> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.simplespa.net/simplespa-documentation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.simplespa.net/simplespa-documentation/reports-and-marketing/reports/forecast.md).

# Forecast

See projected revenue and appointments for next month or the rest of this month, with a likely range and confidence rating.

The **Forecast** tab uses your own history to project revenue and appointments, so you can plan staffing, stock and promotions ahead of time.

## Open the forecast

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Go to Reports

Open **Reports** and click the **Forecast** tab.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Choose the period

Choose **Next month**, or **Rest of this month** to see a month-end total made from your sales so far plus the forecast for the days left.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## What you'll see

| Part               | What it shows                                                                                          |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Projection**     | Expected revenue and appointments, with a likely range from low to high.                               |
| **Last year**      | The same month last year, for comparison.                                                              |
| **Chart**          | The last 12 months of actual results, with the forecast as a dashed line and last year for comparison. |
| **Accuracy check** | How past forecasts compared with what actually happened, month by month.                               |
| **Confidence**     | How much to rely on the forecast (see below).                                                          |

## How confident is the forecast?

The rating is based on how far past forecasts were from the real results. It reads, for example, "Past forecasts missed by 12% on average".

| Rating     | Past forecasts missed by                                                   |
| ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **High**   | 15% or less                                                                |
| **Medium** | up to 35%                                                                  |
| **Low**    | more than 35%, or the location averages fewer than 20 appointments a month |

When the rating is low, a yellow banner explains why.

## Good to know

* One-off spikes, such as a large gift card or package sale, are smoothed out so they don't inflate the forecast.
* With less than 12 months of history, the forecast uses your recent trend and shows a wider range.
* With less than 3 months of history you'll see **Not enough history yet**.
* Forecasts use your location's time zone and are updated overnight.
* Click the print icon next to **Refresh** to print the forecast.