It is 9:40 pm. The last customer left ten minutes ago. You are tired, the floor still needs a mop, and there is a pile of bills and coins in the register drawer. Is it the right amount? Most nights you guess. Some nights you find out a week later that it was not.
A daily cash-up fixes that. It is a 5-minute count at closing, written down in one row, every day. This guide is for a new shop owner with no budget and no bookkeeper: a bubble tea counter, a sandwich shop, a small bakery, a barber, a gift shop. It works the same for any shop that takes cash.
You do not need to build a spreadsheet. The free Daily Cash-Up Spreadsheet from KANJIN (kanjin.app) is one Excel file with the formulas already in. There is no email address and no sign-up. Press the button and it downloads. It opens in Excel, Google Sheets (File, then Import), Numbers and LibreOffice. There are no macros, so nothing asks you to enable anything.
What is a daily cash-up?
A daily cash-up is the count you do at closing to check that the cash in the register matches what you sold. You count the drawer, take out the starting float, and compare what is left with the cash sales on the register report. If there is more cash than sales, you are over. If there is less, you are short.
The sheet uses one formula for this, and it is printed under the table:
Over / short = cash counted − starting float − cash sales. Positive is over, negative is short.
That is the whole idea. Everything else in this guide is how to do it fast, and what to do when the number is not zero.
What is in the free cash-up sheet
The workbook has four tabs. Yellow cells are the ones you fill in. Everything else works itself out.
| Tab | What it does | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Start here | What each tab is for, in four lines | Once |
| Break-even | Your monthly costs, turned into the customers a day you need | Once, then when a cost changes |
| Daily cash-up | One row a day: cash, card and other sales, and whether the drawer came out over or short | Every night at close |
| Tip split | The tip jar divided by hours worked | Whenever you share out the jar |
The Break-even tab: fill it in once
Before your first cash-up, fill in Break-even. It turns your costs into one number you can check every night: the sales a day you need before you earn anything.
The sheet comes with its own worked example. These are example numbers, so type your own over them.
| Line | Example |
|---|---|
| Rent, per month | $3,000 |
| Wages, per month (include your own) | $2,000 |
| Utilities, insurance, software, per month | $600 |
| Loan or lease payments, per month | $400 |
| Other fixed costs, per month | $0 |
| Fixed costs per month | $6,000 |
| Days open per month | 26 |
| Average spend per customer | $12 |
| Cost of what you sell, % of the price | 30% |
Here is the arithmetic the sheet does for you:
- Fixed costs per day: $6,000 ÷ 26 = $230.77.
- Each customer leaves you: $12 × (1 − 30%) = $8.40.
- Customers a day to break even: $230.77 ÷ $8.40 = 27.5, rounded up to 28.
- Sales a day to break even: 28 × $12 = $336.
Put a wage for yourself in the Wages line. If you leave it out, the break-even looks lower than it really is. Want to try a few versions first? The free Break-Even Calculator does the same sum in your browser. The full formula, with another worked example, is in the restaurant break-even point formula.
The Daily cash-up tab: one row a night
The Daily cash-up tab has 31 rows, one for each day of the month, and a Month total row at the bottom. These are the columns, left to right:
| Column | What you type or what it works out |
|---|---|
| Date | You type it |
| Cash sales | You type it, from the register report |
| Card sales | You type it |
| Other (apps, gift cards) | You type it, for example delivery app orders |
| Total sales | Works itself out: cash + card + other |
| Customers | You type it |
| Avg spend | Works itself out: total sales ÷ customers |
| Cash counted in register | You type it, after you count |
| Starting float | You type it |
| Over / short | Works itself out: cash counted − float − cash sales |
| vs break-even sales | Works itself out: total sales − your break-even sales from the Break-even tab |
| Note (rain, event, staff off) | You type it, a few words |
The Month total row adds up each sales column, the customers, and the over / short for the whole month.
The 5-minute close routine, step by step
Do the same steps in the same order every night. After a week it takes about 5 minutes.
Step 1. Print the register report
Lock the door first. Then print or open the end-of-day report on your register. Find 3 numbers: cash sales, card sales and the number of customers (some registers call it transactions).
No register? If you use a cash box and a notebook, add up the notebook. That total is your cash sales.
