A cash drawer count sheet turns the end-of-shift count into a form you fill in, instead of a sum you do in your head. Below is a free printable sheet for US currency, with a section that works out whether the drawer is over or short. Print it, keep a stack by the register, and use one per shift.
Printing this page prints only the sheet, on a single letter-size page. You can also save it as a PDF from the print dialog.
Cash drawer count sheet
| Denomination | Count | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Bills | ||
| $100 | ||
| $50 | ||
| $20 | ||
| $10 | ||
| $5 | ||
| $2 | ||
| $1 | ||
| Coins | ||
| $1 coins | ||
| 50¢ | ||
| 25¢ | ||
| 10¢ | ||
| 5¢ | ||
| 1¢ | ||
| Rolled coins | ||
| Quarters ($10 roll) | ||
| Dimes ($5 roll) | ||
| Nickels ($2 roll) | ||
| Pennies (50¢ roll) | ||
| Total cash counted (A) | ||
| Starting float | |
|---|---|
| + Cash sales (from your register report) | |
| − Cash refunds | |
| − Cash paid out (supplies, safe drops) | |
| Expected cash (B) | |
| Over / short (A − B) | |
| Cash deposited / removed | |
| Float left for next shift |
Free count sheet from sleepingfire.com
How to use the count sheet
1. Count each denomination separately
Write how many of each bill and coin you have in the Count column, then multiply for the Amount column: eleven $20 bills is $220. Counting by denomination is slower than counting one pile, but it’s far more accurate, and a mistake is easy to find.
2. Add up the total counted (A)
Add the Amount column. That’s everything physically in the drawer.
3. Work out the expected cash (B)
Using your register’s end-of-day report:
- start with the float you put in the drawer,
- add cash sales (only the cash part of split payments),
- subtract cash refunds,
- subtract any cash paid out during the shift, like a supplies run or a drop to the safe.
4. Find the over or short
Subtract B from A. A positive number means the drawer is over; a negative number means it’s short. A few cents either way is normal. A round amount like exactly $5 or $20 usually points to a change mistake or an unrecorded payout.
5. Reset the float and sign
Take out everything above your float for the deposit, write down what you removed and what’s left for the next shift, and sign the sheet. If two people can sign, have a second person verify the count.
Tips for faster, more accurate counts
- Keep the float the same every day. A fixed number makes a wrong count jump out.
- Face the bills the same way as you count; it’s easier to spot a stuck-together pair.
- Count away from customers, and count twice if the result is off before looking for a cause.
- Keep the sheets. A folder of signed sheets shows whether a shortage is a one-off or a pattern.
- Use the register’s end-of-day report for cash sales rather than adding up receipts. See what a Z report is for which report to use.
Or let the app do the maths
If you ring up sales in SleepingFire, open each shift with your counted float. When you close the shift, the app works out the expected cash from that shift’s sales, split payments included, and shows how far your count is over or short. You still count the drawer; you just skip the arithmetic. For the full routine, read how to balance a cash drawer.