Opening and closing the register
A register is one shift at the till: one person, one cash drawer and one stock location, from the moment you open it until you close it. Opening counts the cash already in the drawer. Closing counts it again and compares it with what the drawer should hold. Only a difference posts to your accounts, and it goes to 6750 Cash Over and Short.
- Where
- Point of sale › Open your register. To close: Close register on the top bar, or More › Counter › Close register
- Number
- None for the shift. A difference posts one journal entry, such as JE-000123
- Posts to
- Only a cash difference: Cash Over and Short and the drawer’s own cash account
- Who
- Cashiers (their own register), managers and admins
What it’s for
Section titled “What it’s for”- Start a shift. You pick the stock location and the cash drawer, count the cash in the drawer and confirm the count. Every sale, refund and cash entry you make after that belongs to this register.
- End a shift. You count the cash, see the difference, and close. The close saves a summary of the shift.
- Run more than one till. Each person can have one open register. Each drawer can be in one open register at a time.
- Step away. Lock screen keeps the register open and asks for your password when you come back. It is not a close.
- Overnight. A register never closes by itself. It stays open until someone closes it by hand. The top bar shows how long it has been open, such as Open 5h 12m.
Selling is in Selling at the till. Cash paid in or out during the shift is in Cash in and out.
How a shift runs
Section titled “How a shift runs”- Open. Choose the location and drawer. The screen shows what the books say the drawer holds. You count the cash, type it in, and confirm.
- Work. Sell, take payments, give refunds and record cash in or out. The app keeps a running figure of the cash the drawer should hold.
- Close. Count the cash again. The app shows the difference. You give a reason if there is one, and confirm.
- After. The cash stays in the drawer’s account. The next shift starts from what the books show, and counts it again.
Fields
Section titled “Fields”Open your register
Section titled “Open your register”| Field | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Assigned user | The person the register belongs to. It shows your name and cannot be changed | Sales you make here are recorded under your name |
| Bank transfer account (optional) | The bank account used for Bank transfer payments at this register | With No bank transfer account, Bank transfer is off for the whole shift. A manager can add one later. The screen remembers your last choice for each drawer |
| Stock location (required) | The store that sales at this register take stock from | Every sale takes its stock from here. The screen may fill it in from the last use of the drawer |
| Cash drawer (required) | The physical drawer for this shift. You see only the drawers your administrator assigned to you that no other open register is using | The sales cash goes to this drawer’s own cash account. Cash on Hand and Petty Cash cannot be used |
| Card terminal (required) | Shown only when your company has set up card machines. The machine you use today | Card payments at this register go to that machine’s own account, “Card clearing - ‹machine›” |
| Counted cash (required) | The cash you counted in the drawer. The screen fills in what the books show; type what you really counted, or 0.00 for an empty drawer | It becomes the opening cash of the shift. A count that differs from the books posts a difference |
| Reason for the difference (required) | Appears only when your count differs from the books. 5 to 500 characters | Kept with the difference in the books |
| I counted the cash in this drawer… | A tick box. It clears itself if you change the count | The register does not open until it is ticked |
If your company has no card machines, the screen only says where card payments go.
The line under Counted cash says, for example, “The books show AED 200.00 in this drawer”. This is the balance of the drawer’s own cash account, not the figure from the last close. Cash can leave a closed drawer, for example when a manager takes it to the bank.
Close register
Section titled “Close register”Closing has three steps.
| Field | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Physical cash counted | The cash now in the drawer, as one total. Or choose Count notes & coins and type how many of each note and coin; the screen adds them up. The notes and coins grid is for AED only | The counted cash of the close. Only the total is saved |
| Exceptional closure without counting | A tick box for managers and admins only. Closes with no count | No count is saved and nothing posts. A reason is required and your name is kept |
| Closing reason | Why the count differs, or why you could not count. Up to 500 characters | Required when there is a difference or no count. Kept with the close |
| I confirm the cart and pending payments are resolved… | A tick box on step 3 | Close register stays off until it is ticked |
Step 1 is Count cash. Step 2 is Review difference. Step 3 is Confirm closure.
