What a cashflow score is and how to improve it
Written by the Clove Ai team. Published: . Updated: . Last verified:
A cashflow score is one number from 0 to 100 that shows how your money is doing in the current pay cycle. In Clove Ai, the expense tracker app, it is worked out in code from your own records by fixed rules, from five parts. It is not a credit score.
Most people ask the same question every few days: am I okay this month? A cashflow score answers it with one number and a short reason, so you do not have to add things up. It looks at your pay cycle, not the calendar month, because that is when your money actually resets.
How the number is made
The score is computed from your own expenses and income by fixed rules, the same way every time. The AI does not decide the number. Five parts are scored from 0 to 100 and combined with these weights:
| Part | Weight | What it asks |
|---|---|---|
| Savings rate | 30 | At this pace, how much of your income do you keep this cycle? |
| Pace | 25 | Is your everyday spending ahead of or under plan for this day of the cycle? |
| Fixed costs | 15 | How big a share of income do bills and subscriptions take? |
| Stability | 15 | How often do you spend far above your own normal day? |
| Buffer | 15 | Is the money left per day until payday enough for a normal day? |
If a part cannot be scored honestly, for example because no income is known yet, it is left out and the total uses the parts that remain.
What the score means
| Score | State |
|---|---|
| 80 to 100 | Strong |
| 60 to 79 | Steady |
| 40 to 59 | Tight |
| 0 to 39 | At risk |
For the first days there is no number. Clove Ai needs 7 days with something logged before it shows a score, and says it is calibrating until then. That is deliberate: a score from two days of data would be false precision.
How to improve it
- Log everything, including income. With no income known, the savings rate cannot be scored.
- Set your payday in your money profile so the cycle starts on the right day.
- Trim the biggest everyday category when the Pace part is low; it moves fastest.
- Review subscriptions when Fixed costs is low. Cancelling one you do not use raises it every cycle.
- Smooth out spikes: one large unplanned purchase lowers Stability for a while.
Home shows each part with a one-line reason, so you can see which one to work on instead of guessing. It is a guide to your own habits, not financial advice.
Where it is not the right tool
The score is only as good as what you log. If you track a few days a month, the number will be noisy. In that case start with the three quick ways to log in How to track expenses by typing, talking or scanning a receipt.
Clove Ai is $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial on the yearly plan, bought in the Android app. Get Clove Ai on Google Play, or see the home page.
Questions and answers
Is the Cashflow Score a credit score?
No. It is not a credit score and not financial advice. It is a number from 0 to 100 worked out from your own records by fixed rules.
Why does it say calibrating?
Clove Ai needs 7 days with something logged before it shows a score. Until then it says it is calibrating instead of guessing.
Does the AI decide my score?
No. The score is computed in code by fixed rules. With AI turned on, Home also shows a few short written notes about your own figures.
Which pay cycle does it use?
The cycle from your last payday to the next one. If your pay is irregular, it uses the calendar month.