Your monthly management report on one page: four figures, four bases
Available cash, committed spend, cash out and overdue invoices come from four different tools and are measured on four different bases. Here is how to get them on one page each month without mixing them up.
The problem
Before each management review, someone assembles the same page: what is in the account, what we spent, what actually went out, what we owe late. Four screens, one spreadsheet, and a recurring question in the meeting: "why doesn't spend match the cash that went out?".
It doesn't match because the two figures are not measured on the same thing. The value of the page is in keeping each figure on its own basis and saying which one it is.
The exchanges below are reconstructed from tests run on a Spendesk demo account on 5 October 2026. The wording is rewritten for readability; the figures and outcomes are the ones the tools returned.
The page, in one request
Management report — September 2026 (2026-09-01 to 2026-09-30)
| Figure | Basis | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash available | EUR 97300.29 | Wallet, right now (balance EUR 98900.00, committed EUR 1599.71) |
| Committed spend | EUR 25834.90 | 2 expenses, on document date, incl. VAT |
| Cash actually out | EUR 10613.50 net | 2 payments cleared in September |
| Overdue invoices | EUR 19095.67 | 11 supplier invoices, as of today |
Points to watch
No comparison with August is shown: see below.
Four tools, four figures, each with its basis written next to it. Committed spend and cash out are side by side and are not subtracted from one another.
"Compared with last month" is not what you think
The built-in comparison does not compare with August.
It compares with the window of equal length just before: for September (30 days), that is 2 August to 31 August. 1 August is left out.
On this account that window holds no spend, so there is no percentage to give — the change is undefined, not "+0%".
Shall I do that?
This is the trap most likely to put a wrong number in a board pack. A month compared with "the previous period" silently drops or adds days whenever the two months differ in length.
"Can we cover what is overdue?"
Yes.
The available amount covers the overdue total about five times. No scheduled invoice payment is currently deducted from that available amount, so the overdue total is compared against it in full.
I can't pay or schedule these invoices: that is done in Spendesk. Would you like them listed from the oldest?
Three figures describe a wallet — the balance, what is already committed to cards and scheduled transfers, and what is left to spend. "Can we cover it" is always answered with the last one.
What to know
- Role required. The Spendesk MCP can only be used by a Controller or an Account Owner of the company concerned. With any other role, these requests do not work.
- No budget. The assistant does not read budgets. For a variance against budget, give it the figures.
- One company at a time. On a multi-entity connection, the four blocks are repeated per entity, and entities in different currencies are not added together: no exchange rate is supplied.
- Overdue is "as of today". Asking for overdues "as of 30 September" does not rebuild the month-end position: it re-ages the invoices still unpaid today.
- Recent card spend can be missing from committed spend until it appears on the statement.
- Cash out is net. Refunds received are deducted; ask for the breakdown by type to see payments on their own.
Key takeaways
- Four figures on four bases: available now, spend on document date, cash on clearing date, overdue as of today
- Committed spend and cash out do not reconcile, and should be shown side by side
- "Previous period" is the window of equal length just before, not the previous calendar month
- "Can we cover it" is answered with the available amount, never the balance
- The skill Prepare the monthly management report assembles the page in this order
Related skills
Forecast supplier cash-out over 30, 60 and 90 days from invoices to pay, and compare it with available cash.
Cash flow reporting based on the actual settlement date instead of the invoice date, for accurate treasury and investor reporting.
One-page monthly summary for the CFO: cash position, committed spend, cash out and overdue invoices, each on its own basis.