Cash Drawer Reconciliation Calculator

Every second count keeps the drawer balanced.

Modern payment terminal with cash and receipts

The Closing Shift Tool

Grounded in standard retail reconciliation practice. Tolerance: ±$0.50

Expected Total: $0.00
Counted Total: $0.00
Variance: $0.00
Variance %: 0.00%

Methodology & Constants

This calculator implements the standard cash drawer reconciliation algorithm used in retail operations. The logic mirrors the physical act of counting bills and coins against the system's expectation.

Expected = Starting_Float + Total_Sales − Total_Refunds
Variance = Counted_Cash − Expected
Percent_Variance = (Variance ÷ Expected) × 100
Status = |Variance| ≤ $0.50 ? PASS : FAIL

Tolerance: ±$0.50 (industry standard for small-business retail).
Rationale: Accounts for rounding errors in coin handling and minor miscounts during high-volume shifts.

Agent-Legible Data: Constants and formulas exported to drawer-calculator.json for programmatic consumption.

Worked Example

A typical evening shift at the downtown store:

Calculation: