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Cash Registers are for drawer control. They help the team count, explain, close, and deposit cash activity. They are different from the AP Check Register, which tracks vendor checks.

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Open Cash Registers

Open Accounting > Cash Registers. The page shows each active register, whether it has an open session, and the current totals for drawer balance, cash sales, and check sales. Those three totals are the whole list. Card payments never touch the drawer, so they are not part of drawer control: the register shows no card total, and no card figure appears on the Z-report at close. A card payment stays with the order it was taken against. Find it in that order’s Payments section, or read Record A Payment.
Cash Registers page with stale session warning, open register session, drawer balance, cash sales, check sales, Cash In/Out, Reconcile drawer, Details, Close, and Deposit actions

Cash Registers show drawer sessions and cash-control actions in one accounting view.

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Create A Register

  1. Open Accounting > Cash Registers.
  2. Click Add Register.
  3. Enter a clear register name, such as Front Counter 1.
  4. Click Create.
Create Register modal with Register Name field, Cancel action, and Create action

Use simple names that match the physical drawer or counter location.

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Open A Session

A register session represents one drawer run. Open a session before accepting cash activity at that drawer.
  1. Find the register with no active session.
  2. Click Open Session.
  3. Enter the opening cash balance counted in the drawer.
  4. Confirm the session.
Enter the cash that is in the drawer, not the number from the close screen The opening balance is the float you physically counted in the till. If you just closed a session, that is the cash left after you took the deposit out, which is not the same as the expected balance the close screen showed you.

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During The Session

  • Cash In/Out: record money added to or removed from the drawer outside normal sales.
  • Reconcile drawer: count the drawer part way through a shift without closing it. Any difference from the expected amount is booked to Cash Over/Short and the session stays open. Use it at a shift handover, or any time you want the books to match a count you just did.
  • Details: review opening balance, cash sales, expected balance, and cash movement history.
  • Close: count the drawer and close the session.
  • + Deposit: start a bank deposit with the register session context prefilled.
Cash movement notes matter Use a clear note for every cash in or cash out movement. The note is what accounting uses later when a drawer count, bank deposit, or reconciliation needs explanation.

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Close A Session

  1. Click Close on the open register session.
  2. Count the physical drawer.
  3. Enter the closing balance.
  4. Add notes when there is an overage, shortage, or operational explanation.
  5. Close the session.
  6. Review the Z-report when it appears.
  7. Print the Z-report if the location keeps paper close packets.
Deposit after close A clean rhythm is open session, operate, close session, review variance, then create the bank deposit. Closing sweeps the cash above the float into Cash Drawer Pending Deposit, and it waits there for you: a session that still holds cash pending deposit can be picked up on a new bank deposit whether it is open or already closed. Count the drawer first, bag the money afterwards.

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What The Numbers Mean

Four numbers drive every drawer session, and mixing them up is the most common way a drawer ends up wrong on the books while the cash in the till is fine.
  • Opening balance (the float): the cash you counted in the drawer when you opened the session. It is a starting point, not a target.
  • Expected balance: the float, plus cash taken in, minus cash paid out, minus any register cash already pulled onto a bank deposit during this session. Arcus works this out. You never type it.
  • Closing balance: the cash you physically count when you close. This is the one you type.
  • Variance: closing balance minus expected balance. Negative is a shortage, positive is an overage.
A variance is a real expense on the books The difference between your count and the expected balance is posted to Cash Over/Short, which is an expense account on the income statement. It is not a note and it does not wash out by itself later. Count carefully, count twice on a busy drawer, and always add a note saying what you think happened.
When you close, the cash above the float is moved to Cash Drawer Pending Deposit. That is a holding account, not the bank. The money sits there until someone physically bags it and records a bank deposit. The float stays in the drawer for the next session.
The next session’s float is the cash you leave in the drawer When you open the next session, enter the cash actually left in the till after the deposit has been taken out. Do not re-type the expected balance from the close screen. Those two numbers differ by everything the drawer took in, so using the close screen’s figure as the next float overstates the drawer by exactly the amount you just bagged.

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Stale Sessions

Arcus warns when a register session has been open longer than expected. Stale sessions usually mean a drawer was not closed at the end of the day.
  • Review the register name and opened date.
  • Confirm whether the drawer was physically closed.
  • Use Force-close only when the stale session should be settled at the system-computed expected balance.
  • Add any cleanup notes in the source workflow or accounting review packet.
Force-close is a cleanup control Force-close skips the normal drawer count step. Use it only when the stale session is understood and accounting accepts the expected-balance close.

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Delete A Register

Registers can be deactivated from the UI when they have no open session. Historical sessions remain for audit history. Close the active session before deleting a register.

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Common Blocks

  • Cannot delete register: close the open session first.
  • Closing balance is off: review cash sales, cash in/out movements, refunds, change given, and notes.
  • Deposit amount does not match: confirm the register session, cash pending deposit, and bank deposit selections.
  • A session is missing from the deposit: a session is offered only while it still holds cash pending deposit. Being closed does not remove it. If it is missing, that cash is already at zero, either because someone recorded the deposit or because the close swept nothing above the float. Open the session details and read the movement history before recording anything by hand.
  • Stale banner appears: close or force-close the prior session before continuing normal register work.
  • Check totals look wrong: review payments, refunds, and source orders before creating the bank deposit. Card payments are not part of the register totals, so a card question belongs on the order, not here.

Bank Deposits

Batch received checks and cash into bank deposits and clear undeposited funds.

Check Register and AP Checks

Print, batch print, clear, void, and audit vendor checks.

Bank Reconciliation

Match bank transactions to payments, deposits, payouts, and checks.

Account Ledger

Review transaction history, source activity, debits, credits, and running balance for one GL account.

Payments and Checks Settings

Configure payment terms, payment automation, processing fees, AP check printing, and deposit slip layout.

AR Management

Track customer balances, aging, statements, and collections work.