Daily sales reconciliation: a simple closing routine for your shop
Close your shop with a repeatable checklist: compare POS records, cash, card and transfer reports, investigate differences, and back up checked records.
The total recorded by a POS is one view of the day. Cash in the drawer and money recorded by payment providers are other views. Reconciliation compares those records and explains differences. A short routine with TinyPOS can help you avoid carrying unanswered questions into the next trading day.
Agree on the period you are checking
Choose the closing time and make sure everyone uses the same date and trading period. A sale near midnight or a transaction recorded on another device can otherwise appear to be missing. Keep late activity identifiable.
Review cancellations, returns, and corrections before comparing totals. Do not delete or change records simply to make a number match. Preserve the reason for a legitimate correction so you can understand it later.
Calculate expected cash separately
Expected cash starts with the opening float, then adds cash sales and subtracts cash refunds and documented removals. For example, an opening float of 500,000 VND plus 1,200,000 VND in cash sales, less 100,000 VND in cash refunds, gives expected cash of 1,600,000 VND if nothing else moved.
Count the drawer without guessing from the POS total. Keep expenses or cash taken out of the drawer in a supporting record. This arithmetic is a working example, not a claim that TinyPOS automatically manages every cash-drawer movement.
Check card and transfer totals with the provider
TinyPOS records the selected payment method; confirmation comes from the bank or processor. Compare the day's relevant transaction records rather than assuming a later payout will equal gross sales. Fees, timing, and adjustments may change the payout.
If a difference appears, look for a sale marked with the wrong payment method, an unconfirmed transfer, or a transaction included in a different period. Keep a note of the explanation and any follow-up required.
Save the result and prepare tomorrow
Record who checked the day and whether differences are resolved. Review any stock issue discovered during checkout, then make a recoverable backup. Check that the backup date matches the period you intended to protect.
Keep the checklist small enough to complete consistently. A named person, a clear period, and an explanation of differences are more useful than a complicated report no one reviews.
- Confirm the trading period and corrections.
- Count cash against the opening float and documented movements.
- Compare external payment records separately.
- Explain differences, save the check, and back up.
Frequently asked questions
- Should a payment-provider payout equal my POS sales total?
- Not necessarily. Compare the relevant transaction records first; payout timing, fees, and adjustments can produce a different amount.
- What should I do with an unexplained difference?
- Keep it visible with the date, amount, and investigation notes. Check payment methods, period boundaries, refunds, and cash movements rather than changing data to force a match.