On step 2 you see three figures: Expected cash, Counted cash and Difference. Below them is the shift summary. The summary groups the shift’s figures into Sales and discounts, Refunds and customer advances, and Drawer reconciliation. Pay by link sales have a group of their own, by provider.
What expected cash means
Section titled “What expected cash means”Expected cash is the cash this drawer should hold now, worked out for this shift only.
| Line | Effect on expected cash |
|---|---|
| Opening cash | Starts the total. This is the count you confirmed when you opened |
| Cash sales | Added. The cash you kept from sales, after giving change |
| Customer cash collections | Added. Cash taken from customers against what they owe, at this register |
| Cash in | Added |
| Cash refunds | Taken off |
| Cash out | Taken off. This includes safe drops |
The summary also shows card sales, bank transfers, Pay by link and sales on account. They are not cash in the drawer, so they are not part of expected cash.
Example. You open with a counted float of 200.00. You sell 4 items, each 100.00 plus 5.00 VAT, and take all of it in cash: 420.00. Expected cash is 200.00 + 420.00 = 620.00. You count 620.00. The difference is 0.00 and nothing posts.
Buttons
Section titled “Buttons”| Button | When you see it | What happens | Accounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open register | Open your register | Opens the register after the count is confirmed. The app says “Register opened.” | Posts only if the count differs |
| Open registers — manager | Managers and admins: on the Open your register screen, and in More › Settings & session | Lists every open register. Use ‹drawer› · ‹person› works in that register. Close ‹drawer› · ‹person› · ‹date› opens the same close steps for that register | No change until the close is confirmed |
| Add bank account | Managers and admins, on a register opened with no bank account | Adds a bank account so Bank transfer works. The register stays open | No change |
| Lock screen | Top bar, and More › Settings & session | Locks your sign-in at once, not only the till screen. The register stays open | No change |
| Unlock screen | The locked screen | Opens again when you type your password | No change |
| Close register | Top bar, and More › Counter | If a cart, a pending sale or a payment is waiting, “Before closing the register” appears. Otherwise step 1 opens | No change |
| Hold cart and continue | “Before closing the register”, when a cart is open | Holds the cart, then goes on to close | No change |
| Continue closing | “Held sales stay on this browser”, when there are held sales | Goes on to step 1. Held sales stay on this browser | No change |
| Review count | Step 1 | Goes to step 2 | No change |
| Continue to confirmation | Step 2 | Goes to step 3 | No change |
| Refresh summary | All close steps | Loads the latest figures | No change |
| Back and Keep register open | Close steps | Go back a step, or leave the close. The register stays open | No change |
| Close register (red) | Step 3, once the confirmation is ticked | Closes the register and saves the summary | Posts only if the count differs |
| Print 80 mm close and Print… | Register closed screen | Prints the close slip. Printing never closes the register again | No change |
| Done — back to POS | Register closed screen | Returns to the Open your register screen | No change |
| Edit close | Detailed Reports › Register closes › the shift › Count corrections, managers and admins | Changes the counted cash of a closed shift. Asks for a reason | Posts the change in the count |
What you see: the top bar shows the register as open, with how long it has been open. After closing, the screen says “Register closed” and “‹drawer› is closed.” A closed register cannot be opened again. You open a new one.
What gets posted
Section titled “What gets posted”Opening and closing post nothing when the count matches. When it does not match, the app posts one entry. It moves the difference between the drawer’s cash account and 6750 Cash Over and Short. This happens in the same save as the open or the close. A count lower than expected is a shortage and goes to Cash Over and Short as a cost. A count higher than expected is an overage and goes there as a gain.
Your company may use another code for this account if 6750 was already taken. The screens show the code the app used.
When you open
Section titled “When you open”The app compares your count with the books. It reads the books itself when you press Open register, so a stale screen cannot hide a change.
