as the main number—forecasts are hidden, the data is locked, and the green underscore remains visible if paid payments exist. This distinction helps you transition from planning mode to reporting mode.