Step 2. Count the drawer
Take the drawer to a quiet spot, away from the window. Count each kind of bill and coin, one at a time. Write each count on a scrap of paper or a small count slip:
- the number of each bill: $20, $10, $5, $1
- the coins, by kind
- the total
Count twice. If the two counts differ, count a third time. Write the total in Cash counted in register.
Step 3. Take out the float
The float is the cash you put in the drawer at opening, so you can give change. Pick one amount and use it every day, for example $150. Count the float out in small bills and coins, and put it aside for tomorrow. Write it in Starting float.
What is left after the float is the day's cash. That is the money that goes to the bank, or into the safe.
Step 4. Check the card total against the register report
Print the end-of-day report on the card machine too. Compare its total with the card sales on the register report. They should match.
If they do not match, look for a sale keyed on the wrong button. Example: a customer paid $10 in cash, but staff pressed Card on the register. The register then shows $10 too much in card sales and $10 too little in cash sales. Your cash will look $10 over, and your card check will be $10 off. Fix the numbers before you write them in the sheet. Nothing is missing; one sale was keyed on the wrong button.
Write the card machine's total in Card sales. Write delivery app orders and other money in Other (apps, gift cards).
Step 5. Type the row and read over / short
Type the cash sales from the register report, and the customers. The sheet now shows Total sales, Avg spend, Over / short, and how the day did against break-even.
Step 6. Write who counted, and sign
Two people count when you can: one counts, one watches and checks. Write both sets of initials in the Note column, and a few words about the day ("rain", "street fair", "Ana off"). If you keep a paper count slip, both people sign it, and it goes in the envelope with the cash.
Step 7. Put the cash away
Put the day's cash and the count slip in an envelope. Write the date and the amount on the front. It goes to the safe or the bank. The float goes back in the drawer, or in the safe, for the morning.
A worked example that adds up
This is an example. We chose the numbers and show every step.
A small bubble tea counter uses the sheet's break-even numbers: $336 in sales a day to break even. The float is $150 every morning.
The register report for Tuesday:
- Cash sales: $142.50
- Card sales: $236.00
- Customers: 34
The card machine's report also says $236.00, so card sales match. The delivery app shows $48.00 of orders for the day.
The drawer count:
| In the drawer | Count | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| $20 bills | 6 | $120.00 |
| $10 bills | 5 | $50.00 |
| $5 bills | 11 | $55.00 |
| $1 bills | 40 | $40.00 |
| Quarters | 60 | $15.00 |
| Dimes | 50 | $5.00 |
| Nickels | 40 | $2.00 |
| Pennies | 50 | $0.50 |
| Cash counted | $287.50 |
The row in the sheet:
- Total sales: $142.50 + $236.00 + $48.00 = $426.50
- Avg spend: $426.50 ÷ 34 = $12.54
- Over / short: $287.50 − $150.00 − $142.50 = −$5.00. The drawer is $5 short.
- vs break-even sales: $426.50 − $336.00 = +$90.50. The day was above break-even.
The cash for the bank is $287.50 − $150.00 = $137.50. That is $5 less than the $142.50 of cash sales, which is the same $5 short.
So Tuesday was a good day with a small short. Write "short $5, counted by R and A" in the Note column and move on. One small short is a note. The same short again and again is a problem to fix.
What to do when the drawer is short (or over)
First, do not panic, and do not blame anyone on the first night. Check these in order. Most shorts are found in the first three.
- Count again. Two bills stuck together, or a $5 in the $1 slot, is the most common mistake.
- Check the float. Was it really $150 this morning? Did someone take change out for the bank and not write it down?
- Check for a sale on the wrong button. Compare card sales on the register report with the card machine (step 4 above).
- Check refunds and voids. A cash refund that was not keyed in the register makes the drawer short.
- Check paid-outs. Did someone take $20 from the drawer to buy milk? Keep a receipt in the drawer for any cash taken out, and count it as cash.
- Check under the drawer. Coins and bills fall behind it.
If the number is still not zero, write it down as it is. Never change the count to make it match. A true −$5 in the sheet is useful. A fake $0 hides the problem.
Over is a problem too. A drawer that is over usually means a customer got too little change, or a sale was not keyed in. Look for it the same way.
