Cash Handling & Till Reconciliation: the full procedure
Control cash from opening bank to deposit with counts, over/short tracking, and separation of duties.
- Applies to: Servers, cashiers, and managers.
- Frequency: Every shift.
- Scope: Covers cash handling and till reconciliation. Daily sales reporting is in the Close-Out SOP.
What you need
- Counted opening banks
- Count sheets
- Safe / deposit bags
The procedure, step by step
- Issue counted banks — Start each register and server bank with a counted opening float, recorded and signed.
- Control cash during service — Keep drawers secured, drop excess cash to the safe over a set threshold, and log pay-ins/pay-outs.
- Count at close against POS — At end of shift, count each drawer/bank and compare to POS sales. Use a dual independent count where possible.
- Record over/short — Record over/short on a signed count sheet and investigate variances beyond your set threshold.
- Deposit with separation of duties — Prepare and secure the deposit; the person counting should not be the only one reconciling and depositing. Use a two-person bank trip where policy requires.
Quality check before you finish
- Opening banks counted and signed.
- Excess dropped to safe; pay-in/out logged.
- Drawers counted vs POS at close.
- Over/short recorded and investigated.
- Deposit secured; duties separated.
This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Restaurant business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.
Sources
- Solink — Cash Handling Procedures for Restaurants (solink.com)
- Integrated Cash Logistics — Restaurant Cash-Handling (integratedcashlogistics.com)
About Free Restaurant Cash Handling SOP
Free printable restaurant cash-handling SOP: opening banks, server banks, end-of-night counts, over/short, and deposit — with separation of duties to protect the cash.
How to use
- Read the full procedure top to bottom before the work — the SOP runs in order and each step builds on the last.
- Toggle Ink-saver (black & white) for a cheaper mono print for the binder; leave it off for the full-color version.
- Click Print SOP to print or save as PDF. Print one per crew, laminate it for the binder, or attach it to the job in your scheduling system.
- Train new hires on it and have staff sign off. Found something out of date? Use the feedback link — flagged SOPs are re-researched against the source list.
Frequently asked questions
How should a restaurant handle cash?
Issue a counted opening bank (and server banks), keep cash secured during service, then at close count each drawer/bank against the POS sales, record over/short, prepare the deposit, and lock the safe. Build in separation of duties so the person counting is not the only person reconciling.
What is "over/short"?
Over/short is the difference between the cash a drawer should hold (per POS sales) and what it actually holds. Tracking it every shift surfaces errors and theft early; a small, consistent variance is normal, a growing one is a flag to investigate.
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