End-of-day reconciliation means checking the money recorded by your POS against the cash and payment records for the same register session. Start with each drawer separately. A combined store total can hide a shortage in one drawer and an equal overage in another.
Use the checklist below with your system’s closing instructions. Product examples were checked September 12, 2026; menu names and available reports vary.
Match the period before comparing totals
Record the store, register, cashier or shift, opening time and closing time. Confirm which session contains a late sale. Keep the POS payment report and the terminal report for that same period together.
Don’t assume the sales total must equal payments received. A payment against an older on-account sale can belong to today’s payments without belonging to today’s sales. Follow your own system’s closing report rather than forcing the two totals to match.
Count cash on the same basis as the report
Confirm whether the expected figure includes the opening float. Record cash added, cash refunds, paid-outs and safe drops in the appropriate fields. Don’t subtract an item a second time if your report has already deducted it.
For example, suppose a drawer began with $150, took $620 in cash sales, paid $20 in cash refunds and sent $400 to the safe. With no other movements, expected cash remaining is $150 + $620 − $20 − $400 = $350. A physical count of $345 is a $5 shortage. These are illustrative amounts, not store results.
Confirm whether a retained float stays in the drawer or is recorded as removed. Follow your own system’s treatment rather than assuming every POS works the same way.
Check each non-cash payment type
Compare POS card payments with the corresponding terminal or processor payment report. Review refunds, voids and pending items when amounts differ. Use separate totals for other tender types instead of adding them to physical cash.
A register close is not proof of a bank deposit. Keep the payment reference for the later deposit check; use your processor’s settlement records to explain timing and deductions. The merchant statement guide explains how to identify fee charges separately.
Save a useful closing record
Use one record per drawer:
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Session | Store, register, date and start/end times |
| Cash | Opening float, movements, expected cash and actual count |
| Other tenders | POS total and matching payment-report reference |
| Difference | Exact amount, recount result and unresolved question |
| Follow-up | Person reviewing it and the next check |
Save the reports using a method your product supports. Keep copies of the POS close and the matching payment report for that session.
Keep an unexplained difference visible for the manager instead of changing the count to match the expected number. If discrepancies follow outages, check the offline POS recovery workflow before retrying a payment.
When comparing a replacement POS, ask for a demonstration of this entire closing sequence with your store’s payment types. Tell Counter Club what your current close involves so those requirements are part of the setup conversation.