Look at the Month total. The over / short column adds up at the bottom of the month. Small shorts and overs on different days often cancel out. A total that keeps growing in one direction, or shorts that always fall on the same shift, tells you where to look. Then talk to the people on that shift, calmly, with the rows in front of you.
Common mistakes
- Counting the float as sales. The float is your own money. Always take it out before you compare with cash sales.
- A different float every day. Pick one amount and keep it. The math is easier, and a missing $20 shows up.
- Putting tips in the drawer. Tips make the drawer look over. Keep a separate jar, and count it on its own.
- Doing it tomorrow morning. The day is fresh at closing. By morning, nobody remembers the $10 refund.
- Only the owner counts. When the owner is away, the cash-up stops. Teach one more person the steps.
- Leaving the Note column empty. "Rain" or "street fair" explains a slow day or a busy day when you read the month back.
Splitting the tip jar
The Tip split tab divides the jar by hours worked. Type the total tips, then each person's name and hours. The sheet shows each share and rounds it to the cent.
The sheet's own example: $240 in tips. Sam worked 8 hours, Ana 6 and Lee 4, so 18 hours in all.
- Sam: 8 ÷ 18 × $240 = $106.67
- Ana: 6 ÷ 18 × $240 = $80.00
- Lee: 4 ÷ 18 × $240 = $53.33
- Total: $240.00
Because each share is rounded to the cent, the Total row can land 1 cent above or below the jar on some days. The sheet shows that total, so you can see it. The sheet also has a note: check local law on who may share tips, because owners and managers often may not. Ask your accountant if you are not sure. To try other ways of splitting, the free Tip Pool Calculator does it in your browser.
Where KANJIN helps
KANJIN (kanjin.app) is a digital stamp card and back office for small shops. We make it, so read this with that in mind. Everything above works with the spreadsheet, or with a notebook and a pen.
The sheet is a file on your computer. KANJIN's free back office does the daily part in your account, on any phone or tablet you sign in on:
- Daily ledger. At closing, press Log daily sales and type the day's sales total. Press Log a vendor invoice when a delivery arrives. The ledger shows sales and supplier costs for 7 days, 30 days or 12 months. It has a period report you can download as a spreadsheet or print for your bookkeeper. It is free.
- Counter Mode. In Settings, you can let staff log the day's sales while the tablet is locked with your 4-digit PIN. They get one screen with the day's total and nothing else from the ledger. It is free.
- Shift notes. The "rain, street fair" notes have their own screen, and the next shift sees them when they sign in.
The honest limits. KANJIN does not count your cash and does not see your drawer. The Daily ledger keeps one number a day, the sales total, and you type it. There is no over / short in the ledger, so keep doing the count in the sheet or on paper.
Frequently asked questions
What should a daily cash up sheet include? The date, cash sales, card sales, other sales such as delivery apps, the total, the number of customers, the cash counted in the register, the starting float, and over or short. A note column for the weather or events helps when you read the month back. The free cash-up sheet has all of these columns, with the formulas already in.
How do you count the register at the end of the day? Print the register report. Count each kind of bill and coin, twice, and write down the total. Take out the starting float. Compare what is left with the cash sales on the report. Cash counted minus float minus cash sales is your over or short.
How much should the float be? There is no one right amount. Pick an amount that gives you enough small bills and coins for a busy morning, and keep it the same every day. A fixed float makes a missing bill easy to see.
Is a cash up sheet template free to use in Google Sheets? Yes. The free cash-up sheet is a plain Excel file. In Google Sheets choose File, then Import, then Upload. The formulas carry over. It also opens in Excel, Numbers and LibreOffice.
What if the register is short every week? Write every short down as it is, and look at the Month total and the shifts. Check the float, refunds, paid-outs and sales keyed on the wrong button first. If the shorts follow one shift, talk to that shift calmly, with the rows in front of you.
Your next step
Tonight, do one cash-up. Download the free Daily Cash-Up Spreadsheet, fill in Break-even once, and type tonight's row. It takes about 5 minutes.
Then let KANJIN keep the daily number for you. The free KANJIN Daily ledger keeps the day's sales total for you, so the month adds itself up, and the free stamp card on the customer's phone number gives your regulars a reason to return. Create your free KANJIN account. No credit card, no time limit, and nothing for your customers to install.