How shifts and cash-ups work

A shift starts when someone counts the float into a till’s drawer and ends when they count the drawer again. Every payment taken on the till in between belongs to that shift, so at the end Kila knows exactly how much cash should be there, and who counted it.

1. Open. The cashier chooses a till and counts the float in the drawer. While the shift is open, the till shows as Open for that person on everyone else’s list.
2. Sell. Cash comes in with sales and goes out with refunds and change. M-Pesa, card and bank payments are kept with the shift too, but they are not cash in the drawer.
3. Move cash. Any cash paid in or out, or dropped to the safe, is recorded with a reason.
4. Count. At the end, the cashier counts the drawer note by note, confirms the count is theirs and submits it.
5. Compare. Kila compares the count with the cash it expects. Balanced or within the tolerance, the shift closes. Beyond it, the shift goes for review.

What Kila expects in the drawer

Kila starts from the opening float, adds the cash taken and takes away the cash that left the drawer. These are the lines it shows when the drawer is counted, in its own words: Opening float, Cash sales, Cash refunds, Change given for M-Pesa/card overpayments, Paid in, Paid out and Cash drops to the safe. A line only appears when something happened on it.

A shift at Baraka Wines and Spirits

Opening float	KES 2,000.00
Cash sales	KES 250.00
Paid out	−KES 300.00
Cash drops to the safe	−KES 1,000.00
Expected cash	KES 950.00

M-Pesa and card payments never count as cash. A cashier can see the running figure as Cash expected now on the shift panel while the shift is open.

Moving cash during a shift

On the shift panel, Move cash records cash going in or out of the drawer: Paid out (an expense, paying a supplier or the owner taking money out), Paid in and Drop to safe. Kila asks for the amount and a reason: “Every shilling in or out of the drawer needs a reason. It goes on the shift record.” See Move cash during a shift.

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When the count is off

The cashier counts again first: Kila shows the difference, such as Short by KES 50.00, with Recount. If the figure stands, what happens next depends on the business’s tolerance.

• Within the tolerance, the cashier closes the shift. Kila says: “Within the KES 50.00 tolerance, so the shift is closed. The difference is posted to cash over and short.” Baraka Wines and Spirits uses KES 50.
• Beyond it, the cashier sends the count for review, with a note if they want. The shift closes In review, the difference is posted to cash over and short, and “the figure stays exactly as counted”.

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Good to know

The owner sets the tolerance under Settings › Point of sale, as Shift variance tolerance. Kila never hides a difference inside it: even a closed shift shows the exact amount it was short or over.

Reviewing a shift

A shift in review waits for someone other than the cashier who closed it, such as a till supervisor or the branch manager. They open it from Sales › Shifts: Kila shows Waiting for review with the count, what was expected and the cashier’s note.

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• Accept variance asks for a review note, then records the reviewer’s name and the time with the shift and closes the review.
• Dispute keeps the difference open for follow-up in Reconciliation.

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Needs a manager

Reviews need the right to manage shifts, which branch managers and till supervisors have. A cashier never reviews their own shift. See Review a shift.

Related

• Open a shift: choose a till and count the float.
• Close a shift: the cashier’s steps at the end of a shift.
• Hand over a shift: pass the till to the next cashier with the cash in it.
• Ask for a surprise cash count: a blind count of a drawer in the middle of a shift.
• Check the trading day: every till’s cash for the day in one money check.
• Cashier: opening a shift, selling and closing, and what needs a manager.