Using the Cash Drawer

10 minutes

Tutorial 2.5: Using the Cash Drawer

Introduction

The cash drawer system tracks physical cash in your salon. This tutorial covers opening and closing cash drawer sessions, recording cash movements, and reconciling balances at the end of the day.

Who this is for: Owner, Admin, Manager What you'll learn:

Create and manage cash drawers
Open a cash drawer session with an opening float
Record top-ups, payouts, and safe drops
View session history
Close the drawer and reconcile variances

Time to complete: 10 minutes

Prerequisites

Manager, Admin, or Owner permissions
A cash drawer configured in the system

Understanding the Cash Drawer System

Term	Definition
Cash Drawer	A named till location in your salon
Session	The period when a drawer is open for business
Opening Float	The starting cash amount
Top Up	Adding cash to the drawer
Payout	Removing cash for expenses
Safe Drop	Removing excess cash to a safe
Expected Closing	Calculated balance based on activity
Variance	Difference between counted cash and expected

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Access the Cash Drawer

Click Cash Drawers in the sidebar
The Cash Drawers page displays all configured drawers
Each drawer shows its name and current status

Drawer Status:

Active badge (green) - Drawer has an open session
Inactive badge - Drawer is closed or not in use

Step 2: Create a Cash Drawer (First Time Setup)

If no drawers exist:

Click Add Drawer in the top-right corner
In the Create Cash Drawer dialog, enter a Drawer Name (e.g., "Main Register", "Front Desk")
Click Create Drawer to save
Repeat for additional drawers if needed

Step 3: Open a Cash Drawer Session

At the start of each business day:

Find the drawer you want to open
Click Open Drawer
A dialog appears asking for the Opening Float

Opening Float Options:

If there's a previous closing balance, you'll see:

Last Closing Balance displayed (e.g., "£150.00")
A Use This button to apply the last balance as your opening float

Otherwise:

Enter the Opening Float amount manually
This is the cash you're starting with (your float for making change)
Click Open Drawer to confirm
The drawer status changes to Active

Step 4: View Open Session Details

When a drawer is open, the card displays:

Session Information:

Who opened the session
Current session statistics

Revenue Breakdown: The first section shows revenue by payment method with a transaction count header (e.g., "Revenue · 6 transactions"):

Row	Description
Cash	Total cash received from transactions
Card	Total card payments taken
Vouchers	Total gift voucher redemptions
Other	Total other payment method amounts
Total	Combined revenue across all methods

Cash in Drawer: The second section tracks the physical cash position:

Row	Description
Opening Float	The starting cash amount
Cash Transactions	Cash received from sales (net of movements)
Expected Balance	Calculated current cash in the drawer

Available Actions:

Top Up - Add cash to the drawer
Payout - Remove cash for expenses
Safe Drop - Remove excess cash to a safe
History - View all session activity
Close Drawer - End the session (in the drawer card header)

Step 5: Record a Top Up

When adding cash to the drawer (e.g., more change from the bank):

Click Top Up on the open drawer
Enter the Amount being added
Enter a Reason (optional) explaining why (e.g., "Change from safe")
Click Record Top Up to confirm
The Expected balance increases

Step 6: Record a Payout

When removing cash for expenses (e.g., petty cash for supplies):

Click Payout on the open drawer
Enter the Amount being removed
Enter a Reason explaining why (e.g., "Coffee for staff")
Click Record Payout to confirm
The Expected balance decreases

Step 7: Record a Safe Drop

When removing excess cash to a safe or for banking:

Click Safe Drop on the open drawer
Enter the Amount being removed
Enter a Reason (optional) (e.g., "Mid-day safe drop")
Click Record Drop to confirm
The Expected balance decreases

Step 8: View Movement History

To review all activity for the current session:

Click History on the open drawer
The Session Activity dialog appears showing all transactions and movements for the drawer
The table displays:
- Type - The entry type badge (e.g., Cash Sale, Card, Gift Voucher, Payout, Safe Drop)
- Amount - The cash amount (green for incoming, red for outgoing)
- Details - The reason for cash movements, or the payment reference/transaction number for non-cash payments
- Date - When the entry occurred

Step 9: Close the Cash Drawer Session

At the end of the day:

Count all cash in the drawer carefully
Click Close Drawer on the active session
The Close Cash Drawer dialog appears with a reconciliation table

Reconciliation Table: The table shows expected vs actual amounts broken down by payment method:

Column	Description
Payment Type	The method — Cash, Card, Gift Voucher, or Other
Count	Number of transactions for that method during the session
Expected	System-calculated amount based on transaction payments linked to the session
Actual	Your counted/verified amount (enter this)
Diff	Variance between actual and expected for that method

The Cash expected amount accounts for the opening float plus cash sales, minus payouts and safe drops.

Enter the actual amount for each payment method
Review the per-method Diff column and the Overall variance indicator below the table:

Variance Indicators:

Green "Balanced" - Actual matches expected (shows +£0.00)
Blue "Over" - More than expected (e.g., +£5.00)
Red "Short" - Less than expected (e.g., -£5.00)

Optionally add notes in the Notes (optional) field
Click Close Drawer to confirm
The session is closed and recorded

Handling Variances

Perfect Balance (Variance = £0.00)

The drawer balances exactly. Close the session - great job!

