Opening & Closing Cash Drawers
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.
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
- Log in to the POS with your manager PIN or credentials.
- If no drawer session is active for your register, the POS will display the Open Cash Drawer prompt automatically.
- Count the cash physically in the drawer and enter that total as the starting float amount.
- Tap Open Drawer.
- The physical cash drawer will kick open (if connected via the receipt printer's DK port). Place your float inside.
- The POS is now ready for sales.
Always count the cash physically in the drawer 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.
If the register carried over a float from the previous shift's close, the POS shows that expected carryover as a hint, but it does not pre-fill the count for you. You must count and type the real amount -- pre-filling would let an overnight shortfall slip by unnoticed.
Counting the Drawer on Open
To count accurately you may want to pop the physical till before entering the amount. At shift start the normal top-bar drawer-kick button isn't available yet (it only appears once a session is open), so the Open Cash Drawer screen includes its own Open Drawer to Count button next to the float field. Tap it to kick the drawer open, count the cash, then enter that total as your starting float.
Opening Variance (close-to-open reconciliation)
If the previous shift closed with a carryover float (cash left in the till for the next shift), the POS reconciles your counted opening float against what that close left behind:
- As you type, a live note appears under the count:
- ✓ Matches the $X expected from last close when your count equals the carryover, or
- ⚠ Short/Over $Y vs $X expected -- this difference will be recorded when it does not.
- On open, if your count differs from the expected carryover, a warning toast confirms it (for example, "Short $20 vs $200 expected from last close -- recorded for audit").
The signed difference is saved on the session as the opening variance (negative = cash missing at open). This surfaces a shortfall that happens at the seam between one shift's close and the next shift's open -- cash that goes missing overnight, for instance. Managers can review opening variance per session in the admin panel; see Cash Drawer Sessions.
Only when there was a prior shift close with a carryover and your counted float differs from it. The first session of a register's life, or a session opened after an End Day close (which deposits everything), has no carryover to reconcile against, so no variance is recorded.
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 Method | Tracked? |
|---|---|
| Cash | Yes -- affects expected cash in drawer |
| Debit | Yes -- recorded as electronic payment |
| E-Transfer | Yes -- recorded as electronic payment |
| Split payments | Yes -- each portion tracked by its method |
| Store credit | Yes -- recorded separately |
Checking Session Status
To view the current session status mid-shift:
- 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.
- 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
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.
Adjusting the Opening Float Mid-Shift
If you entered the wrong starting float when opening the drawer, you do not have to close and reopen the session to fix it. A manager can correct the opening float at any time while the session is open.
- Open the POS Settings modal (the gear/settings button).
- Under Quick Actions, tap Adjust Opening Float (it sits next to Cash Drop, with the same manager permission and open-session requirement).
- Enter the corrected float amount.
- Choose a reason: Miscount, Denomination, or Other.
- Submit.
Each adjustment is recorded as a signed correction with the before/after amounts, reason, and your user — it does not overwrite the original opening float, which is preserved as the audit value. The signed adjustment total feeds directly into the expected-cash calculation.
When you later close the drawer, the Count Cash Drawer modal shows a ± Float Adjustment line in the breakdown and lists each individual adjustment under Session Details, so the math reconciles cleanly (otherwise a corrected float would make the breakdown read as nonsense).
Closing a Cash Drawer
ManagerClosing 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
- 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.
- Count all the cash in the drawer (bills and coins) and enter the total cash amount in the input field.
- Review the amount you entered. Make sure it matches what you physically counted.
- Choose a close mode (see below).
- Select your print options (see below).
- Tap End Shift or End Day depending on the mode you selected.
End Shift vs End Day
The Cash Count modal offers two close modes. Both close the cash drawer session identically -- the difference is what prints:
| Mode | What Happens |
|---|---|
| End Shift (default) | Closes the session. Optionally prints the Z-Report (register session summary). Use this for mid-day shift changes. |
| End Day | Closes the session. Optionally prints the Z-Report and the End-of-Day report (full day summary across all registers). Use this when shutting down the store for the day. |
Print Options
Below the close mode selector, you will see checkboxes for printing:
- Print Z-Report (register summary) -- Prints the Z-Report receipt for this register session. Checked by default.
