Cash up is the routine of counting the money in a till at the end of a shift or day and comparing it with what the POS says should be there. The difference is the variance, which may be over or short.
Staff count notes and coins by denomination, subtract the opening float, and compare the result with the expected cash from the POS report. They also check card, voucher and other tender totals against terminal and report figures. Any variance is recorded with a reason, and the float is reset for the next shift. Larger venues often run a cash up per till or per operator rather than once for the whole store, then combine the results into a daily summary. Keep the count sheets or digital records so any variance can be reviewed later.
Retailers and hospitality venues use cash up to spot errors, training gaps and theft early, and to prepare bank deposits. Many POS systems offer blind cash up, where staff count first without seeing the expected total, which discourages adjusting the count to match.
Common issues include unrecorded paid-outs, uncounted tips, mixed floats between staff and rounding differences. Check that each user has their own till session so variances can be traced, and that discrepancies need a manager sign-off.
Consistent cash up protects margin and creates a clear audit trail. It also feeds payment reconciliation and accounting.