- What the books show for the drawer200.00
- Cash you counted150.00
- Difference-50.00
| Account | Debit (AED) | Credit (AED) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash Over and Short | 50.00 | Shortage: cash the books expected is not there | |
| The drawer’s cash account | 50.00 | The books now show the 150.00 in the drawer | |
| Total | 50.00 | 50.00 | Balanced |
The reason is required. Without it the register does not open and nothing is saved. The entry is dated the day you open. The 150.00 becomes the opening cash of the shift.
- What the books show for the drawer200.00
- Cash you counted250.00
- Difference+50.00
| Account | Debit (AED) | Credit (AED) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| The drawer’s cash account | 50.00 | The books now show the 250.00 in the drawer | |
| Cash Over and Short | 50.00 | Overage: more cash than the books expected | |
| Total | 50.00 | 50.00 | Balanced |
A new drawer that the books show as empty is the same case as Example 2. Counting a float of 1,000.00 into it is a 1,000.00 overage, with a reason. To avoid this, first move the float into the drawer from the bank or the safe in Banking.
If the books show a negative balance for the drawer, the screen says so in words and starts the count at 0.00.
When you close
Section titled “When you close”The app compares your count with expected cash. It also checks that expected cash has not changed since you looked at it.
- Opening cash, with no cash movements in the shift1000.00
- Expected cash1000.00
- Cash counted980.00
- Difference-20.00
| Account | Debit (AED) | Credit (AED) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash Over and Short | 20.00 | Shortage found at the close | |
| The drawer’s cash account | 20.00 | The books now match the 980.00 you counted | |
| Total | 20.00 | 20.00 | Balanced |
The entry is dated the day you close, not the day the shift opened. The screen shows it as “Short by AED 20.00. This will be posted to 6750 Cash Over and Short when you close.” After closing, “Variance posted” shows the entry number.
- Expected cash1000.00
- Cash counted1015.50
- Difference+15.50
| Account | Debit (AED) | Credit (AED) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| The drawer’s cash account | 15.50 | The books now match the 1,015.50 you counted | |
| Cash Over and Short | 15.50 | Overage found at the close | |
| Total | 15.50 | 15.50 | Balanced |
When you correct a closed shift
Section titled “When you correct a closed shift”If the counted cash of a closed shift was wrong, a manager or admin can change it later (see Fixing a mistake). The close entry is never changed. The app posts a second entry for the change in the count.
- Counted at the close980.00
- Right count1000.00
- Change in the count+20.00
| Account | Debit (AED) | Credit (AED) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| The drawer’s cash account | 20.00 | The books move up to the right count | |
| Cash Over and Short | 20.00 | The shortage posted at the close is taken back | |
| Total | 20.00 | 20.00 | Balanced |
The entry is dated the day of the close. The close entry from Example 3 stays as it was. The next opening suggests 1,000.00.
What does not post
Section titled “What does not post”- An exact count posts nothing.
- A closure without a count by a manager or admin posts nothing.
- Closing never moves cash. The counted cash stays in the drawer’s own cash account. To move it to the safe or the bank, see the last part of Fixing a mistake.
- If the entry cannot be posted, the register does not close and nothing is saved. This happens when the date is in a locked period, or when Cash Over and Short is missing from your chart.
What happens to the counted cash afterwards
Section titled “What happens to the counted cash afterwards”- The close summary is saved. It keeps the opening cash, the sales and cash movement totals, expected cash, counted cash and the difference.
- Because the difference was posted, the drawer’s cash account now equals the cash you counted.
- The next opening starts from the books, not from the last count. The screen still shows the last close for information.
- A cash count protects the balance further:
- A cash count cannot be completed while a register is open on that drawer. Close the register first.
- After an end-of-day cash count for today, the same drawer cannot be opened again today. A spot count does not do this.
- After an end-of-day cash count, nothing more can be posted to the drawer’s cash account on or before the count date.
- A cash count of that drawer dated on or after the close day stops anyone changing the counted cash of that close.
