Retail POS End-of-Day Cash Reconciliation Checklist
Close each till against recorded POS activity, explain every variance, and preserve a reviewable handover for the next shift.
Freeze the close
- Record the business date, till, operator, location, POS software version, close time, and last completed transaction.
- Stop new sales, returns, payouts, cash drops, and drawer transfers before counting.
- Confirm queued Offline POS transactions have synchronized or record exactly what remains pending.
- Keep each till separate; do not offset one drawer's shortage with another drawer's overage.
Reconcile each tender independently
| Tender | Control | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | Count blind where practical, then separate float, receipts, refunds, paid-outs, drops, and tips. | Signed count sheet and denomination totals. |
| Card and digital | Match the POS total to the independent terminal or processor batch. | Batch report, settlement reference, and variance. |
| Other tenders | Match vouchers, store credit, account sales, and split tenders separately. | Supporting issue, redemption, or account records. |
| Pending offline | Isolate transactions not yet synchronized instead of assuming they settled. | Transaction IDs, device, status, and follow-up owner. |
Investigate, approve, and hand over
Recount material differences and verify voids, refunds, discounts, split tenders, duplicate receipts, cash drops, paid-outs, and late synchronization. Record the expected amount, physical or settlement amount, variance, supporting transaction IDs, investigation, approver, and final disposition.
Do not delete or rewrite a completed sale merely to force totals to match. Preserve the original reports and use the store's documented correction or adjustment process.
Retain the signed count, POS close report, terminal batch report, cash-drop records, refund and void evidence, unresolved synchronization list, and handover note according to the store's legal and accounting requirements.
Posnic is offline-first open source POS and Billing Software for retail shops and restaurants. The public Posnic/POS source repository documents local and Online/Offline POS workflows. Validate the exact version, payment setup, permissions, and close procedure used by your store.