Salon end-of-day reconciliation checklist: cash, card checks and handover

The last client has left, the terminal shows a total, and there is cash in the drawer. Before anyone signs off, those figures need a shared date range, supporting records and a named person responsible for any difference. Use this salon end-of-day reconciliation checklist to close one location and one drawer at a time, then carry unresolved items into the next shift.

The worksheet below separates the physical cash count, recorded card payments and later bank payouts. The amounts are invented examples in one currency. Replace them with your own records; they are not salon benchmarks or payment-provider tariffs.

Set the closing period before comparing totals

Write down the location, drawer or till, business date, local time zone and closing time. A salon that finishes a late colour appointment after midnight needs an agreed rule for which business day receives that payment. Apply the same rule to every report used in the comparison.

If two receptionists share a drawer, record the handover time. If two drawers operate independently, give each its own sheet. Combining them immediately can hide a shortage in one drawer behind an excess in the other.

Take a snapshot or export of the records you will compare. Note the report name, filters and generation time. If another payment arrives during the count, record it explicitly and update the affected figures before signing off.

Gather four sets of records

Prepare these before counting:

Record	What to check
Opening float and cash movements	Starting cash, cash collected, refunds, additions, expenses and safe drops
Completed sales and payment records	Amount, payment method, transaction reference and any unpaid balance
Terminal or provider transaction report	Successful payments, refunds and the exact reporting period
Previous unresolved-items sheet	Items assigned to this shift and evidence still missing

Keep appointment completion and payment status separate. A completed haircut can still have an unpaid balance. A payment collected today can relate to a future visit. Record what the transaction represents before trying to match it to today's services.

Where a service was split between cash and card, use the amount paid through each method. Putting the entire service price into both columns doubles the collection on paper.

Count the drawer and calculate expected cash

Count notes and coins by denomination, then record the actual total. If practical, have the counter finish the first count before looking at the expected figure. A second person can check the count when your staffing allows it.

Use the cash movement equation:

Expected closing cash = opening float
                      + cash collected
                      + other recorded cash additions
                      - cash refunds
                      - recorded cash expenses
                      - cash moved to the safe or bank
Difference = actual cash counted - expected closing cash

These categories are consistent with Square's cash-drawer documentation, which separates starting cash, sales, refunds and cash paid in or out. Use the equivalent records from the tools your business operates.

A worked shortage example

Suppose the closing sheet contains:

Cash movement	Amount
Opening float	150
Cash collected during the shift	+420
Other cash added	+0
Cash refunds	-30
Recorded cash expense	-20
Earlier transfer to the safe	-200
Expected cash in the drawer	320
Actual cash counted	310
Difference	-10

The drawer is short by 10. Count it again, including loose coins and any separate receipt envelope. Then check the opening count, the 20 expense and the 200 safe transfer against their records. Check whether a cash payment was entered with the wrong method or a refund appears twice.

Keep the original count and the evidence for a correction. If a missing record explains the difference, add the authorized correction with its reason. Do not change the opening float merely to make the total match.

If the shortage remains unresolved and tomorrow's float is 150, the physical amount available to remove from this drawer is 160: the actual 310 minus the retained 150. Record the shortage separately. The earlier 200 safe transfer is already outside the drawer and must not be counted as a second closing withdrawal.

Check card payments at the transaction stage

Compare recorded card collections with successful terminal or provider transactions for the same location and period. Match references, amounts and refunds. A declined or unfinished attempt needs a different status from a successful payment; a client saying they tapped the card does not supply the missing transaction evidence.

Suppose your records show five payments totalling 760 and the provider shows four totalling 640. If four payments match, check the remaining 120 entry. Check its status and reference before contacting the client or attempting another charge.

For split payments, match only the card portion. Keep online payments separate when they use another provider or reporting period. Mark any unclear entry for follow-up rather than deciding from the combined daily total.

Match the bank payout later

A bank credit can cover a different batch and include deductions. Adyen's settlement report documentation describes batch references, transaction fees, refunds and merchant payouts. Check your own provider's settlement record for the explanation of its deposit.

For a simplified example, a single batch containing 760 in payments, 40 in refunds and 18 in fees would produce 702 if those were its only entries. This calculation applies only after confirming that all three amounts belong to that batch. A different payout date or an additional adjustment changes the comparison.

Put the batch reference and expected follow-up date on the sheet when the payout has not arrived. Keep the payment comparison open at the settlement stage until the bank entry can be matched.

Give tips, vouchers and advance payments their own labels

Before comparing reports, check whether their totals include tips, gift-card purchases, voucher redemptions or advance payments. A voucher used for today's service may involve no new money entering today's drawer. An advance payment collected earlier needs its original reference when applied to a later visit.

For every such entry, note the amount, method, original reference and whether new cash or a new card payment was collected during this closing period. Follow the business's established bookkeeping treatment for these categories. Avoid moving them between sales and payments to erase a difference.

The label “close register” also varies between tools. For example, SUMIT's register guide describes a closure that groups register documents and can issue a consolidated document for movements without documents. Read what your tool's action does before treating it as proof that cash was physically checked.

Copy this closing and handover sheet

Keep one copy per drawer and closing period. Store supporting reports where the authorized next person can retrieve them, using transaction references instead of copying unnecessary client details into a shared sheet.

Location / drawer:
Business date / local time zone:
Period start / period end:
Prepared by / checked by:
Report names, filters and generation times:

CASH
Opening float:
Cash collected:
Other recorded additions:
Cash refunds:
Cash expenses:
Earlier safe or bank transfers:
Expected cash:
Actual count / second count:
Difference:
Float retained / cash removed at close:
Transfer reference:

CARD AND ONLINE PAYMENTS
Recorded successful collections by provider:
Provider report total for the same period:
Refunds checked / unmatched references:
Settlement batch / bank match due:

EXCEPTIONS
Reference / amount / evidence checked:
Next action / owner / deadline:
Status: explained, corrected, or unresolved
Correction reference and approval, if applicable:

Sign-off time:
Next shift acknowledgment:

An exception entry could read “Payment reference R-184, 120: recorded as card; no matching successful transaction in terminal report. Reception lead to check provider status by 10:00 tomorrow.” “Check yesterday's money” gives the next person no starting point.

Test the sheet over three closes

Choose one drawer and name the person responsible for the next three closes. Reserve time after the final payment, and have the next shift acknowledge each unresolved item. A sign-off records who checked the sheet; unresolved differences still need an owner.

After the third close, bring repeated causes to the weekly studio operations review. If split payments are repeatedly entered under one method, change the checkout instruction. If safe transfers lack references, add the reference at the moment of transfer. Give the next shift the revised sheet and one specific instruction to test at the following close.