A float to start the day
Count the float into the drawer when you open, so the close has a fixed starting point.
Free cash-up calculator, for your till
Count the drawer, check it against the float and cash sales, and see what to bank. Over, short or spot on, in a minute.
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Cash-up
Cash in the drawer
- Opening float
- £150.00
- + Cash sales
- £262.50
- Should be there
- £412.50
- Counted
- £402.50
- Short
- −£10.00
- Card machine vs tillThey agree
- £0.00
- Take to the bankLeaving £150.00 as tomorrow’s float
- £252.50
Out by £1.00 or more. Write down why while the day is fresh — a refund not put through, change given wrong, a payment on the wrong machine.
How to cash up a till Five steps at closing.
Worked through for the example drawer above: a £150.00 float and £262.50 of cash sales.
Count everything in the drawer
Notes and coins, float included. Counting the float in, then taking it out at the end, means it is never mistaken for takings.
£402.50 counted
Work out what should be there
The float you started with, plus the cash sales on the till’s end-of-day (Z) report, less any cash paid out of the drawer.
£150.00 + £262.50 − £0.00 = £412.50
Compare the two
More than expected is over; less is short. A pound or more either way is worth a note while the day is fresh.
£402.50 − £412.50 = −£10.00, short
Check the card machine too
Its end-of-day total should match the card sales on the till. A payment on the wrong machine shows up here.
Card machine − card sales on the till = £0.00
Bank the takings, keep the float
Take out tomorrow’s float in small notes and coins, and bank the rest.
£402.50 − £150.00 = £252.50 to bank
Every night, not just tonight. In DUMA, on the free plan.
A blind count
The drawer is counted before DUMA shows what should be there, so the number isn’t nudged.
Card checked too
Read the card machine’s total, and DUMA checks it against the card sales on the till.
A reason when it’s out
A difference of £1 or more needs a note before the day closes. The End of day report keeps every cash-up.
Questions about cashing up
How do I cash up a till?
Count everything in the drawer, float included. Work out what should be there: the opening float plus cash sales, less any cash paid out. The difference is over or short. A £150.00 float and £262.50 of cash sales should leave £412.50; a drawer holding £402.50 is £10.00 short.
What is a till float?
The notes and coins you start the day with, so you can give change from the first sale. It is not takings: count it in when you open, and leave it in the drawer for tomorrow when you bank the rest.
How much float should I keep?
Enough small notes and coins to give change through your busiest first hour. It depends on how many customers pay in cash and what your prices are. Keep it the same every day, so a cash-up always starts from a known figure.
What does it mean when the till is over or short?
Short means less cash than the till says there should be; over means more. A small difference is usually change given wrongly or a miscount. The same shift short again and again is worth a closer look. Write down a reason each time, so the pattern shows.
What is the difference between an X report and a Z report?
An X report is a reading of the day so far that resets nothing, useful at a shift change. A Z report is the end-of-day report: it closes the day’s totals, and its cash figure is the one to cash up against.
Is this the same sum DUMA uses?
Yes. The counting and the over or short come from the same code as DUMA’s till cash-up, so a drawer counted here gives the figure DUMA would. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.
This calculator does one night.DUMA does every one.
Join DUMA for free and cash up at the till: it knows the float and the sales, records what you counted, and keeps every night in the End of day report. No card needed.