One expected receipt cannot fund three separate promises

Each conversation can sound affordable on its own

You expect a customer payment and tell several people you will pay them when it arrives. Each amount seems manageable during the individual conversation. Together, the promises may exceed the receipt. Bring them into one view before making another commitment, especially when different people in the business are responding to creditors.

List the commitments already communicated

Record the creditor, amount, promised timing and person who made the statement. Include arrangements discussed by directors, site staff and accounts where relevant. Keep the original messages so uncertainty about the wording can be checked. Do not treat this list as a decision about which creditor should be paid; it is a factual inventory of commitments requiring review.

Count each receipt once

Business.gov.au's cash-flow guidance calculates incoming and outgoing cash separately. Use that basic structure to show the expected receipt once, then all the payments relying on it. Include ordinary obligations falling due as well. Check whether the amount is confirmed or estimated and whether its timing is supported, rather than allowing several separate spreadsheets to each claim the same incoming dollar.

Source: business.gov.au: Set up a cash flow statement

See the arithmetic clearly

Imagine a hypothetical business expecting $20,000 and promising $9,000 to one supplier, $8,000 to another and $6,000 to a hire provider. Those promises total $23,000 before other bills. Even if the expected receipt arrives in full, it cannot cover all three amounts. A later payment date does not resolve that arithmetic unless a genuine funding source changes it.

Get help with the decision

Where the combined position reveals a shortage, obtain appropriate advice before making further commitments or choosing payments in financial distress. Review the terms of existing arrangements and any formal documents. Do not assume the loudest caller should be paid first or that asking for instalments automatically creates an agreed variation. The actual circumstances and obligations need assessment.

Give the team one current picture

Nominate who maintains the shared commitment list and who is authorised to discuss payment timing. Update it when receipts or arrangements change. Communicate corrections to affected people based on verified facts. A single list will not solve the shortage, but it can stop multiple well-intended conversations from promising the same money several times over.