Chart maker

Cash Flow Waterfall Chart Maker

Show how monthly inflows and outflows build your balance

A cash flow waterfall chart shows each period's net cash flow as a floating bar that rises when cash comes in and drops when cash goes out, building toward the ending balance. InstaCharts creates one from a column of months and a column of net cash flow with the Waterfall Bars option.

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Open the Demo

A live cash flow waterfall chart example

An interactive cash flow waterfall chart built and embedded with InstaCharts.

Templates

Cash Flow Waterfall Chart templates

Choose the Templates tab when you create a new sheet in InstaCharts. Each template loads a sample dataset with a finished chart, so you can replace the sample rows with your own numbers.

Cash Flow Waterfall

Waterfall chart

Net cash flow for each month of the year, shown as a waterfall of rises and drops building toward the ending balance.

MonthNet Cash Flow
2026-01-01185000
2026-02-0196000
2026-03-01-62000
2026-04-01134000
2026-05-01-78000

Your data

What data you need for a cash flow waterfall chart

Paste your spreadsheet, upload a CSV or Excel file, or connect a Google Sheet, and InstaCharts detects your column types and builds the cash flow waterfall chart automatically.

X

X-Axis

Months or periods, listed in order

Y

Y-Axis

Net cash flow, positive for inflows and negative for outflows

Use cases

When to use a cash flow waterfall chart

Best uses

  • Show how monthly inflows and outflows build up or drain the cash balance
  • Explain which months created the biggest gains and drops in cash
  • Present a cash runway or funding review to investors and executives
  • Reconcile a starting cash balance to an ending balance in a board report

When another chart fits better

  • Unordered categories fit a standard bar chart better than a running total
  • Cash balances at each date read more clearly as a line graph
  • Splits of a single total suit a pie chart or stacked bar chart

How it works

How to make a cash flow waterfall chart

  1. Step 1

    Add your cash flow data

    Use one column for the month and one column for net cash flow, entering outflows as negative numbers.

    InstaCharts new sheet dialog with options to upload a file, connect a data source, or start a blank sheet

  2. Step 2

    Pick the bar chart

    Choose the bar chart type and map the month to the X-axis and net cash flow to the Y-axis.

    InstaCharts chart type menu listing line, grouped line, bar, stacked bar, scatter plot, area, and pie charts

  3. Step 3

    Turn on Waterfall Bars

    Switch on the Waterfall Bars toggle in Options for Specific Chart Types so each bar starts where the previous one ended.

    InstaCharts options for specific chart types with Normalize and Horizontal Bars toggles on a stacked bar chart

  4. Step 4

    Label the chart

    Add a title, data labels, and a caption that names the source of the numbers, such as the bank reconciliation.

    InstaCharts chart text panel with title, subtitle, caption, and source fields

  5. Step 5

    Export or embed

    Download as PNG or SVG, share a link, or embed a live chart in a board report or finance dashboard.

    InstaCharts export dialog with PNG, SVG, JPG, WebP, PDF, and PowerPoint image formats

FAQ

Cash Flow Waterfall Chart maker FAQ

Answers to common questions about making a cash flow waterfall chart with InstaCharts.

What is a cash flow waterfall chart?

A cash flow waterfall chart plots the net cash flow for each period as a bar that starts where the previous bar ended. Rises show months with cash coming in, drops show months with cash going out, and the running total builds across the chart.

How do I make a cash flow waterfall chart?

Upload a sheet with one column of months and one column of net cash flow, choose the bar chart type, and switch on Waterfall Bars. The Cash Flow Waterfall template shows the layout.

How do I show negative cash flow in a waterfall chart?

Enter outflows and net losses as negative numbers. The waterfall draws those bars as drops, and the Cash Flow Waterfall template colors them separately from the rises.

What is the difference between a waterfall chart and a bar chart?

A bar chart draws every bar from zero, while a waterfall chart starts each bar where the previous one ended. The waterfall therefore shows a running total, which is what a cash flow review needs.

Can I use a waterfall chart for a profit and loss statement?

Yes. The same setup works for revenue, cost, and profit line items, and for any budget that moves from a starting value to an ending value through positive and negative steps.

Is the cash flow waterfall chart maker free?

Yes. The free plan lets you create and export waterfall charts with up to 500 rows per sheet, and charts include a small watermark. Paid plans starting at $10 per user per month remove the watermark.

Want the full reference?

Read the cash flow waterfall chart documentation.

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