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Opening & Closing Cash Drawers

Manager

Cash drawer sessions in Brother POS are drawer-centric -- they are tied to a physical register, not to an individual user. A manager opens the drawer at the start of a shift, multiple cashiers can process sales on that same session throughout the day, and a manager closes the drawer with a mandatory cash count at the end.

This page covers the full lifecycle of a cash drawer session: opening, working during the session, and closing.

Before You Begin​

Make sure the following are in place:

  • You have a Manager or Admin role. Cashiers cannot open or close drawers.
  • A register has been configured for your POS terminal in Admin > Registers (accessible from the Settings or Cash Drawers page).
  • You know your starting float -- the amount of cash you are placing in the drawer to make change.
What is a starting float?

The starting float is the cash you put in the drawer before any sales happen. It is used to make change for customers. A typical float is between $100 and $300, but your store may have its own policy.

Opening a Cash Drawer​

Step-by-Step​

  1. Log in to the POS with your manager PIN or credentials.
  2. If no drawer session is active for your register, the POS will display the Open Cash Drawer prompt automatically.
  3. Enter the starting float amount. This is the total cash you are placing in the drawer.
  4. Tap Open Drawer.
  5. The physical cash drawer will kick open (if connected via the receipt printer's DK port). Place your float inside.
  6. The POS is now ready for sales.
Count your float

Always count your float before entering the amount. The number you enter here becomes the baseline for the over/under calculation when you close the drawer later. An incorrect float amount will make your closing count appear off.

What Happens Behind the Scenes​

When you open a drawer session, Brother POS:

  • Creates a new Cash Drawer Session record tied to your register.
  • Records who opened the session, when, and with how much.
  • Sets the session status to Open.
  • All subsequent transactions on this register are tracked against this session until it is closed.

Working During an Active Session​

Once the drawer is open, the POS operates normally. Here is what you need to know during the session:

Multiple Clerks, One Session​

Any cashier who logs in to the same register will operate under the same drawer session. There is no need to close and reopen the drawer when shifts change -- unless your store policy requires it. The session tracks which clerk processed each individual sale.

Tracking Payments​

Every sale processed on the register is automatically associated with the active session. The session tracks:

Payment MethodTracked?
CashYes -- affects expected cash in drawer
DebitYes -- recorded as electronic payment
E-TransferYes -- recorded as electronic payment
Split paymentsYes -- each portion tracked by its method
Store creditYes -- recorded separately

Checking Session Status​

To view the current session status mid-shift:

  1. Tap Open Cash Drawer in the header bar to trigger the drawer, or tap Cash Drop in the header bar to view the current session and perform a cash drop.
  2. You will see a summary showing:
    • Starting float amount
    • Total cash sales so far
    • Cash drops (if any)
    • Payouts (if any)
    • Current expected cash in drawer
Do not close the browser tab

The POS is a progressive web app. Closing the browser tab does not close the cash drawer session. The session remains open until a manager explicitly closes it through the cash count process.

Closing a Cash Drawer​

Manager

Closing a cash drawer requires a forced cash count. You cannot skip this step. Brother POS requires you to count all the cash in the drawer and enter the total amount so that the system can calculate whether you are over, under, or exactly balanced.

Step-by-Step​

  1. Close Drawer is triggered by tapping Sign Out in the header bar. If you have an open cash drawer session and the Cash Session Management permission, the Cash Count modal appears instead of logging you out.
  2. Count all the cash in the drawer (bills and coins) and enter the total cash amount in the input field.
  3. Review the amount you entered. Make sure it matches what you physically counted.
  4. Tap Close Drawer.

The Over/Under Calculation​

After you submit your count, Brother POS calculates the difference between:

  • Expected cash: Starting float + cash received from sales - change given - cash drops - payouts
  • Actual cash: The total you just counted

The result is displayed as one of three outcomes:

ResultMeaning
BalancedYour count matches the expected amount exactly.
Over by $X.XXYou have more cash than expected. This could indicate a customer overpayment or a data-entry error.
Under by $X.XXYou have less cash than expected. This could indicate a missed transaction, a counting error, or theft.
Significant discrepancies

If the over/under amount is large, do not dismiss it. Recount the cash to rule out a counting mistake. If the discrepancy persists, report it to your admin. Brother POS logs every discrepancy for audit purposes.

Close cash drawer with cash count modal

After Closing​

Once the drawer is closed:

  1. A Z-Report is automatically generated summarizing the entire session. See Z-Reports for details on what it contains.
  2. The receipt printer will print the Z-Report (if configured).
  3. The session status changes to Closed. No more sales can be processed against it.
  4. The POS will prompt for a new drawer session to be opened before processing further sales.

Common Scenarios​

Forgot to Open the Drawer​

If a cashier tries to process a sale without an active drawer session, the POS will block the sale and display a message asking a manager to open the drawer first.

Drawer Was Left Open Overnight​

If a session was accidentally left open, a manager should:

  1. Count the current cash in the drawer.
  2. Close the session using the cash count process described above.
  3. Open a new session with the correct starting float.

The Z-Report for the forgotten session will show all transactions that occurred, even if they span multiple days.

Need to Remove Cash Mid-Shift​

Use a Cash Drop instead of closing the drawer. Cash drops let you move excess cash to the safe without ending the session. See Cash Drops & Payouts.

Shift Change Without Closing​

If your store policy allows it, cashiers can swap in and out without closing the drawer. Simply log out and have the next cashier log in with their own PIN. The drawer session continues. If a manager needs to take over responsibility, use the Takeover feature instead. See Takeover.

Tips for Accurate Cash Counts​

  • Count twice before submitting. It is faster to recount than to investigate a discrepancy.
  • Separate the float from the day's revenue before counting. This makes it easier to verify the expected amount.
  • Count by denomination (bills first, then coins) before totaling. Organizing your count makes it faster and less error-prone.
  • Do not round. Enter the exact total. Rounding introduces small discrepancies that accumulate over time.
  • Count in a quiet area if possible. Distractions lead to miscounts.

Permissions Summary​

ActionCashierManagerAdmin
Open a drawer sessionNoYesYes
Process sales on an open sessionYesYesYes
View session summary mid-shiftNoYesYes
Close a drawer sessionNoYesYes
View over/under resultsNoYesYes

What's Next?​

  • Cash Drops & Payouts -- Learn how to remove cash mid-shift or record business expenses.
  • Takeover -- Hand off a drawer session to another manager with a close-and-reopen workflow.
  • Z-Reports -- Understand the end-of-session summary report.