Closing the day: a salon cash tally routine that works

Closing the day at a salon comes down to one comparison: the cash that should be in the drawer against the cash that is there. Start with this morning’s float. Add cash taken from bills, dues, wallet top-ups and vouchers. Take away cash paid out for expenses, advances, tips, refunds and the bank deposit. Then count the notes. If the two match, sign and go home. If not, write down short or over with a reason. Done every night, it takes ten minutes and stops small leaks from becoming habits.

Closing the day, step 1: what should be in the drawer

Do this before anyone counts. Every rupee that came in or went out in cash today belongs on the list. UPI and card don’t, because that money went to the bank.

“Cash from bills” means what the drawer kept: if a client paid ₹2,000 for a ₹1,450 bill and got ₹550 back, only ₹1,450 counts. Bills split between cash and UPI count only the cash part. If you work it out by hand, the hard part is remembering every small payout. If it isn’t written down when it happens, it won’t be on the list at night.

Step 2: count note by note

Count by denomination, not in one pile. It is slower by a minute and far more accurate, and it lets a second person check your sheet.

Result: short ₹10. Small, probably change given wrongly. It still goes in the book with a note, because small shortages that are never written down are how big ones hide.

Blind counts: count before you see the number

If the person counting already knows the drawer should hold ₹7,300, it is very easy to “find” ₹7,300. A blind count fixes that: staff count and enter the total first, and only then see what was expected. It is the single best control for a salon where the owner isn’t at the counter every night.

Blind counts feel strict to staff at first. Explain that it protects them too: an honest count recorded before anyone knows the answer is the best proof that they didn’t touch the money.

Short or over: what to do on the night

1. Recount once, and check the floor, the till tray and under the drawer.
2. Check the day’s payments. The most common cause is a UPI payment marked as cash, or cash marked as UPI. Open the UPI app and match the day’s receipts against bills marked UPI.
3. Check payouts. Was a tip, an advance or a ₹200 courier payment taken without being written down?
4. Write it down with a reason, even “not found”. Don’t make it up from your own pocket and don’t take the extra home. An “over” is just as much a mistake as a “short”.

A good entry in the cash book reads like this (sample): “3 Nov, Demo Salon. Expected ₹7,300, counted ₹7,290, short ₹10. Probably change on bill 00418. Counted by Ravi, checked by Neha.” Anyone reading it a month later knows what happened and who to ask.

Payouts, expenses and bank deposits

• Every payout gets a slip or a line: what, how much, who took it. Keep small bills for expenses.
• Advances to staff go on their name, so they come back from pay later. See how to handle staff advances.
• Cash taken by the owner is “given to owner”, not an expense. Your accountant needs to know the difference.
• Bank deposits: write down who is carrying the cash and mark it received when the bank slip or app shows it. Cash “on the way” for three days is a warning sign.
• Keep the float fixed. ₹2,000 every morning, counted and agreed. Everything above it goes to the safe or the bank.

Who counts and who signs

Two people is ideal: one counts, the other checks the sheet. In a small salon with one person at closing, the blind count does the checking for you. Whoever counts signs, and the morning person counts the float again before the first bill. Once the morning float is agreed, nobody changes it without the owner. That way each shift owns its own drawer.

When shortages keep happening

One shortage is a mistake. Three in a month is a pattern. Look at:

• Who was counting on the short days, and who was billing.
• Which day of the week. Busy Saturdays with a new junior on the desk point to change errors, not theft.
• Cancelled or edited bills on those days, and discounts above the usual.
• Clients marked “here” but never billed: a service done, paid in cash, and no bill.

Then talk to the team, change who counts, and switch on blind counts if you haven’t. Don’t cut pay on a hunch: find the cause first. For the bigger picture, read the reports to check every week.

The cash tally in Frizzi

Frizzi works out “Should be in the drawer now ₹…” per branch from every cash line: bills, wallets, dues, vouchers, expenses, advances, salaries paid, supplier cash, tips paid out, refunds and change given back. Count note by note (₹500 to ₹10, and coins) or type the total, and it says Matches, Short ₹… or Over ₹…. Bank deposits and cash given to the owner are recorded with who has it until the owner marks it received. This morning’s cash is locked, and blind count is a switch away.

Owners get a note after each count, a weekly note when a branch is short three or more times in 30 days, and a day-end summary 30 minutes after closing. The Cash tally report keeps the history. All of this is in Basic. See the till and reports.

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