Free daily takings sheet template

A takings sheet exists to answer one question: does what we counted match what the till says we sold? Everything on it works toward that single line. If you never write the variance down, you never find out that Tuesdays are consistently short, and by the time it shows up in the accounts the trail is months cold.

Count cash before looking at the till report, and have a second person verify the count. Counting after you know the target number is how people unconsciously reconcile to it. Two signatures on the count is the simplest internal control a small venue has, and it protects the person counting as much as the business.

Break payments out by method: cash, each card terminal separately, vouchers, account sales, deliveries and online orders, and any deposit taken for a future booking. Deposits are the classic distortion — money in the drawer today for a booking next month is not today's takings, and treating it as such makes the sheet disagree with the accounts.

Record comps, staff meals, discounts and refunds on the same sheet. They are not takings, but they explain the gap between what walked out of the kitchen and what was paid for, and a refund with no reason written beside it is the entry an accountant or an auditor will always come back to.