Managing your business's cash involves knowing how to open, close, count, and properly add or remove money from its cash drawers. Because everything is tracked in the Lightspeed Drawer report, you can quickly identify discrepancies and audit cash drawer activity for accuracy.

Opening a cash drawer

Open your cash drawer at the beginning of the business day after starting a new sales period or in the middle of the business day after closing a cash drawer. Count the cash present in the drawer to establish a baseline from which Lightspeed will track the drawer's balance.

1. Sign in to the Lightspeed Restaurant app after opening a sales period or closing a cash drawer.
2. If prompted, tap a payment method displayed on the Confirm cash amount screen to count it.

   Note: Depending on your cash drawer and user group settings, counting the drawer may be optional, allowed, or mandatory. Review your settings to determine if you need to actually count the drawer or if you can proceed with the default cash amount.

   
3. Select the first denomination on the screen.
4. Using the keypad, enter the number of coins or notes for that denomination (not the total value, that will be calculated for you). If none, skip this step.
5. Tap the arrow on the keypad to advance to the next denomination.
6. Repeat steps 4-5 until every denomination is complete.

   Note: To edit a previously-entered denomination, just tap on it.

7. Tap Confirm to continue with the entered amount and return to the Confirm cash amount screen.
8. Repeat steps 2-7 for any additional payment method that needs counting.
9. When done counting, tap Confirm cash amount to finish opening the drawer.

Closing a cash drawer

If you're ending the day, preparing for a shift change, or changing out the till for some other reason, close your cash drawer in the Lightspeed Restaurant app. This allows you to verify the accuracy of the drawer balance, and it prepares the system for the next sales period to be opened.

1. During an open sales period, sign in as the shift manager who will be closing the cash drawer.
2. Tap Settings to open the Settings menu.
3. Select Cash drawer from the left sidebar.
4. Tap Close drawer.
5. Tap Yes when prompted to count and close the cash drawer.
6. Follow steps 2-7 in Opening a cash drawer to physically count and enter the cash amount.

   Note: Depending on your cash drawer and user group settings, counting the drawer may be optional, allowed, or mandatory. Review your settings to determine if you need to actually count the drawer or if you can proceed with the assumed cash amount.

7. When done counting, tap Confirm cash amount to finish closing the drawer.
8. (Optional) Tap Yes to print the cash drawer summary report to a connected receipt printer.

Adding and removing cash

During the business day, you may need to replenish the cash drawer or withdraw money for business-related expenses. Track these changes in Lightspeed to ensure any changes to the cash drawer balance are properly accounted for.

1. During an open sales period, sign in as a user with permissions to manage the cash drawer.
2. Tap Settings to open the Settings menu.
3. Select Cash drawer from the left sidebar.
4. Tap Add cash or Remove cash to perform the relevant action.
5. Enter an amount to add or remove and a reason for the addition or removal. For example, you could be replenishing change or removing money to buy ingredients.
6. Tap Add cash or Remove cash to confirm and return to Settings.
7. Physically add or remove the appropriate amount of cash from the drawer.

   Note: For easy access to the drawer, tap Open drawer in Settings to pop it open.

Printing the Drawer report

The Drawer report provides an overview of the POS activity that affected the cash drawer while it was open. Here you'll find the drawer's overage or shortage amount, the reason and total for each time cash was added or removed, cash sales processed to the drawer, and other related information.

There are two ways to print the Drawer report:

• Lightspeed Restaurant will automatically prompt you to print the current Drawer report whenever you close a drawer
• Previous Drawer reports can be printed from the Settings menu.

This is just one of many reports available in the Lightspeed Restaurant app. For a fuller view of your business's financials, consider printing additional POS reports, such as the Shift report.