The problem
Why do profitable dental practices sometimes run out of cash?
Because profit and cash are not the same thing – and in a dental practice the gap between them can be significant. You can have a strong month clinically, show a healthy profit on paper, and still find your bank account tighter than you expected. The reasons are usually predictable once you know where to look.
Cash flow forecasting is the strategic counterpart to our dental accountancy service – using your accounts data to model future scenarios.
Profit vs cash in a dental practice – the common gaps
Associate pay goes out before some of the income it relates to comes in. Lab invoices arrive in lumps. VAT quarters create a quarterly cash drain that does not show up evenly across the month. Equipment finance and loan repayments reduce cash without reducing profit. If you are growing – adding associates, refurbishing, acquiring – cash is leaving faster than the income that growth will eventually generate. None of this is a crisis. But without a forecast, none of it is visible until it has already happened.
A cash flow forecast built on your actual practice numbers – not industry averages or generic templates – shows you where the pressure points are before they become problems. It gives you time to act rather than time to react.
Part of Samera Growth Advisory
Cash flow forecasting is one of the workstreams that runs through Samera Growth Advisory from Tier 3 upward, where it’s pulled into every monthly board meeting. You can also engage it as a standalone piece of work without a retainer – particularly relevant for buyers preparing a lender pack or owners modelling a major decision.
Who this is for
Two different situations, both needing accurate forecasting
Existing practice owners and groups
Ongoing cash flow management
- 12-month rolling cash flow forecast updated monthly
- Actual vs forecast comparison each month
- Scenario modelling for major decisions
- Early warning when cash pressure is building
- Planning for equipment, refurbishment or acquisition
- Managing the cash impact of adding associates
Buying or starting a practice
Business plan and lender projections
- 3-5 year financial projections for lender packs
- Revenue and cost assumptions built from real dental data
- Sensitivity analysis showing best, base and downside cases
- Break-even analysis for new or acquired practices
- Cash flow stress testing for loan serviceability
- Projections that meet lender and bank requirements
What we build
What a Samera cash flow forecast includes
We build forecasts from your actual practice data – not off-the-shelf templates. The inputs are your fee income by treatment category, your associate pay structures, your fixed and variable costs, your loan repayment schedule and your VAT position. The output is a model you can trust and update.
- 12-month rolling forecast
Month-by-month cash position built from your income, costs, debt repayments and tax obligations. - Scenario modelling
What happens to cash if you add an associate, lose 20% of NHS income, or take on £300k of equipment finance. - Actual vs forecast tracking
Monthly comparison of what we projected against what actually happened – and an updated forecast based on the difference. - 3-5 year projections
Long-range financial projections for business plans, lender packs and acquisition finance applications. - Tax and VAT timing
Corporation tax, personal tax and VAT payments mapped into the forecast so cash requirements are visible in advance. - Break-even analysis
The revenue level your practice needs to cover all costs – and how long it takes to reach it after a major investment or acquisition.
Buying or starting a practice
Getting your lender pack right starts with an accurate forecast
Banks and lenders do not just want to see that a practice is profitable. They want to see that it generates enough cash, consistently enough, to service the debt you are asking them to approve. A forecast that is built on realistic assumptions – and can withstand their stress testing – is one of the most important parts of a successful lending application.
Generic financial projections built on industry averages will not cut it with experienced dental lenders. They have seen too many. What works is a forecast built on the specific practice you are buying – its patient list, its treatment mix, its associate structure, its NHS contract value – with assumptions you can defend in a conversation with a lender.
We have supported dentists through acquisition finance applications for over two decades. We know what lenders are looking for and how to present the numbers in a way that gives the application the best chance of approval.
Working alongside our finance broker
Uros Turcic, our FCA-regulated finance specialist, works directly with the forecasting team on acquisition and start-up finance applications. The forecast we build and the lending application he prepares are aligned from the start – which avoids the delays that happen when these two parts of the process are handled separately. See our dental practice finance broker page for more on how the lending side works.
Who you’ll work with
Speak to the cash flow forecasting team
Book a free, no-obligation call directly with the team member whose work matches what you need.
CEO
- Dental Accountancy and Tax for Dental Groups and DSOs
- DSOs and Large Dental Groups Dedicated Finance and Accounting Functions
- Dental Practice Sales – £1m+ Only
Accountancy Senior Manager
- Finance Director Services
- Dental Accountancy and Tax for Practice Owner
- Tax Saving Advice
Business Development – Finance and Accountancy Services
- Buying a Dental Practice
- Dental Practice Start Ups
- Raise Finance for Dentists
Or send us a message
If you’d prefer to send us your details rather than book a call, fill in the form below and our team will be in touch as soon as possible.
- Phone: (+44) 20 7100 8788
- WhatsApp: Message us on WhatsApp
Client reviews
very impressed with Samera.- been with them nearly a couple of years now and the one to one care and advice is excellent.
Tif, Dentist – 5 Stars
We have been using Samera for three years. They are friendly, helpful, extremely competent and easy to work with. No matter how many questions I have, they always provide timely assistance and have helped us move forwards with the business. I would have no hesitation in recommending them to anybody
SuzyBACD, Dentist – 5 Stars
Related services
Dental accountants
Full dental accounts and tax service – forecasting builds on our accounting data.
Dental practice finance broker
Acquisition and growth finance – works alongside our forecasting.
Samera Growth Advisory
Ongoing growth advisory for owners and groups – cash flow forecasting sits inside the monthly retainer.
Growth Strategy Session
£500 + VAT one-off diagnostic with Arun – broader review of revenue, costs, debt and cash flow.
Frequently asked questions
Cash flow forecasting FAQs
How is a cash flow forecast different from my management accounts?
Management accounts look at what has happened – income, costs and profit over the last month or quarter. A cash flow forecast looks forward – it projects what your bank balance will be in three, six and twelve months based on what you know is coming in and going out. Both are useful but they answer different questions. Management accounts tell you how the practice performed. A forecast tells you whether you will have enough cash to pay your bills, your associates, and your loan repayments in the months ahead.
How long does it take to build a forecast for a lender pack?
For an acquisition or startup, typically two to three weeks from the point we have the information we need – the practice’s recent accounts, the heads of terms, the proposed loan structure and your assumptions about how you will run the practice. If you are under time pressure from a lender deadline, speak to us early – the more lead time we have the stronger the output.
What information do you need to build a forecast?
For an existing practice: your last 12 months of bookkeeping data, your current loan and finance agreements, your associate pay structures and your main cost categories. For an acquisition: the last two to three years of the target practice’s accounts, the proposed purchase price and finance structure, and your assumptions about income and staffing. We will give you a clear list of what we need at the outset.
Can you build forecasts for a dental group with multiple practices?
Yes. Group forecasting is more complex – you need both practice-level and consolidated group-level visibility – but it is something we handle regularly. Arun leads on group-level forecasting. We build individual practice forecasts and consolidate them into a group model, which is particularly important for groups approaching PE investment or a portfolio sale.
Do lenders accept your forecasts?
Yes. Samera is a recognised name among dental lenders in the UK and our forecasts are built to meet the standards that specialist dental finance lenders require. Uros Turcic, our finance specialist, works directly with lenders on dental acquisition finance and knows what each lender looks for in a financial projection. Where a forecast needs to be presented alongside a finance application, we co-ordinate the two to make sure they are consistent and compelling.
Get a cash flow forecast built on your actual numbers
Whether you are managing an existing practice, planning an acquisition or building a business plan for a lender – book a free call to discuss what you need and how we can help.