Venue operations guide
How to Close Out a Register at Day’s End
A repeatable closing routine helps restaurants, pubs and leisure venues explain the difference between recorded sales, card transactions and cash in the drawer.
Cashing up means comparing the payments received with the sales record and investigating differences. HMRC describes it as a reconciliation process commonly carried out at the end of the day.
For a restaurant, bar or leisure venue, use a consistent routine for each drawer and trading period. The steps below are general operational guidance; they do not describe specific EPOS Bookings software functions.
1. Set the cut-off and gather your records
Finish taking payments through the drawer being counted. Record the trading date, cut-off time, till or drawer identifier and staff member completing the cash-up.
Gather the opening float record, sales and payment records, refund details, void explanations and records of cash added or removed. Identify unpaid tables or tabs separately: an outstanding bill is not money received. For venues trading past midnight, use the same trading period throughout rather than mixing calendar-day and shift totals.
2. Confirm the opening float and cash movements
The opening float is the money put in the drawer for giving change. Use the amount actually recorded at opening, rather than assuming it matched the usual float.
List additional change supplied, cash paid out and cash removed to the safe during service. Record transfers between drawers against both drawers. Keep receipts or references with each movement so the closing manager can follow where the money went.
3. Check cash sales, refunds and voids
Establish the cash received from customers after change was given. Separate cash payments from card payments, vouchers and other payment methods.
Match cash refunds to their supporting transactions and confirm that money actually left the drawer. Review voids and canceled orders separately: cancelling an unpaid item does not itself remove cash. If a paid transaction was canceled, check how the repayment was handled.
Check whether your cash total already deducts refunds. Subtracting them again will create a false shortage.
4. Calculate the expected drawer balance
Use this calculation where cash receipts and cash refunds are listed separately:
Expected closing cash = opening float + cash receipts + other cash added − cash refunds − cash payouts − cash removed.
If your starting figure is already net of refunds, omit the separate refund deduction.
Keep tips and any other non-sales money identifiable, following your venue’s procedure. If they remain in the drawer, account for them once in the calculation. Use a cash-up sheet to show each component rather than trying to explain everything through one sales total.
5. Check card totals separately
Compare card payments recorded against the relevant terminal or payment-provider transaction records for the same period. Compare sales and refunds separately, then check the net total. Include every terminal used.
Check whether gratuities are included on both sides. Investigate incorrect payment methods, duplicate entries and differences in cut-off times before treating a mismatch as a missing payment.
Follow your provider’s end-of-day instructions. Terminal transaction totals, banking totals and settlement are different checks. Do not substitute that day’s bank credit for the card transaction total.
6. Count the cash and record discrepancies
Count the complete drawer contents in a secure area away from customers. Separate notes and coins by denomination, record subtotals and add them together. Recount if uncertain.
Calculate:
Cash discrepancy = actual cash counted − expected closing cash.
A positive result is an overage; a negative result is a shortage. Recount, then check the opening float, refunds, payouts, safe drops and payment-method entries.
Record the amount, checks performed, explanation if known and any follow-up needed. Keep an unexplained difference visible rather than changing a sale simply to make the figures balance.
7. Obtain manager sign-off and prepare tomorrow’s float
Ask the duty manager to review the count, supporting records, card comparison and discrepancies. Record the counter’s and reviewer’s names, sign-off time and any outstanding action. Where staffing permits, have another person verify the cash.
Set aside the agreed next-day float with a useful mix of change. Record its amount separately from cash being secured for banking, including any authorized top-up or reduction. Label and secure both according to your venue’s procedure. Separating the float from takings helps the next team understand what remains available for change.
Have the opening team count and acknowledge the float before service.
End-of-day cash-up checklist
- Confirm the trading period and opening float.
- Check cash movements, refunds and voids.
- Compare card records for matching periods.
- Count cash and document differences.
- Obtain sign-off and secure takings.
- Record and prepare tomorrow’s float.
Frequently asked questions
Is the float part of the day’s takings?
No. It is money available for change. Include it when calculating expected drawer cash, then separate it from takings when preparing the banking amount.
What if the till does not balance?
Recount and check the supporting records. Document the remaining difference and refer it to the manager, with an owner and next step for investigation.
Does EPOS Bookings automatically reconcile the till?
EPOS Bookings offers EPOS software, reporting and cash drawers. This guide does not assume automatic reconciliation or particular reports. Ask which records your setup provides and which checks staff must complete.