End of day: cash up the till and lock the day

What does end of day do in EasyTaskr?

It turns closing up into two short jobs: cash up the till, then close the day. Cashing up checks that the money in the drawer matches what the till says it should hold. Closing the day takes the totals for cash, card and sales on account, records what was counted, and locks the day so nobody can change its figures afterwards.

Both jobs work the sums out for you. Nobody adds up receipts on a calculator at nine at night, and the business owner gets the same picture whether they were in the shop or not.

How is the expected cash worked out?

From every movement of cash through the drawer that day. The Cash up the till screen builds it line by line:

Collections on credit accounts and cash paid out, such as paying the bread delivery from the till, are already in the sum, because they were recorded when they happened. That is why a till that used to be short every Friday often balances once cash outs are entered.

What happens after I count?

Type What you actually counted. The screen shows either that the drawer matches exactly or that it is over or short, and by how much. A small difference is common; the important thing is that it is written down with a reason, every time.

In small shops, the screen also asks how much you are leaving in the drawer for tomorrow, so the float is set before you go home. Cashiers count blind in this mode. Closing the till does not change any sale; it only records the count.

The day then ends on a Day summary: sales, money in by cash, card and other, the drawer, credit given and taken, and the customers owing longest. It can be sent on WhatsApp in one tap or printed on a 58 mm or 80 mm receipt printer.

How does closing the day work?

The End of day close screen opens on the figures that matter: cash expected, taken by card, sold on account, and any sales still parked. It goes in three steps.

First, Count the cash: type the cash you counted and an optional note, then continue. The screen says whether the cash balanced or is over or short. Second, Review: total sales, cash collected, card payments, online payments, sales on account, labour cost, expenses and net profit for the day. Third, Close the day.

The close works out the takings itself rather than trusting a number typed in. It will not close while price differences from a till that was offline are still waiting for a manager, or while money sits under a payment method it does not recognise. After closing, the screen shows what was counted, the difference and who closed it.

Why record cash out at the moment it happens?

Because cash that leaves the drawer without a record looks exactly like cash that went missing. Cash out takes the amount, what it was for, such as a supplier, wages, tea and food, transport or other, and a short note. It comes off what the drawer should hold and shows on the night's summary as paid out. Ten seconds at the counter saves a puzzled recount at closing time, and the owner sees where petty cash went without asking.

Step by step: closing up for the night

1. Finish or remove any parked sales, so they are not left hanging over the close.
2. Record any cash paid out during the day that has not been entered, with Cash out.
3. Open Cash up the till and count the drawer before looking at any figures.
4. Type the total in What you actually counted.
5. Read the result; if it is over or short, recount once, then write a note saying why.
6. In a small shop, enter what you are leaving in the drawer for tomorrow.
7. Close the till and open the Day summary.
8. Press Send on WhatsApp to send it to the owner, or Print for the paperwork.
9. Open End of day close, type the counted cash and continue to review.
10. Check card payments against the card terminal's own total for the day.
11. Press Close the day.
12. Bank the takings, keeping the float for tomorrow.

Why lock the day?

Because a figure that can change later is not a figure you can rely on. If yesterday's sales can be edited today, a difference in the drawer can be made to disappear, and your reports, VAT and stock all drift. Locking freezes the day's sales, labour and expenses. If something really was wrong, a manager reopens it with Reopen the day, gives a reason of at least a few words, and the reopening is kept in the audit log for anyone to see.

How do small differences add up?

Quietly, which is why every one is worth a note. A worked example: a till is short by an average of 3.50 a day, six days a week. That is 21.00 a week, or about 1,092 over a year, from a difference nobody thought worth mentioning. Notes on each short show whether it is one shift, one day of the week or one kind of sale. These figures are only a sample, but the pattern is common. Our end-of-day cash up guide goes through finding the cause.

What should I set up first?

Switch on end-of-day closing for your business, decide on a fixed float, and agree who counts and who closes. Make sure cash paid out is always recorded with Cash out at the moment it happens. Then run the close every night for two weeks, including quiet nights, until it is a habit. For how daily takings feed your wider cash flow, read that guide next.