Where it shows up
Section titled “Where it shows up”| Place | What changes |
|---|---|
| Detailed Reports › Register closes | Each closed shift: who ran it, when, every total, the count, the difference, and its entry. Tabs: Summary, Count corrections, Cash movements, Source documents, Print 80 mm |
| Day book | A “Register opening difference” entry or a “Register close variance” entry, with its own JE number |
| Banking › Cashbook | The same entries on the drawer’s cash account |
| Balance sheet | The drawer’s cash account moves to the cash you counted |
| Profit and loss | Cash Over and Short: shortages are a cost, overages reduce it |
| Cash counts | Blocked while the register is open. Protects a closed shift afterwards (see above) |
| Next opening | Starts from the books balance of the drawer |
What the app blocks
Section titled “What the app blocks”These checks happen before anything is saved, so a refused open or close leaves no half-written records.
Opening
Section titled “Opening”| Situation | What you see |
|---|---|
| No location chosen | Select a stock location. |
| No drawer chosen | Select a cash drawer. |
| No card terminal chosen, when your company has card machines | Select a card terminal for this register. |
| No drawer assigned to you | No active physical cash drawer is assigned to you. Ask someone who can manage users to assign a drawer in Users & roles. Cash on Hand and Petty Cash cannot open a register. |
| Every drawer you may use is already open | All your assigned cash drawers are already in use by open registers. Ask the assigned operator to close and count a register, then refresh POS. Do not create a duplicate drawer. |
| No stock location set up | Add an active stock location before opening a register. |
| You already have an open register | This user already has an open register session. |
| The drawer is in another open register | This Cash account is already assigned to an open register session. |
| The drawer had an end-of-day cash count today | This Cash account has already been counted for the company day. |
| Count left empty | Enter the cash you counted, including 0.00 for an empty drawer. |
| Count with more than two decimals | Enter an amount of zero or more with no more than two decimal places. |
| Count not confirmed | Confirm that you counted the cash in this drawer. |
| Count differs and no reason given | Give a reason for the difference, at least 5 characters, so the books can say why. |
| The books changed after you looked | The books show ‹amount› in this drawer. Give a reason of 5 to 500 characters for the difference, or count the cash again. |
| The day is in a locked period and there is a difference to post | Today is inside a locked accounting period, so the cash difference cannot be recorded and the register was not opened. Ask an administrator to reopen the period. |
| Cash Over and Short is missing | Cash Over and Short is unavailable, so the cash difference cannot be recorded and the register was not opened. Ask an administrator to restore the standard chart. |
Closing
Section titled “Closing”| Situation | What you see |
|---|---|
| A cart is open | Clear or hold the current cart before closing. |
| A sale from this browser is unresolved | Resolve the pending sale before closing the register. |
| A payment is in progress | Wait for the current payment to finish. |
| A sale from this browser is saved but not confirmed on this register | A sale from this browser is not confirmed on this register. Resolve the pending sale first, then close again. |
| The summary did not load | Shift summary could not load. Retry before closing. |
| No count entered | Enter the physical cash count, including zero for an empty drawer. |
| Difference or no count, and no reason | Explain the cash difference or why counting is not possible. |
| Cash moved after your summary was loaded | Cash activity changed. Refresh the summary and recount before closing. |
| Another change to the register since you opened the screen | The register session changed. Reload it before closing. |
| The register is already closed | This register session is already closed. |
| The shop requires a manager for any difference, and you are a cashier | Shop policy requires someone with permission to approve this difference. Keep the register open and ask a signed-in person who can approve it to use Open registers. |
| The same, when the app checks it again | Ask a signed-in manager to approve and close this register from Open registers. |
| Closing another person’s register without the right | Your role cannot perform this register-session action. |
| The close date is in a locked period | The closing date is in a locked period. Ask a manager to reopen the period, then close again. |
| Cash Over and Short is missing | Cash Over and Short is unavailable. Ask an administrator to restore the standard chart. |
| Cash out is more than the cash available | The drawer has more governed cash out than available cash. Correct the cash activity before closing. |
| The answer to the close was lost | Closure could not be confirmed. Check the connection, then retry; do not assume this register is closed. |
Around the register
Section titled “Around the register”| Situation | What you see |
|---|---|
| Moving cash out of the drawer in Banking while its register is open | This till drawer has an open register, so its cash can’t be moved from Banking. Close the register first, or use Cash out at the till. |
| Completing a cash count while a register is open on that drawer | Close the active POS register for this Cash account before completing its cash count. |
| Posting to a drawer’s cash account on or before a counted date | This Cash account was already counted through the selected date. Undo its latest cash count or choose a later transaction date. |
| Wrong password on the lock screen | Email or password is incorrect. Check your details and try again. |
Warnings that do not stop you
Section titled “Warnings that do not stop you”- Held sales. If the browser holds held sales, “Held sales stay on this browser” tells you how many. They are not saved in the app. They are there again after the next register opens.
