Understanding Your Cash Tray Report 📊
The Cash Tray Report is your primary tool for financial reconciliation at the end of a shift. It provides a detailed audit trail of every dollar that passed through a specific drawer. Below is a breakdown of how to read each section of the report to ensure your books are balanced.
1. Header and Timing 🕒
This section identifies the "Who, What, and When" of the cash session.
Drawer: The physical location of the cash (e.g., Front Right Drawer).
Started/Closed: The exact timestamps for when the tray was opened and when the final count was submitted.
2. The Cash Summary (Accountability) 💰
This is the core of the report where the math happens.
Starting: The "Bank" or opening amount of cash in the drawer (e.g., $100.00).
+ Cash In: Total cash payments collected from guests during the shift (e.g., $195.50).
- Drops Out: Any cash removed for safe drops or mid-shift deposits.
= Ending: The theoretical balance the system expects to be in the drawer ($264.77).
± Over/Short: The discrepancy between the system's expected total and your physical count.
In this example, the drawer is $30.73 Over, meaning there was more physical cash than recorded sales.
- Tips Out: Total gratuities paid out to staff from the drawer.
= Net Cash: The final amount of cash that should be deposited or moved to the office.
3. Employee & Denomination Breakdown 👥🔢
Cash Tray Employees: Lists every staff member assigned to the tray and their individual contribution to sales and tips. This helps pinpoint accountability if multiple people shared the till.
Ending Denominations: A line-by-line record of the physical count you entered (e.g., 55 quarters, 5 ten-dollar bills). This is vital for double-checking manual counting errors.
4. Transaction Detail 📝
The bottom of the report provides a granular list of every action that affected the balance:
Detail Payment: Lists every specific cash transaction and the employee who took it.
Detail Drop / Paid Out: Shows specific instances where cash was removed for expenses or safe deposits.
Need Help? 💡
My Over/Short is very high.
First, check the Ending Denominations section. A common mistake is entering "5" for nickels instead of the total dollar amount, or vice versa. If the count is correct, review the Detail Payment list to see if a large transaction was rung as "Cash" by mistake.
The "Tips Out" amount doesn't match what I gave my servers.
Ensure all tips were correctly entered into the POS before the tray was closed. If a server's tips were adjusted after the close, it will not reflect on this specific report.
Still have questions about your end-of-day numbers?
Reach out to your manager or contact NX Restaurant Support via the Help tab! 🆘✨