How do you count a cash drawer quickly?
· Avinash Kumar
Voice Calculator runs on iPhone. The app is available in English, Japanese, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.
Count one denomination at a time, multiply the count by its value, write each line down, add the lines, then subtract the starting float. What’s left should match cash sales on the register report.
Speed comes from not recounting. A written line per denomination means that when the total is off, you recheck one stack instead of the whole drawer.
The steps
- Take the drawer to a quiet spot. Counting at the counter invites interruptions.
- Start with the largest bills. Face them the same way and count into stacks of ten.
- For each denomination, write: count × value. For example 7 × 20 = 140.
- Coins last. Use rolls if your store has them.
- Add the lines.
- Subtract the float (the cash the drawer started with).
- Compare with the register’s cash total.
Example
| Denomination | Count | Line |
|---|---|---|
| $20 | 7 | 140.00 |
| $10 | 9 | 90.00 |
| $5 | 12 | 60.00 |
| $1 | 31 | 31.00 |
| Quarters | 26 | 6.50 |
| Total | 327.50 | |
| Float | −150.00 | |
| Cash sales | 177.50 |
Doing it by voice
With your hands full of bills, saying the numbers is quicker than typing. In Voice Calculator (I make it) you say “7 times 20 plus 9 times 10 …” and each value appears on the tape, so you can glance at it and see whether a line is wrong. Tap a line to fix it. At the end, say “minus 150 equals” and it reads the result back.
Your store’s own count sheet comes first; a calculator tape is a check, not a replacement for the record your manager needs.
Related: calculator history and tape and the Voice Calculator guides.
Questions people ask
- What does counting down a drawer mean?
- Counting the cash at the end of a shift, removing the starting float so it stays for the next shift, and comparing what's left with the sales the register recorded.
- What's the fastest order to count in?
- Largest bills first, then smaller bills, then coins. Count each denomination, multiply by its value, and write the line down before moving on.
- What should I do if the drawer is over or short?
- Recount the denomination lines first, then check the float. Most errors are a miscounted stack or a float that wasn't the amount you thought.
Voice Calculator
A calculator you talk to: say the numbers, check each one on the tape, hear the total.