Cash drawer reconciliation compares the cash that should be in the till with the cash that is actually there. Enter the opening float, cash sales, and the refunds and paid outs that left the drawer, then count the Saudi riyal notes and coins denomination by denomination. The calculator shows the difference as cash over or short and builds a Z report you can print on the receipt printer or download as a PDF for signatures.
How to calculate expected cash in the drawer
mada and card sales never go into the drawer, so they stay out of expected cash and are matched separately against the card terminal settlement. The drawer starts with the change float the cashier received, rises with every cash sale, and falls with every refund paid in cash and every paid out taken from it.
Expected = Opening + Cash sales − Cash refunds − Paid outs · Difference = Counted − Expected
Counting cash by denomination
Counting by denomination is quicker and less error-prone than adding up in your head: you enter how many of each note you have and the calculator multiplies and totals. It lists the sixth-issue denominations published by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA): notes of 500, 200, 100, 50, 10 and 5 riyals, and coins of 2 and 1 riyal and 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 halala. Sort the notes into stacks by value, all facing up, before you count, and count each stack twice.
If the cash has already been counted, choose "Enter the total" and type the amount. The denomination breakdown is still worth keeping, because it goes onto the printed report and shows the supervisor exactly what the cashier handed over.
X report vs Z report: what is the difference?
An X report is a reading of the shift's sales at any point without closing it; a supervisor prints one mid-shift to keep an eye on cash or before a drop to the safe. A Z report closes the shift: it is printed once at the end, and the counters reset for the next shift. In the calculator you pick the report type under "Report details and payment methods"; the receipt and file title change, and the arithmetic stays the same.
Cash over and short: causes and what to do
The usual causes of a shortage are too much change given to a customer, a cash refund that was never recorded, a small paid out taken without a receipt, or a card sale rung up as cash. An overage is mostly the reverse: a cash sale rung up as card, or short change given to a customer.
- Recount first, then check refunds and paid outs against their receipts.
- Compare card sales in the system with the terminal settlement; a gap between the two points to a sale recorded under the wrong payment method.
- Write the reason for the difference in the note field before printing, and have both you and the supervisor sign the report.
- Agree a written policy with management on what difference is acceptable and what gets investigated, so it is not left to each shift's judgement.
Daily cash count and handing over the takings
At the end of the day the change float for the next shift stays in the drawer, and the rest goes to the safe or to the bank. In the advanced mode you enter the float that will stay, and the calculator works out the amount to hand over and prints it on the report. Record every cash drop made during the shift in its own field, or the close will show a shortage that does not exist.
Common shift-close mistakes
- Adding mada and card sales to the cash expected in the drawer.
- Forgetting the opening float, so the drawer looks over by exactly that amount.
- Taking a paid out from the drawer without a receipt, which then shows up as an unexplained shortage.
- Dropping cash to the safe mid-shift without recording it.
- Closing the shift before the cashier hands over the drawer, or taking it over without a signature.
What to do after you get the result
Print the thermal receipt on the cashier's printer and put it in the cash bag with the takings, or download the PDF report for the cashier and supervisor to sign and file with the day's paperwork. If the same cashier keeps coming up short, review a full week of their shifts before you decide anything.
When tracking every shift in every branch gets hard
Reconciling by hand works for one drawer and gets difficult once there are several drawers, shifts, branches and payment methods. At Microtec we offer O-Red, a cashier and point-of-sale system for restaurants and cafes in the Kingdom. Try it on your next shift.