Working Capital Management for Controllers: Optimize Cash Flow with Corporate Cards

For today’s financial controllers, working capital sits at the centre of almost every decision. It influences how confidently the business can operate, how smoothly it can scale, and how much breathing room exists between incoming revenue and outgoing spend.

With growth targets rising and financial complexity increasing, controllers are being asked to deliver more than accurate reporting. They’re expected to create stability, improve liquidity and ensure cash is working as intelligently as possible at every stage of the business. That means paying close attention not just to how much money is moving through company accounts, but when—and how predictably—it’s moving. 

Corporate cards can play a strategic role here, helping controllers align day-to-day spending with broader cash flow strategy while creating clearer oversight, stronger control and more room to plan (all essential to effective financial management for controllers). In this article, we’ll explore how controllers can use corporate cards to strengthen cash flow, improve operational control and support smarter financial decision-making across the organization.

Why working capital management matters for controllers

When working capital is healthy, everything runs smoother. Cash flow is easier to predict, forecasts feel more reliable and controllers have the clarity they need to make decisions without second-guessing.

But the reality is that maintaining this kind of balance isn’t always straightforward. Cash gets tied up in delayed receivables. Expenses don’t always land where or when you expect them to. Approval processes stretch timelines. And without real-time visibility into spend, even the most meticulous forecasts can start to drift. This leads to more guesswork, more last-minute adjustments and less room to focus on long-term planning.

Strong working capital management helps bring order back into that complexity. It gives controllers a clearer line of sight into cash movement, a tighter grip on how money flows through the business and the ability to plan without constantly reacting. When those pieces are in place, finance teams can shift out of firefighting mode and focus on keeping the organization steady, prepared and ready for what’s next.

The controller’s toolkit: Core components of effective working capital management

Strong working capital management is built on a few essential levers controllers can pull:

Cash flow forecasting and scenario planning

Accurate forecasting is the base of working capital strategy. Controllers rely on clear financial projections to understand how current spending and incoming revenue will shape future liquidity. Scenario planning adds another layer, helping finance teams prepare for best-case growth, unexpected slowdowns or sudden cost increases without scrambling for short-term fixes.

Vendor payment strategy

How and when vendors are paid plays a major role in working capital performance. Strategic payment timing can preserve liquidity while maintaining healthy supplier relationships. Controllers use this lever to manage cash outflows intentionally, ensuring payments align with the overall cash flow strategy rather than reacting to invoices as they arrive.

Expense control and spend governance

Clear policies, approval workflows and defined budgets keep spend aligned with financial goals and help control employee spending. Effective governance ensures teams understand their limits, know where spend is allocated and have the structure to make responsible decisions without slowing operations.

Real-time visibility into AP and company-wide spend

Visibility is what ties everything together. When controllers can see exactly where money is going, who is spending it and how it fits into departmental budgets, forecasting becomes more accurate and decisions around working capital can be made with confidence. Real-time insight reduces surprises, shortens response time, and keeps the working capital strategy grounded in reality rather than assumptions.

Where corporate cards fit into working capital optimization

When used intentionally, corporate cards give controllers control over when and how money leaves the business. This is where corporate card program benefits support the ability to optimize working capital and keep cash moving with more intention.

One of the biggest advantages is smarter payment timing. Corporate cards follow a predictable settlement cycle, allowing expenses to be incurred now while cash goes out later. For example, with Float Charge, a controller can pay a vendor immediately while cash stays in the business for up to 30 days, supporting more predictable payment cycles.

Corporate cards also create clear visibility into outgoing spend. Every transaction is centralized and tied to a specific employee or department, giving controllers a real-time view of where money is going and what is coming up. This makes forecasting more accurate and helps reduce unexpected cash flow pressure.

From an operational standpoint, corporate cards reduce friction and increase efficiency. Reimbursements, cheques and fragmented payment methods are replaced with a single streamlined process. This means fewer manual steps, smoother reconciliation and more time for strategic work.

And these benefits all support stronger liquidity planning and oversight. With real-time spend visibility, consistent settlement cycles and built-in controls like spend limits and approvals, controllers can align payments with cash inflows and keep spend anchored to budget intent.

Strategic use cases: How controllers use corporate cards to improve cash flow

This is where corporate cards move from theory to real everyday impact. Here are some examples of how controllers use them to create more predictable cash flow and stronger financial control.

