# Cash Drawers

TablePort keeps a running figure for each cash drawer during the trading day:
how much cash should be in it. You record cash going in and out from the staff
app, and the daily report shows the result in **Money → Cash drawers**.

## Setting up a drawer

A cash drawer is plugged into a receipt printer, and the printer opens it. To
tell TablePort a printer has a drawer:

1. In the console, go to **Location Settings → Printers**.
2. Open the printer and turn on **Cash Drawer Connected**.
3. Optionally, under **Auto-open Drawer for Payments**, choose the payment
   methods that should open the drawer automatically, such as Cash.

Each printer with a drawer connected is listed as its own drawer, named after
the printer. If you take cash but have no drawer connected, the app shows a
single **Cash (no drawer)** entry.

See [Kitchen & Hardware Setup](/orders/kitchen-setup) for adding printers.

## What the figures mean

| Figure     | Meaning                                                                                                       |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Float      | Cash put in the drawer at the start of the day, recorded as a deposit with a note such as "Opening float".    |
| Cash sales | Cash payments taken into this drawer during the day.                                                          |
| Paid in    | Other cash put in the drawer, such as change from the bank.                                                   |
| Paid out   | Cash taken out of the drawer, such as a supplier paid in cash, petty cash, or a cash lift to the safe.        |
| Expected   | What should be in the drawer now: float + cash sales + paid in − paid out.                                    |
| Counted    | The latest saved count of the notes and coins in the drawer; see [Counting the drawer](#counting-the-drawer). |

TablePort recognises a deposit as the float when its note contains the word
"float", "opening" or "start". Any other deposit is shown as **Paid in**.

## Recording cash in and out

Cash entries are made in the staff app while the day is open. You need the
**Manage Orders** permission.

1. Go to the **Stats** tab and open **Money**.
2. In **Cash drawers**, tap **Add cash entry**.
3. Choose **Deposit** to put cash in, or **Withdraw** to take cash out.
4. If you have more than one drawer, choose the drawer.
5. Enter **Amount** and add a useful **Note**, for example "Opening float",
   "Change from bank" or "Supplier invoice paid". The note appears in the
   report.
6. Review the action, selected drawer and amount, then use the amount-specific
   **Deposit …** or **Withdraw …** confirmation. Verify the saved log entry
   before repeating an uncertain action.

You can also tap **View log** on a drawer in **Cash drawers** to see its log,
with the summary "Sales · In · Out", **Expected in drawer**, and **Deposit** and
**Withdraw** buttons, plus **Count drawer**. The log lists every entry with who
made it, when, the note and the amount.

Cash movements cannot be edited or removed. Have the authorised shift leader
verify an incorrect entry and use the supported reversing entry with a clear
correction note where appropriate. Preserve the original log and actual cash
count. Do not invent a movement to make a genuine variance disappear.

Once the day is closed no more entries can be added. Make every cash movement
before you close.

### Starting the day

Record the float as soon as the day is open, as a **Deposit** with the note
"Opening float". Without it, **Expected** at close will be short by the float.

## Counting the drawer

Save the count in the staff app while the daily is open:

1. Go to **Stats → Money → Cash drawers**.
2. On the drawer you are counting, tap **Count drawer**. You can also open its
   log and tap **Count drawer** there.
3. Count every note and coin, then enter **Total counted**. An empty drawer can
   be recorded as zero. Each cash entry or count can be up to 10,000 in your
   business currency.
4. Add a note if useful, review the total, and tap **Save count of …**.
5. The report shows **Counted** beside **Expected**, with the amount over or
   short. The count is recorded in the drawer log with who saved it and when.

Counting does not add or remove cash. The latest saved count replaces the
previous count for the comparison, while both entries remain in the log. If cash
moves after counting, count again before closing.

When you close the daily, the app offers an optional count for drawers with cash
activity and no saved count. You can count them or close without counting. A
count does not block closing the day.

The console and thermal report show the saved count. Without a saved count, the
thermal slip leaves a blank **Counted** line for a handwritten count.

If you lift cash to the safe or bank before counting, record it as a
**Withdraw** first so Expected matches what should be left.

## When the count does not match

A difference between counted and expected is called a variance. If the drawer
holds more than expected it is **over**; if it holds less it is **short**.

Work through these before deciding cash is missing:

1. **Recount.** Most differences are counting errors.
2. **Check the float.** Was the float recorded today, and with a note that
   includes "float"? Was yesterday's float left in the drawer but not recorded?
3. **Check the drawer log** in the app or in the console's **Cash drawer log**.
   Look for cash paid out without a **Withdraw**, or a deposit entered twice.
4. **Check payment methods.** In **Money → Takings by method**, a card payment
   recorded as cash makes the drawer look short; a cash payment recorded as card
   makes it look over. Open the orders from that period to check.
5. **Check refunds.** A cash refund lowers expected cash.
6. **Check the drawer.** With more than one drawer, cash may have been taken on
   one and put in another.

If the drawer is still out after that, save the actual count and follow your own
cash-handling policy. Record a **Deposit** or **Withdraw** only when cash
actually moves; a count preserves the difference for review.

## Viewing drawers in the console

In the console daily report, **Money** shows one panel per drawer with **Opening
float**, **Cash sales**, **Paid in**, **Paid out** and **Expected**, and the
**Counted** and the difference when a count is saved. The **Cash drawer log**
shows time, drawer, action, amount, who made it and the note. The console is
read-only for cash: entries are made in the app. See
[Reading the daily report in the console](/daily-reports/console-report#cash-drawers).

## Opening the cash drawer

There are several ways to open the drawer:

- **Stats header**: tap **Open cash drawer**. It only appears when this device's
  selected printer has a drawer connected. Long-press it to choose a different
  printer; this changes the selected printer without opening a drawer.
- **On an order**: the **Open cash drawer** button next to **Bill** and
  **Receipt** opens the drawer on the selected printer, and records the opening
  on the order.
- **Automatically when paying**: if the printer has **Auto-open Drawer for
  Payments** set for that payment method, the drawer opens when the payment
  succeeds. It opens the drawer on the printer it is wired to, even when the
  payment is taken on another device.
- **Settings → Printers** in the app: tap **Open drawer** on the printer card.
- **An earlier report** (Settings → Daily reports): the **Print** card has an
  **Open cash drawer** row when the selected printer has a drawer.

Opening the drawer does not change any figures. Only payments and the
**Deposit** and **Withdraw** entries change expected cash.

## Related

- [Daily Reports Overview](/daily-reports)
- [The daily report in the staff app](/daily-reports/staff-app)
- [Finding what you need](/daily-reports/finding-what-you-need)

After an uncertain cash entry or count, inspect the same drawer log before
repeating it. Keep the daily, drawer, amount, actual count, and error reference
for the shift leader; preserve unsynced device work.