GuidesTill and payments
How to balance the till in 10 minutes
A simple end-of-day close your front desk can do on its own.
The idea: count against what’s recorded
Balancing the till means comparing two numbers: what your records say you collected and what you actually have in cash, on the card terminal and in the bank. If they match, the day is closed. If not, you know exactly where to look.
The secret to doing it in 10 minutes isn’t the close itself, it’s how the team works during the day. If every payment is recorded on the spot with the right method, closing is just counting and confirming.
Opening: the float
Start every day with a fixed float: the same amount of cash in small bills and coins to give change. Count it when you open and write it down.
- Always use the same float amount, so any difference stands out.
- The person who opens should also close, or do a count at every shift change.
- Keep the float apart from the cash collected at the end of the day.
During the day: every payment, right away
Most differences start here: a payment written down later, one recorded as cash when it was a card, or a partial payment nobody noted.
- Record every payment the moment you receive it, with the patient’s name.
- Pick the right method: cash, card, transfer or insurance.
- Always give a receipt; it’s your proof and the patient’s.
- If you take money from the till for an expense, record it as a cash-out and keep the receipt.
- Confirm transfers in the bank before counting them as collected.
The 10-minute close
At the end of the day, always follow the same steps in the same order:
- Pull the day’s payment report, split by payment method.
- Count the cash and subtract the float.
- Compare the counted cash with the cash total on the report.
- Print the card terminal’s close and compare it with the card total.
- Check that every transfer on the report shows up in the bank.
- Write down any difference with an explanation, however small.
- Store the cash, the float and the receipts, and sign the close.
| Method | Compared against |
|---|---|
| Cash | What’s counted in the till, minus the float |
| Card | The card terminal’s printed close |
| Transfer | The bank movements |
| Insurance | Claims still to be sent |
If it doesn’t match
A difference isn’t a drama: it’s a clue. Look in this order, because that’s how they usually show up:
- A card payment recorded as cash, or the other way round.
- A payment recorded twice, or not recorded at all.
- An expense paid from the till that wasn’t recorded.
- Wrong change given.
If the difference is still there after looking, write it down as it is and move on. Reviewing a whole week of differences together usually reveals the pattern.
Who does what
An orderly close needs clear roles. In a small clinic it may be the same person, but every step should have an owner:
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Front desk | Opens the shift, records every payment and does the daily close |
| Administration | Reviews closes and differences once a week |
| Owner or director | Looks at the weekly summary and decides on changes |
If two people take payments in the same clinic, ideally each one has their own till shift. That way every close has an owner and differences are easier to understand.
Summary
- A fixed float, counted at opening.
- Every payment recorded on the spot, with its method.
- The close compares each method against its source.
- Differences are written down and reviewed weekly.
With this routine your front desk closes on its own, in minutes, and you get a number you can trust every day.