Market sales tracker: compare cash, card and other payments

The amount in your cash box and the amount deposited by a card processor measure different things. Keep a separate record for each payment method before comparing totals.

Cash: include the float and other movements

Start with cash sales less cash refunds. Add the opening float and any other cash put in. Subtract cash taken out, including expenses paid from the till. Compare that expected amount with the cash actually counted at close.

Fictional example: cash sales of 100, refunds of 10, an opening float of 40 and 5 taken out give expected closing cash of 125. If you count 123, record a difference of −2 and investigate it. Do not replace the count with the expected total.

Card: separate settlement timing from fees

Compare the same event and period in your own processor records. A card sale may be recorded before its funds settle. Subtract fees already withheld from settled receipts and net receipts that are still unsettled, measured before their future fees.

Do not subtract the future fees on a pending receipt before those fees have been withheld. When settlement arrives, update the pending amount, withheld fees and actual amount received together.

Other and split payments

Keep transfers and other payment methods separate when they do not fit the cash or card comparison. For a split payment, record the item only once and keep the payment split in supporting notes. In Market Day Kit, use Other for a mixed-payment entry and reconcile the split separately.

Use one basis for every comparison

Keep one currency per event. Exclude pass-through taxes consistently from sales, refunds, opening and added/removed cash, counts and settlements, while keeping separate tax records. Mixing totals that include taxes with totals that exclude them can create a misleading difference.

Payment reconciliation is a check on records. It does not prove profitability and it is not tax or accounting advice. Keep the original receipts and provider records for your own review.