Everything you need to know to get the most out of Cashflow Calc. From getting started to advanced features.
Welcome to Cashflow Calc! This guide will help you get up and running in minutes. Whether you're analyzing your first property or your hundredth, we've designed the app to be intuitive and powerful.
System Requirements: Windows 10 or later, .NET 9.0 Desktop Runtime (free download from Microsoft)
After subscribing, you'll receive a license key via email. To activate:
XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX💡 Tip: Your license is tied to your machine. If you get a new computer, contact support to transfer your license.
When you subscribe, an account is automatically created for you. From your account dashboard you can:
You can also access your account from within the app via Help → Manage Subscription.
The main window is divided into intuitive sections:
| Section | Description |
|---|---|
| Property Details | Enter the purchase price, address, down payment, state, and optional settlement date |
| Rental Income | Set the rent amount and frequency (weekly/fortnightly/monthly) |
| Mortgage Details | Configure interest rate, loan term, and payment frequency |
| Operating Expenses | Add maintenance, CapEx reserves, and other costs |
| Fees, Rates & Taxes | Management fee, vacancy rate, land tax, council rates, etc. |
| Cashflow Summary | View your calculated NOI, cashflow, and ROI |
The cashflow calculator is the heart of the app. It calculates your potential investment returns in real-time as you enter data.
| Metric | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Gross Monthly Rent | Your total rental income before any deductions |
| Vacancy Loss | Expected income lost due to vacant periods (based on your vacancy rate %) |
| Effective Rent | Gross rent minus vacancy loss — your realistic income expectation |
| Total Expenses | All operating costs, fees, and taxes combined |
| Net Operating Income (NOI) | Effective rent minus total expenses (before mortgage) |
| Mortgage Payment | Your monthly principal and interest payment |
| Monthly Cashflow | NOI minus mortgage payment — money in (or out of) your pocket each month |
| Annual Cashflow | Monthly cashflow × 12 |
| Cash-on-Cash ROI | Annual cashflow ÷ down payment × 100% — your return on actual cash invested |
💡 Tip: A positive cashflow means the property pays for itself. A negative cashflow means you'll need to contribute money each month. Many investors accept small negative cashflow for capital growth potential.
The built-in property browser lets you research properties without leaving the app. Browse listings and import details directly into the calculator with one click.
Click "Open Property Browser" in the toolbar or go to Tools → Property Browser.
The property browser features a full tabbed interface similar to modern web browsers:
| Button | Function | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| ← Back | Go to previous page | Backspace |
| → Forward | Go to next page | |
| ↻ Refresh | Reload current page | F5 |
| 🏠 Home | Go to your default property site | Alt+Home |
| ♥ Favorite | Add/remove current page from bookmarks | Ctrl+B |
| ☰ Menu | Open main menu with all options | |
| Copy to Calculator | Extract page content to the calculator | Ctrl+Shift+C |
The hamburger menu provides access to all browser features:
Save your favorite property listings for quick access:
To remove a bookmark, simply click the heart button again on the bookmarked page.
The browser automatically tracks your browsing history:
Access history via Ctrl+H or ☰ Menu → History.
💡 Tip: Select as much relevant text as possible for better parsing. The more information you highlight, the more fields can be auto-filled.
Sites are stored in PropertySites.xml in your AppData folder.
Right-click any link on a property listing page to open it in a new tab. This is great for:
The property browser fully supports both Light and Dark themes:
Land tax is a significant ongoing cost that many investors overlook. Our built-in calculator handles the complexity of different state rules.
All 8 Australian states and territories are supported with 2025/26 financial year rates:
⚠️ Important: Land tax is calculated on the unimproved land value, not the total property price. Check your council rates notice or state revenue office for the correct value.
Use the standalone loan calculator to explore different loan scenarios and see the total cost of borrowing.
💡 Tip: Compare Principal & Interest vs Interest Only to understand the difference in short-term cashflow versus long-term cost.
Save your property analyses for future reference and comparison. Never lose your research again.
Files are saved with the .cfprop extension (Cashflow Property format).
Your recently opened files appear in File > Open Recent for quick access. Recently opened portfolios are also available in Portfolio > Recent Portfolios.
💡 Tip: Create a folder for each suburb or project to keep your analyses organized. The filename appears in the window title for easy reference.
Transfer duty (also known as stamp duty) is automatically calculated based on your selected state and buyer type. The result feeds directly into your cashflow analysis.
All 8 Australian states and territories are supported with current rates: NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, ACT, NT.
💡 Tip: First home buyer concessions can significantly reduce or eliminate transfer duty. Make sure to select the correct buyer type for accurate calculations.
