Cash Drops & Payouts
During a shift, there are two common reasons to remove cash from the drawer before closing: cash drops (moving excess cash to a safe for security) and payouts (taking cash out to cover a business expense). Both are tracked by Brother POS so that your closing cash count remains accurate.
Cash Drops
A cash drop is the removal of excess cash from the drawer to a secure location -- typically a safe or drop box. Cash drops are a standard security practice to minimize the amount of cash exposed in the register at any given time.
When to Do a Cash Drop
- When the cash in the drawer exceeds your store's threshold (e.g., over $500).
- At scheduled intervals during long shifts.
- Whenever a manager determines there is too much cash in the drawer.
Keeping large amounts of cash in the register increases risk. Regular drops keep only what is needed for making change, reducing exposure in case of theft or robbery.
How to Record a Cash Drop
- Log in to the POS with your manager PIN or credentials.
- Tap the Cash Drop button (down arrow icon) in the header bar. This button is visible to users with the Cash Session Management permission.
- Enter the amount you are removing from the drawer.
- Optionally, add a note describing the drop (e.g., "Mid-shift drop to safe").
- Tap Submit.
- The physical cash drawer will kick open. Remove the specified amount and place it in the safe.
What Gets Recorded
Each cash drop creates a record that includes:
- The amount removed
- The date and time of the drop
- Who performed the drop (the logged-in manager)
- Any notes entered
- The session it belongs to
This information appears on the Z-Report when the drawer is closed and is also visible in the admin panel under Cash Drawers in the top navigation bar.
Cash Drops and the Closing Count
When you close the drawer at the end of the shift, the expected cash calculation accounts for all cash drops:
Expected Cash = Starting Float + Cash Sales - Change Given - Cash Drops - Payouts
If you dropped $200 during the shift, the system expects $200 less in the drawer. You do not need to remember or mentally subtract drops or payouts -- Brother POS does this automatically.
Payouts
A payout is cash taken from the drawer to cover a business expense. Unlike cash drops (which move money to a safe), payouts represent money leaving the business temporarily or permanently -- for example, paying a delivery driver tip, buying cleaning supplies, or reimbursing a petty cash expense.
When to Use a Payout
- Paying for supplies, food, or other small purchases for the store.
- Reimbursing an employee for a business expense.
- Any situation where cash leaves the drawer for a legitimate business reason.
Do not use payouts to give customers money back. Customer refunds should be processed through the Returns workflow, which properly reverses the original sale and updates inventory.
How to Record a Payout
- Log in to the POS with your manager PIN or credentials.
- The Payout button appears in the tender buttons area whether the cart has items or is empty (when payouts are enabled). This button is only appears when the payouts feature is enabled in your store settings -- if you do not see it, your admin may need to enable payouts in store settings.
- Tap Payout.
- Enter the amount being taken from the drawer.
- Select a reason for the payout from the predefined options: Lottery, Vendor Refund, or Other. A note field appears only when the reason is "Other". Lottery and Vendor Refund reasons do not have a note field.
- Tap Submit.
- The physical cash drawer will kick open. Remove the specified amount.
What Gets Recorded
Each payout creates a record that includes:
- The amount taken
- The reason provided
- The date and time of the payout
- Who authorized the payout (the logged-in manager)
- The session it belongs to
If you take cash out for a business expense, keep the receipt from that purchase. Brother POS records the payout digitally, but your admin or accountant will want the physical receipt for bookkeeping.
Payouts and the Closing Count
Payouts are subtracted from the expected cash, just like cash drops:
Expected Cash = Starting Float + Cash Sales - Change Given - Cash Drops - Payouts
If you paid out $50 during the shift, the system expects $50 less in the drawer. Payouts are tracked individually and appear as a separate section on the Z-Report and session detail page.
Viewing Drops and Payouts During a Session
You can review all drops and payouts for the current session at any time:
- Tap the Cash Drop button in the header bar.
- The session summary shows:
- Total Cash Drops: combined amount of all drops
- Total Payouts: combined amount of all payouts
- A list of individual drop and payout entries with timestamps
This is helpful for verifying what has already been recorded before doing an additional drop.
Managing Drops and Payouts in the Admin Panel
AdminAdmins and managers can review cash drops and payouts for any session from the admin panel:
- Navigate to Cash Drawers in the top navigation bar.
- Select the session you want to review.
- The session detail page shows:
- All cash drops with amounts, times, and who performed them
- All payouts with amounts, reasons, times, and who authorized them
- The overall session summary including the over/under result
This view is read-only for closed sessions. You cannot edit or delete drops and payouts after the fact -- they are part of the permanent audit trail.
Best Practices
For Cash Drops
| Practice | Why |
|---|---|
| Drop at consistent intervals | Keeps drawer amounts predictable and reduces risk |
| Count the drop amount before recording | Ensures accuracy in the system |
| Two people present during drops | Reduces disputes about amounts |
| Note the drop in the POS and on a physical log | Provides a backup paper trail |
For Payouts
| Practice | Why |
|---|---|
| Always enter a specific reason | Vague reasons like "misc" make auditing difficult |
| Keep the receipt | Your accountant needs it for expense tracking |
| Limit who can authorize payouts | Reduces potential for misuse |
| Review payouts in end-of-day reports | Catch any unusual activity early |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a cashier do a cash drop or payout?
Only managers and admins can record cash drops (requires Cash Session Management permission). Payouts can be made by any user when the payouts feature is enabled -- there is no role restriction on payouts.
Can I undo a cash drop or payout?
No. Once recorded, drops and payouts cannot be reversed or deleted. If you entered an incorrect amount, record a note in the next drop or payout explaining the correction. Contact your admin if a significant error was made -- they can see the full audit trail in the admin panel.
What if I forget to record a cash drop?
If you removed cash without recording it, the closing cash count will show the drawer as under by that amount. To avoid this, always record the drop in the POS before (or immediately after) physically removing the cash.
Is there a limit on how many drops or payouts I can do per session?
No. You can record as many drops and payouts as needed during a session. Each one is tracked individually.
Do drops and payouts appear on the Z-Report?
Yes. The Z-Report includes a complete list of all cash drops and payouts for the session, along with their totals. See Z-Reports for more details.
Permissions Summary
| Action | Cashier | Manager | Admin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record a cash drop | No | Yes | Yes |
| Record a payout | Yes (when payouts enabled) | Yes | Yes |
| View drops/payouts in POS | Yes (view only) | Yes | Yes |
| View drops/payouts in admin | No | Yes | Yes |
What's Next?
- Opening & Closing Cash Drawers -- Learn the full drawer lifecycle from open to close.
- Takeover -- Hand off a session to another manager with a close-and-reopen workflow.
- Z-Reports -- See how drops and payouts appear on the end-of-session report.