# Cash Control Fundamentals

Understand drawer cash, shifts, additions, pickups, cash counts, and employee accountability.

# How Cash Additions, Pickups, and Counts Work Together

Each cash-control action answers a different question:

- **Add Cash:** Why did the drawer gain physical cash outside normal cash sales?
- **Cash Pickup:** Why did the drawer lose physical cash before shift close?
- **Cash Count:** Did the physical cash match the system at this moment?

Every action should be recorded against the correct cash drawer and open shift. At closing, the system can then explain starting cash, cash transactions, additions, pickups, counted cash, and any final variance.

# Why Cash Management Matters

Without cash-control records, a manager may see an unexpected closing amount but have no reliable explanation for money added, removed, or counted during the day.

## Benefits

- Reduce the amount of cash exposed in a busy drawer.
- Preserve an audit trail for additions and removals.
- Identify the employee responsible for a pickup.
- Detect shortages earlier.
- Narrow investigation to a smaller time window.
- Make shift and day-end closeouts easier to reconcile.

# How Cash Management Connects to Shifts

Cash additions, pickups, and manual cash counts belong to the selected cash drawer and its open shift. If shifts are required and no shift is open, the POS prompts you to open one first.

1. Select the physical cash drawer you are working with.
2. Confirm that drawer has the active shift.
3. Perform the cash action.
4. Review the saved entry in its history or report.

For shared drawers, coordinate with every workstation using the same drawer before counting or removing cash.

# Cash-Control Best Practices

- Use the correct drawer and shift.
- Require the responsible employee to identify themselves.
- Add a useful note explaining unusual cash movement.
- Count pickups before removing them from the counter.
- Keep the approved starting float in the drawer.
- Perform scheduled counts during the day.
- Review the saved receipt or history immediately.
- Investigate differences promptly instead of waiting until day end.
- Never use Add Cash or Pickup to hide an unexplained variance.