What does a Cash Budget track?

A cash budget is a financial tool that specifically focuses on tracking the inflows and outflows of cash within a business. It provides a detailed plan for how much cash is expected to be received and spent over a certain period, usually monthly or quarterly. This is crucial for managing liquidity, ensuring that the business can meet its short-term obligations and avoid cash shortages.

By projecting cash inflows, such as receipts from customers, and cash outflows, such as payments to suppliers and other operating expenses, a cash budget helps businesses anticipate their cash needs and make informed financial decisions. This detailed tracking allows for better cash management, planning for future expenses, and identifying potential shortfalls well in advance, which can be critical for maintaining operations and stability.

The other choices listed pertain to different aspects of financial management. While expected sales volumes relate more to revenue generation, inventory levels pertain to asset management, and human resource expenses focus on labor costs. None of these directly address the specific function of tracking cash movements, which is the primary purpose of a cash budget.