What is included in cash outflow?
Emma Miller
Updated on January 04, 2026
Cash outflows include repayment of loans and payments to owners, including cash dividends. Repayment of accounts payable or accrued liabilities are not considered repayment of loans under financing activities but are classified as cash outflows under operating activities.
What is cash outflow examples?
Cash outflow is any money leaving a business. This could be from paying staff wages, the cost of renting an office or from paying dividends to shareholders. A business is considered unhealthy if its cash outflow is greater than its cash inflow.
What should a personal cash flow statement include?
Add total income and expenses and you have a personal cash flow statement. If your cash flow statement is positive, then you have some additional cash each month that you can use to help you reach your financial goals (build emergency fund, pay down debt, invest, etc.).
Is Depreciation considered a cash outflow?
Depreciation does not have a direct impact on cash flow. However, it does have an indirect effect on cash flow because it changes the company’s tax liabilities, which reduces cash outflows from income taxes. Essentially, when your company prepares its income tax return, depreciation will be listed as an expense.
Why is a personal cash flow statement important?
A personal cash flow statement can provide clarity in your life, and serves as a personal review whether you are managing your life well. It also provides you with an opportunity to re-allocate your cash flow to bring your money in alignment with your goals in life.
What is a source of income in a personal cash flow statement?
Listing all Your Sources of Income Cash inflows generally include: salaries, anything you make from side hustles, interest from savings accounts, income from a rental property, dividends from investments, and capital gains from the sale of financial securities like stocks and bonds.
What is a personal cash flow statement Why is it important?
The personal (or family) cash flow statement is useful because it can give you a better picture of how much money a client has coming in every month and how much is going out at home — something that can really impact their business decisions, too.
What is the most important category of cash flows?
Answer: The operating activities section of the statement of cash flows is generally regarded as the most important section since it provides cash flow information related to the daily operations of the business.
Why is depreciation not a cash expense?
Depreciation is considered a non-cash expense, since it is simply an ongoing charge to the carrying amount of a fixed asset, designed to reduce the recorded cost of the asset over its useful life. Thus, depreciation affects cash flow by reducing the amount of cash a business must pay in income taxes.
Is depreciation a positive or negative cash flow?
The use of depreciation can reduce taxes that can ultimately help to increase net income. The result is a higher amount of cash on the cash flow statement because depreciation is added back into the operating cash flow. Ultimately, depreciation does not negatively affect the operating cash flow of the business.
What is the purpose of a personal cash flow statement?
The personal cash flow statement measures your cash inflows (money you earn) and your cash outflows (money you spend) to determine if you have a positive or negative net cash flow. A personal balance sheet summarizes your assets and liabilities in order to calculate your net worth.