How to count the drawer
The cash drawer calculator on this page adds up the bills and coins in your register at the end of a shift. You type how many of each you have. The tool does the math, shows the total, and tells you how much to deposit. It also shows what to leave in the drawer and which bills and coins to take out.
Count the drawer in six steps
- Close the sale screen so no new sales come in while you count.
- Take all cash out of the drawer, including the bills under the tray.
- Sort it by type. Face all bills the same way and put the largest on top.
- Count each type once and enter the number in its row. Start with the $100 bills and work down to the pennies.
- Enter your starting float. The tool shows the cash to deposit, what to leave in the drawer, and what to take out.
- Enter the expected cash sales from your register report. The tool shows if you are over or short.
Press Enter after each row to jump to the next one. On a phone, the number keypad opens by itself. This is the same count that shops call a till count, a register balance or "cashing up".
What is a float?
A float is the cash you leave in the drawer so the next shift can make change. It is also called a bank, a till float, or a starting bank. Many shops use $100 to $300. The float is not sales money. You count it, then you leave it.
Your deposit is the total in the drawer minus the float. If you count $1,250.00 and the float is $200.00, you deposit $1,050.00.
How the take-out list works
The tool picks the float first, so the next shift can make change. It aims for a mix: about 40% in $20 bills, then $10 bills, $5 bills and $1 bills, with a few quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies. If the drawer lacks one kind, it fills the gap with what you have, largest first. It never leaves $100 or $50 bills in the drawer. Everything else goes in the deposit. The tool shows a green check when the bills it leaves add up to exactly your float.
If the cash can make the float exactly, the tool finds a way to do it. If it cannot, the tool says how much is missing, so you can swap bills by hand. The deposit shown is always the value of the take-out list.
Tips to avoid counting errors
- Count twice if the drawer is off by more than a few dollars. Count a different way the second time, for example by stack size.
- Count coins in rolls or stacks of ten. Do not count them one by one.
- Check for stuck bills. Two bills can stick together, especially when new.
- Do not mix checks, gift cards or coupons with cash. Count them apart.
- Enter the expected sales from the same time you stopped sales. A late sale causes a false shortage.
- Have a second person watch or sign the count if your shop has a rule for it.
Worked example
A cafe closes with this cash in the drawer: 2 $100 bills, 3 $50 bills, 20 $20 bills, 15 $10 bills, 30 $5 bills, 40 $1 bills, 20 quarters, 15 dimes, 10 nickels and 25 pennies.
- Bills add up to $1,090.00. Coins add up to $7.25. The total in the drawer is $1,097.25.
- The float is $200.00. The tool leaves 8 $20 bills, 1 $10 bill, 3 $5 bills, 10 $1 bills, 13 quarters, 11 dimes, 10 nickels and 15 pennies in the drawer.
- Cash to deposit is $897.25. You take out 2 $100 bills, 3 $50 bills, 12 $20 bills, 14 $10 bills, 27 $5 bills, 30 $1 bills, 7 quarters, 4 dimes and 10 pennies.
- Expected cash sales from the register report are $890.00. The drawer is over by $7.25.
Common values at a glance
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Roll of quarters (40 coins) | $10.00 |
| Roll of dimes (50 coins) | $5.00 |
| Roll of nickels (40 coins) | $2.00 |
| Roll of pennies (50 coins) | $0.50 |
| Strap of 100 $1 bills | $100.00 |
| Strap of 100 $20 bills | $2,000.00 |
Over and short
Over means you have more cash than the register says. Short means less. A small difference is common, often from wrong change. A large or repeated difference needs a check of voids, refunds, tips, and paid-outs. The tool works out the cash the drawer should hold: the float plus cash sales, minus any paid-outs. It compares that with your count. Use cash sales only, not card sales. There is a worked example on the over and short calculator page.
How to close out a register
To close out a register, or cash out a till, stop sales and print the end-of-shift report. Take the till out and count it once with this calculator. Enter the cash sales from the report. Leave the float in the drawer, put the deposit in a bag with the count sheet, and sign it. A cash drop during the shift works the same way: count what you take out and write it down. The cash drop calculator page shows how.
Who uses a drawer count
Cashiers count at the end of every shift. Shift leads count when one cashier hands the drawer to the next. Owners of small shops and food trucks count to match the cash against the sales report before the bank run. The steps are the same for each of them, so one calculator fits all three.
Cash register count sheet
Some shops want a paper count sheet. There is a free cash register count sheet that you can print blank. It has opening and closing columns, an over and short section, and lines for the cashier and the checker to sign. It fits on one Letter page. You can also fill in this calculator and print the filled sheet, with the cashier name and register number if you add them under Sheet details.
Half dollars
Half dollars are under More coins, below the rolls. Most drawers have none, so the row stays closed until you open it.
Private and fast
Everything runs in your browser. Your counts are not sent anywhere. The tool saves your last float and your counts on your own device, so you do not need to type the float every night and a refresh does not lose a count. Use the Print button for a clean sheet, or Copy summary to paste it into an email or a text.