Small Variance (Under £5)

Recount the amounts for the affected payment method (check the Diff column to see which method is off)
If still showing variance, it may be:
- Change given incorrectly (cash)
- Rounding from multiple transactions
Record the variance and close
Note the discrepancy

Large Variance (Over £5)

Recount the affected payment method carefully (the Diff column highlights which methods have variances)
Review the day's transactions
Check movement records
Document findings in the notes
Report to management
Close session with variance recorded

Investigating per-method variances:

Cash variance — Check for miscounted change, unrecorded payouts or drops
Card variance — Check for missed or double card taps, failed transactions not voided
Gift voucher variance — Check for unredeemed or incorrectly entered voucher codes
Other variance — Check for unrecorded alternative payments

Common Causes:

Issue	Effect	Prevention
Change miscounted	Cash short	Count change back to customer
Movement not recorded	Either	Record all movements immediately
Transaction error	Either	Verify totals before completing
Missed card tap	Card short	Confirm card terminal shows approved

Multi-Drawer Setup

If your salon has multiple till stations:

Managing Multiple Drawers

Each drawer operates independently
Open/close sessions separately
Cash payments are assigned to the selected till
Reconcile each drawer individually

Till Selection

When processing transactions with multiple open drawers:

The system prompts you to select a till
Your selection is remembered for the session
You can switch tills if needed

Automatic Midnight Rollover

Every till closes itself and reopens with a fresh session at your salon's local midnight. This keeps each business day's cash, card, voucher, and "other" tallies in their own session — without it, sales rung after midnight would land on yesterday's session and skew your reports.

What you'll see in the morning

In the normal case, the till is shown as open with an Auto badge and the subtitle "Auto-opened at midnight".
If the till is currently closed and its most recent close was the midnight rollover (for example, you closed the auto-opened session yourself to recount the float), the closed-state subtitle reads "Last session auto-closed at midnight" with an Auto badge.

How it works

If you forgot to close the till — the system closes it for you with the actual amounts set to match the expected amounts (variance £0). The closing reflects what the system expected to be in the drawer; it can't physically count cash. If you find a real discrepancy when you arrive, record it as a Float Adjustment on the new session.
If you closed the till before midnight — the system simply opens a fresh session for the new day at midnight, ready for your first transaction.

Opening float

The auto-opened session carries forward the previous session's closing balance — whatever the till finished the day with becomes the next morning's opening float. The cash physically in the drawer at close stays in the drawer overnight, so the system tracks it consistently.

If you bank the day's takings overnight (or move cash to the safe), record that as a Safe Drop on the closing session before midnight. If you find the morning balance doesn't match what's actually in the drawer (e.g. you banked after the auto-close), close the auto-opened session and reopen it with the correct float. This keeps your variance honest and your tallies clean.

What if the system was offline at midnight?

The rollover catches up if it runs within the first hour after midnight. If your server was down longer than that, the till will stay on yesterday's session until staff manually close it — this is intentional, so a delayed rollover doesn't retroactively change the previous day's tallies.

Common Pitfalls

"I forgot to open a session before taking cash"

Open the session now with the current cash amount. Cash payments made before opening won't be tracked in the session.

"Cash variance keeps appearing"

Small variances are normal. For consistent issues, review cash handling procedures with staff.

"Someone took cash without recording"

Enforce that all cash movements must be recorded immediately. Consider limiting drawer access.

"I closed with the wrong amount"

Contact an Admin or Owner who may be able to adjust the record.

"The drawer shows as inactive but I need it open"

Click Open Drawer to start a new session with your opening float.

Tips and Best Practices

Use consistent float amounts - Same opening balance each day makes verification easy
Record movements immediately - Don't wait until end of day
Count carefully at close - Take your time to avoid errors
Use the last balance feature - When cash stays overnight, use the "Use This" button
Add clear notes - Document reasons for all movements
Bank excess cash regularly - Don't keep large amounts in the drawer
Review history if unsure - Check movements if the balance seems wrong

Frequently Asked Questions

Can multiple people use the same drawer?

Yes, but accountability is harder. Consider closing and reopening at shift changes, or using separate drawers per station.

What if we don't accept cash?

If your salon is card-only, you don't need to use the cash drawer feature.

How do I handle petty cash?

Record a Payout from the drawer when taking petty cash. Keep a separate log for what the money was spent on.

What counts as an acceptable variance?

Range	Guidance
Under £1	Normal operational variance
£1-£5	Acceptable but document it
Over £5	Investigate and report

Can I have multiple drawers open at once?

Yes, each drawer can have its own open session. Useful for salons with multiple reception points.

Why use Safe Drop vs Payout?

Safe Drop - Removing excess cash for security (moving to safe)
Payout - Removing cash for expenses (petty cash, supplies)

Both reduce the expected balance, but the distinction helps with reporting.

Last Updated: May 2026