- Print End-of-Day report (all registers) -- Only shown in End Day mode. Prints a store-wide summary of all sales for the day. Checked by default.
Both options are on by default. Uncheck them if you do not need a physical printout. The Z-Report data is always saved digitally regardless of whether you print it.
If your store does not have a receipt printer configured, these checkboxes will still appear but printing will silently skip. The session closes normally either way.
The Over/Under Calculation
After you submit your count, Brother POS calculates the difference between:
- Expected cash: Starting float ± float adjustments + cash received from sales (and non-sale cash flows) - change given - cash drops - payouts
- Actual cash: The total you just counted
If your store has Canadian Cash Rounding enabled, the nickel-rounding adjustment on each cash sale is tracked separately and already baked into the expected-cash figure. Rounding will not push your count over or under.
The result is displayed as one of three outcomes:
| Result | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Balanced | Your count matches the expected amount exactly. |
| Over by $X.XX | You have more cash than expected. This could indicate a customer overpayment or a data-entry error. |
| Under by $X.XX | You have less cash than expected. This could indicate a missed transaction, a counting error, or theft. |
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.
After Closing
Once the drawer is closed:
- A Z-Report is automatically generated summarizing the entire session. See Z-Reports for details on what it contains.
- If you checked Print Z-Report, the receipt printer will print the register session summary.
- If you closed with End Day and checked Print End-of-Day report, the receipt printer will also print a store-wide daily summary.
- The session status changes to Closed. No more sales can be processed against it.
- The POS will prompt for a new drawer session to be opened before processing further sales.
If you need to reprint a Z-Report after closing, you can do so from the admin panel under Cash Drawers by viewing the session detail and using the reprint option.
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:
- Count the current cash in the drawer.
- Close the session using the cash count process described above.
- 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.
Brother POS can also help staff catch a forgotten drawer automatically -- see Stale-Drawer Handling below.
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.
Stale-Drawer Handling
ManagerA drawer that is left open past your store's business-day cutoff is considered stale. Brother POS offers two optional, opt-in tools to catch and resolve a forgotten drawer. Both are off by default -- a small store that doesn't want the nudge sees no change.
Business-day cutoff
A session is flagged stale once it has been open past your store's business-day cutoff (in your store's local timezone). The cutoff is derived from your Store Hours; if hours aren't configured, a fallback cutoff hour is used (default 4 AM). Both are set under Settings > Cash Drawer in the admin panel.
Stale-drawer reminder banner (opt-in)
When enabled, a dismissible warning banner appears at the top of the POS for managers when the register's drawer is stale: "This drawer has been open since {date} -- close it out to start a fresh shift." A one-tap Close drawer button opens the cash count modal directly. The banner reuses the existing drawer query, so it adds no extra polling.
Enable it with the Stale-drawer reminder banner toggle under Settings > Cash Drawer.
Force-close a stale drawer (opt-in)
For stricter control, the Require closing a stale drawer before reopening setting blocks the register until a stale drawer is counted and closed:
- A non-dismissible overlay covers the POS -- "Close yesterday's drawer first."
- A manager sees a Count & close drawer button that opens the cash count.
- A clerk sees "A manager must close this drawer before sales can continue" (the overlay reaches clerks too, so a forgotten drawer can't be worked around).
This is count-preserving enforcement: the next person does a real cash count. Brother POS never fabricates or skips a count, and there is no nightly auto-close job -- a drawer that is simply never reopened stays flagged stale in the admin until someone closes it properly.
An earlier design auto-closed abandoned drawers on a schedule. That was removed because closing a drawer without a real count is destructive. The non-destructive layers -- the reminder banner and force-close-on-next-open -- cover the need without ever guessing at a count.
Enable it with the Require closing a stale drawer before reopening toggle under Settings > Cash Drawer.
Blind close (opt-in)
A related option, Blind close, hides the expected-cash target and live over/under from the cashier during the count, so they count without knowing what they "should" find. The over/short is still computed server-side at close. Enable it with the Blind close toggle under Settings > Cash Drawer.
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
| Action | Cashier | Manager | Admin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open a drawer session | No | Yes | Yes |
| Process sales on an open session | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| View session summary mid-shift | No | Yes | Yes |
| Close a drawer session | No | Yes | Yes |
| View over/under results | No | Yes | Yes |
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.