Seasonal trade planner

Why hospitality and retail need a seasonal plan

Most venues and shops don't earn the same amount every month, but their rent does arrive every month, and wages only flex so far. A CBD café can lose its office crowd for weeks around Christmas and January. A beachside café or a holiday-town restaurant can make a large share of its year in summer and then wait out the winter. A florist lives for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, and a gift shop leans heavily on November and December.

The trouble isn't the quiet months on their own. It's that the costs of the busy months often arrive first. Stock for Christmas is ordered and paid for in spring. Extra casuals are trained before the rush. A BAS for a strong quarter lands a month or two after it ends, sometimes in the middle of a slow patch. The planner lines these up so you can see the pinch before it happens.

How the planner works

1. Pick a starting shape that looks like your kind of business, then drag each month up or down to match your own sales history. 100 is an average month; 150 is half as busy again.
2. Enter your average monthly sales, your stock or food cost as a percentage of sales, and when you usually pay for stock.
3. Add wages and fixed costs. Tell the planner how much of your wage bill rises and falls with trade (casual hours) versus what stays steady (salaried staff, minimum rosters).
4. Enter the cash you have now. The planner starts from next month and rolls forward twelve months, showing the balance at the end of each.

The result shows your lowest cash point, your busiest month and the year's surplus after operating costs. Months where the balance goes negative are highlighted in red, and quarterly BAS months are flagged so you can see whether a tax bill arrives at an awkward time.

Reading the results

What you see	What it usually means	Worth considering
Balance never dips below your comfort level	Your year funds itself	Keep a buffer anyway; equipment breaks at the worst time
A short dip before a peak	Stock and staff are paid before the rush pays you	A stock loan or line of credit repaid from peak trade
A long slide through winter	Fixed costs outrun quiet-season sales	Cut fixed costs where you can, and line up a facility before the slide starts
Negative balance in a BAS month	Tax from a strong quarter lands in a weak one	Set aside GST as you collect it, or plan a payment arrangement early

If the planner shows a gap, it's far easier to arrange funding while your recent bank statements still look healthy than halfway through the slow months. You can see if your business qualifies for a seasonal facility in about a minute.

Key dates the planner flags

• Quarterly BAS: due 28 October, 28 February, 28 April and 28 July for quarterly lodgers, according to the ATO. Lodging through a registered agent can give extra time for some quarters.
• Super: since 1 July 2026, Payday Super means employers pay super with each pay run, with contributions generally due to reach the fund within seven business days. That makes super a wage-week cost, not a quarterly one, so include it in your wages figure.
• End of financial year: 30 June. Stocktake, and the moment some owners buy equipment. Read our EOFY stocktake and equipment guide.

For more on the busiest and quietest parts of the year, see Christmas trading cash flow and getting a café through its quiet months. Planning a new venue? Start with the fit-out cost estimator.

Turn the plan into a buffer

Seasonal funding works best when it's arranged before you need it. Tell us your trough and your peak and a real person will talk you through what fits, whether that's a line of credit you draw only in the lean months or a stock loan repaid after Christmas. There's no credit check when you first enquire, we won't hand your details to a queue of lenders, and accurate answers on the form mean we can match you properly first time.

See what you could qualify for →

Seasonal planner questions

Where do the seasonal shapes in the planner come from?

They're illustrative starting shapes, not industry statistics. A beachside café, a CBD café and a gift shop have very different years, so each preset gives you a sensible place to start. Drag each month to match your own sales history — your till and bank statements are the best guide.

What does the lowest cash point tell me?

It's the month your bank balance is forecast to be at its thinnest after paying stock, wages, rent and other fixed costs. If it dips below zero, that's roughly how much extra cash, buffer or facility you'd need to get through the year without stress.

Why does the planner move stock payments earlier?

Because retailers and many venues pay for stock before they sell it. If you order Christmas stock in October, the cash leaves in October even though the sales arrive in December. Set how many months ahead you usually pay and the planner shifts the cost.

Does the planner include BAS and super?

It flags quarterly BAS due dates — 28 October, 28 February, 28 April and 28 July for quarterly lodgers — so you can see whether one lands in a lean month. From 1 July 2026, super is paid with each pay run under Payday Super, so it belongs inside your wages figure.

Can finance help with seasonal trade?

Yes. A line of credit or cash-flow loan can carry a venue or shop through the quiet months or fund stock ahead of a peak, with repayments made once the busy season lands. Options for established trading businesses typically run from $5,000 to $500,000, sized on turnover and bank statements.