How to close the daily cash register: a checklist for branches
The steps of an end-of-day cash close: opening cash, entries during the day, the count, difference analysis and locking. A practical checklist for a branch.
An end-of-day cash close is a short check that shows whether a branch’s cash movement for the day matches what was expected. Done every day, small differences are noticed the same day while their cause is still remembered; done weeks later, the same difference cannot be explained.
1. Write down the opening cash
At the start of the day record the cash in the register and any other balances (card, pending transfers). The previous day’s closing count should equal today’s opening; if it does not, the difference exists before the day has begun.
2. Record during the day, not in the evening
Enter every collection and expense with its payment method (cash, card, transfer, Cep Lira) as it happens. Entries left for the evening are forgotten, and the ones remembered are written with the wrong amount.
A transfer is not income
Money moved between branches or to head office does not change the company’s total income or expense. Keep it as its own entry type, or revenue looks larger than it is.
3. Work out the expected cash
Expected cash is: opening cash + cash collected − cash expenses. Card and transfer collections do not change the drawer; follow them separately.
4. Count the register and compare
Compare the counted amount with the expected one. There are three outcomes:
- It matches: close the day.
- There is a shortfall: the register holds less than expected. First review that day’s entries; a forgotten expense or a mistyped amount is the most common cause.
- There is a surplus: the register holds more than expected. Usually a collection was not entered, or an amount came across from another register.
5. Write the reason before closing the difference
Instead of quietly correcting the difference, record why it happened. If the same difference repeats, it is a process problem rather than a cash problem: look at the time of day and whose shift it was.
6. Close the day and lock it
A closed day’s records should not be touched afterwards. If a correction is needed, reopen the day, correct it and close it again, so the past figure does not change silently.
A monthly glance
At month end check that no day is left unclosed. An open or empty day makes the month’s total unreliable.
In Primsis this flow is the daily cash register screen; the register is linked to the income-expense ledger, so you do not write the same movement twice.