A Quick End-of-Day Cash-Up Log

The problem: At closing, the till is short by $12 again, and nobody knows if it's a counting slip, a missed refund, or something else.

What you end up with: A simple daily log of opening float, sales, cash counted, and the difference, with a weekly summary that spots patterns early.

What you'll need

Your point-of-sale daily summary and a simple sheet for the cash count.

Getting set up

Did today's cash match today's sales? A two-minute log answers that every night. Google lists Gemini in Sheets, and Microsoft says Copilot works inside Excel. If you use Square, Square lists AI tools in its dashboard. One row per day: date, float, card sales, cash sales, cash counted, difference, who closed. Example: a corner coffee shop starts each day with a $150 float. On Tuesday, the POS shows $412 in cash sales, so the drawer should hold $562. The closer counts $555 and writes "$7 short, one refund not logged." On Friday, the owner asks the AI to summarize the week and sees that most differences happen on the late shift. That leads to a simple fix: log refunds at the moment they happen. (Our illustration with made-up numbers.)

Step by step

A prompt to start with

Here's a prompt to start with. Adjust it to fit your tool. "Here's my cash-up log for the week: [paste]. Show the difference for each day, the weekly total, and any days over [amount]. List any notes about refunds or payouts. Don't guess numbers that aren't in the log."

What you'll get

A weekly cash-up summary with days to look into. Over time, you'll have a record that makes month-end bookkeeping faster. Time it takes: about 5 minutes a night, and 10 minutes for the weekly summary. Sample weekly summary (made up): "Total difference: $9 short. Biggest gap: Tue, $7 short, refund not logged. All other days within $2."

If something goes wrong

If differences jump around, check that refunds and payouts are logged. If the POS summary and the sheet disagree, trust the POS and recount. If one person always seems short, look at the process first: a busy shift, a confusing refund step, or a till that's shared. If the weekly total is off, add up the daily rows yourself.

Keep in mind

A log helps you spot problems, not prove them. Handle any concern with a staff member fairly and privately. Ask your bookkeeper how to record cash differences. Make it a habit: same count, same time, same sheet, every day. Keep the log for the period your bookkeeper recommends.

Sources

• Google Workspace Updates blog
• Microsoft Copilot for small business — product page and FAQ

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