- A difference. On steps 1 and 2 the screen tells you the difference and where it will be posted. You can still go back and recount.
- Last close. The opening screen shows what the last close counted. It is for information. Your count is judged against the books, not against that figure.
Who can do it
Section titled “Who can do it”| Action | Admin | Manager | Cashier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open your own register | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Count and close your own register | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lock and unlock your screen | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Close with a cash difference | Yes | Yes | Yes, unless a company setting requires a manager |
| Close without counting (exceptional closure) | Yes | Yes | No |
| See Open registers, work in or close another person’s register | Yes | Yes | No |
| Add a bank account to an open register | Yes | Yes | No |
| Change the counted cash of a closed shift (Edit close) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Change a count in an old close that already has a correction (Change counted cash) | Yes | No | No |
| See the Register closes report | Yes | Yes | No |
| Switch on “Require manager approval for any non-zero cash difference” | Yes | No | No |
A company setting decides whether a cashier may close with a difference. It is in Settings › Business details › Counter rules › Register closing. It is off by default.
A cashier can use only the drawers the administrator assigned to them, in Settings › Users & access.
These are the standard roles. Your administrator can give a custom role each action separately in Settings › Users & access.
Fixing a mistake
Section titled “Fixing a mistake”- You mistyped the count and have not pressed Open register yet. Change it. The difference line updates as you type. The tick box clears, so you confirm again.
- You counted wrong while closing. Press Back, or Keep register open. Nothing is saved until the red Close register on step 3.
- The opening count was wrong and the register is open. The opening cash cannot be edited after you open. The shift is judged against the count you confirmed. Count the drawer honestly at the close. The difference shows there, with your reason.
- The register is closed and the counted cash was wrong. A manager or admin goes to Detailed Reports › Register closes, opens the shift, and uses the Count corrections tab.
- Use Edit close, enter the right counted cash, and give a reason. The close stays closed, and the original count is kept in the history.
- The app posts one entry for the change in the count, between the drawer’s cash account and Cash Over and Short. The close entry itself is never changed.
- Example: a close counted 980.00 against 1,000.00 expected and posted a 20.00 shortage. The right count was 1,000.00. The correction posts the entry in Example 5.
- An old close that already has a correction keeps the older Change counted cash button. Only admins can use it.
- A bill, a refund or a customer payment in a closed shift is edited later. The shift’s expected cash is worked out again. The counted cash stays. A balancing entry between the drawer’s cash account and Cash Over and Short keeps the books equal to what was counted.
- The count cannot be corrected. The page tells you why. Edit close and Change counted cash are refused when:
- the register was closed without a count. Record the real balance with a cash count in Banking instead;
- the close date is in a locked period;
- another shift has opened on the same drawer since;
- a cash count of that drawer is dated on or after the close day.
- You closed the register by mistake. A closed register cannot be reopened. Open a new one. Count the drawer at opening, and the books carry on from there.
- Cash is still in the drawer after the close. Closing does not move it. An admin or manager moves cash out of a closed drawer in Banking › Transfers. To take cash out during a shift, use Cash out or a safe drop at the till.