The depreciation calculator helps you estimate the tax benefit from property depreciation. Annual depreciation is entered as a dollar amount and feeds into the cashflow summary as a tax deduction.
Note: The depreciation tax benefit can be toggled on or off in View > Settings. This lets you compare cashflow with and without the tax benefit.
The Portfolio Manager lets you group multiple properties together, assign owners, and see your total investment position at a glance. Access it via Portfolio > New Portfolio or Portfolio > Open Portfolio from the main menu.
Add one or more owners with their annual income and ownership percentage. Ownership percentages must total 100%.
Add properties to your portfolio in two ways:
.cfprop filesTest hypothetical purchases without creating a full property file. Click "Add What-If" to enter basic details (price, deposit, rent, interest rate) and see how a potential purchase would affect your portfolio totals. What-if properties are shown with a [What-If] prefix in italic text.
The summary panel shows your combined position across all properties:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Monthly/Annual Cashflow | Combined cashflow across all properties |
| Portfolio Value | Total purchase price of all properties |
| Total Debt | Combined outstanding loan amounts |
| Total Equity | Portfolio value minus total debt |
| Portfolio LVR | Loan-to-value ratio across the portfolio |
| Gross/Net Yield | Portfolio-wide rental yield percentages |
Click "View Owner Tax Summary" to see a per-owner breakdown including rental income, interest deductions, depreciation, taxable income, and estimated tax impact based on each owner's marginal rate.
Export your portfolio via File > Export as Text or File > Export as HTML. The HTML export opens automatically in your browser with a formatted, theme-aware report.
Portfolios are saved as .cfportfolio files. Your recently opened portfolios appear in Portfolio > Recent Portfolios for quick access.
Model long-term equity growth for any property. Access projections via View > Projections from the main calculator.
The projections table shows year-by-year data including:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Property Value | Estimated value with compound growth applied |
| Remaining Loan | Outstanding mortgage balance after amortisation |
| Equity | Property value minus remaining loan |
| Annual Rent | Projected rent with annual increases |
| Annual Cashflow | Estimated cashflow at projected rent levels |
| Cumulative Equity Gain | Total equity gained since purchase |
A milestone summary shows equity values at 5, 10, 20, and 30 years.
💡 Tip: Historical average capital growth in Australia has been around 6-7% per year, but varies significantly by location and market conditions. Use conservative estimates for planning.
Access settings via View > Settings from the main menu.
Control which tax benefits are included in your cashflow calculations:
Toggle the tax benefits off to see your cashflow without tax benefits, giving you a more conservative view.
The settings form shows the current status of your tax rate data:
For the analytically-minded, here are the formulas used in Cashflow Calc.
M = Monthly payment
P = Principal (loan amount)
r = Monthly interest rate (annual rate ÷ 12)
n = Total number of payments (years × 12)
Annual Cashflow = Monthly Cashflow × 12
Total Cash Invested = Down Payment (+ closing costs if included)
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+N | New analysis |
| Ctrl+O | Open saved analysis |
| Ctrl+S | Save current analysis |
| Ctrl+Shift+S | Save As (new file) |
| Ctrl+V | Paste property details from clipboard |
| Ctrl+B | Open Property Browser |
| F1 | Open Help |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+T | New tab |
| Ctrl+W | Close current tab |
| Ctrl+Shift+T | Reopen last closed tab |
| Ctrl+B | Add/remove bookmark |
| Ctrl+H | Show history |
| Ctrl+Shift+C | Copy page to calculator |
| Ctrl+Shift+A | Add new site |
| Ctrl+Shift+B | Manage bookmarks |
| Ctrl+Shift+R | Reset browser |
| F5 | Refresh page |
| Backspace | Go back |
| Alt+Home | Go to home/default site |
Cashflow Calc supports multiple themes for comfortable viewing:
Change themes via View → Theme or the theme menu.
Adjust the interface size to suit your display via View → Font Scale:
To reset all preferences to defaults:
%APPDATA%\Cashflow CalcImportant: Cashflow Calc is a calculation tool only. It does not constitute financial, tax, legal, or investment advice.
This application is provided by Drop Bear Games for general informational and educational purposes only. All calculations, projections, and estimates are for informational purposes only. They may not reflect your actual financial position, tax obligations, or investment outcomes.
Drop Bear Games makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the information produced by this application. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk.
You should always seek independent professional advice from a qualified financial adviser, accountant, or solicitor before making any financial or investment decisions.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Drop Bear Games and its developers disclaim all liability for any loss, damage, or expense arising directly or indirectly from the use of, or reliance on, this application.
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