Bringing order to scattered spend

Imagine an operations team that purchases safety supplies, equipment rentals and one-off materials through shared cards and reimbursements. This leads to receipt chasing at month-end and adjustments afterward due to late submissions. Instead, by issuing individual corporate cards with clear limits, controllers can track spend by location, employee, and project in real time, making it easier to keep a handle on costs and understand how operational expenses impact cash flow, even week to week. 

Allocating budgets with intention

A controller assigns the marketing department a $500K annual budget and splits it across functions like events, brand and digital ads. Each team member receives a card aligned to their responsibility, creating accountability and real-time visibility without constant approval bottlenecks.

Handling vendor invoices without immediate cash drain

Rather than waiting to pay a large invoice until cash is available, the controller uses a corporate card. The vendor is paid on time while the business retains its cash for an additional 30 days, keeping funds available for payroll, inventory or growth investments.

Seeing spend before it becomes a problem

Real-time data highlights when travel costs start trending higher than expected mid-month. Instead of discovering this at month-end, the controller can adjust limits or reallocate budget early while cash flow remains manageable.

Reducing friction at month-end

Every transaction is already categorized, assigned and tied to the correct department. And when your corporate cards are combined with accounting automations, what once took days of manual coding now takes minutes, keeping close cycles faster and forecasts more accurate.

When used this way, corporate cards act as both a payment method and planning tool, supporting clearer budgeting, smarter forecasting and more confident working capital decisions.

Float’s advantage: Integrated working capital management for controllers

Float helps controllers optimize working capital by bringing the key pieces of spend and payment management into one connected environment. This streamlines cash oversight by removing the need for scattered tools or manual fixes.

With Float, controllers can:

• See all outgoing cash in one place: Corporate cards, bill pay and business accounts work together to provide real-time visibility into card spend, scheduled payments and available balances. This makes it easier to understand how every transaction impacts liquidity.
• Control payment timing with intention: Choose between corporate cards, charge cards, bill pay and bank-based payments, depending on what best supports your cash flow strategy and working capital goals.
• Reduce manual workload: Transactions are automatically captured, categorized and synced with accounting systems including QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite, helping shorten close cycles and improve data accuracy.
• Strengthen forecasting confidence: Real-time insight into committed and upcoming spend allows for more reliable cash flow planning and fewer surprises.

By connecting spend, payments and visibility into a single workflow, Float gives controllers operational clarity to manage working capital with more precision, less friction and greater confidence.

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6 best practices for controllers to strengthen working capital

Strong working capital management relies on consistent habits, clear structure and intentional decisions. These six best practices help controllers optimize working capital to keep cash flow steady while staying proactive.

1. Review payment policies regularly

Revisit how and when vendors are paid at least quarterly. Small adjustments to timing and process can create meaningful gains in liquidity without affecting supplier relationships.

2. Use corporate cards for predictable expenses

Channel recurring costs like subscriptions, travel and operational purchases through corporate cards. This improves visibility and makes payment timing more consistent.

3. Set clear card controls from day one

Apply spend limits, category rules and department assignments upfront. Clear structure prevents surprises and keeps budgets aligned without adding friction for teams.

4. Build card and AP data into forecasts

Include real-time card spend and scheduled payments directly in cash flow projections to create more accurate and responsive forecasting.

5. Prioritize visibility over complexity

Focus on having a clear view of where money is going, who is spending and how it ties back to departmental priorities. Simplicity supports better control.

6. Automate wherever possible

Reducing manual approvals and reconciliation frees up time for higher-value analysis and planning while improving data accuracy across the board.

Turning working capital strategy into action

Strong working capital gives controllers the clarity and oversight to keep cash moving with purpose. With smarter payment timing, real-time visibility and tighter spend controls, corporate cards become a practical way to improve liquidity and reduce friction across the business.

Float makes this easier to execute with corporate cards built for modern finance teams. Controllers gain tools that support everyday working capital strategy. This includes up to 1% cashback on card spend, up to 4% interest on funds held in Float’s high-yield business accounts and flexible payment terms with Float Charge that help extend cash runway without adding complexity.

If you’re looking to strengthen your working capital approach, look no further. Explore Float’s corporate cards to see how they help you gain clearer control over cash flow and smarter spend management.

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