# Open and close the register

> Open the till's register with the float, record cash in and out, and close it with what you counted to see any difference.

*Section: Selling · Updated: 2026-10-19 · Needs the plan feature: pos*

A register tracks the cash in one till's drawer for one cashier's shift. By the end you will have opened it with the float, recorded cash taken out, and closed it with what you counted, so any difference shows straight away.

> **Note:** The register is optional: the POS sells with it closed. Open it when you want each shift's cash checked.

## Open the register

1. **Open the [POS](/app/pos).** At the top left, **Register** shows **CLOSED**.
2. **Click CLOSED.** The **Open Register** window opens on your warehouse.
3. **Enter the Opening Balance.** It is the cash in the drawer as you start, the float. It is required. **notes** is optional.
4. **Click Open Register.** The badge now says **OPEN**, with the register's number, and **Cash in / out** appears beside it.

![The Open Register window: Warehouse showing Default Warehouse, an Opening Balance of 100, the note "Morning float", and the Cancel and Open Register buttons.](https://armpos.online/storage/help/60e9dfd12d-open-and-close-the-register-1-open.webp)
*Count the float before you open: it is what the drawer should hold before the first sale.*

![The POS top bar with Register #1 marked OPEN and the Cash in / out button beside it.](https://armpos.online/storage/help/d01b3e587b-open-and-close-the-register-2-open-bar.webp)
*An open register shows its number and the Cash in / out button.*

Each cashier opens their own register, one per warehouse at a time. A second **Open Register** in the same warehouse is refused while one is open.

## Cash in and cash out

When you put cash into the drawer or take some out for something other than a sale, record it, or the count at the end won't match.

1. **Click Cash in / out.**
2. **Choose Cash in or Cash out.**
3. **Enter the Amount** and, under **What it was for**, a few words such as "Cleaning supplies" or "Change from the bank". The amount must be above zero.
4. **Click the button at the bottom**, which says **Cash in** or **Cash out** to match your choice.

![The Cash in / out window with Cash out chosen, an Amount of 15 and "Cleaning supplies" under What it was for.](https://armpos.online/storage/help/286119ae12-open-and-close-the-register-3-cash-out.webp)
*Cash taken out for an errand. The button at the bottom follows your choice.*

## Close the register

1. **Count the cash in the drawer.**
2. **Click OPEN** at the top left. The **Close Register** window opens.
3. **Enter the Counted Cash.** It is required. Add **Closing Notes** if something needs explaining.
4. **Click Close Register.**

ArmPOS answers with what the drawer should have held, what you counted and the difference, for example "Register closed. Expected $ 90.96, counted $ 90.00, difference $ -0.96."

![The Close Register window with 90 in Counted Cash, an empty Closing Notes box, and the Cancel and Close Register buttons.](https://armpos.online/storage/help/82f876153b-open-and-close-the-register-4-close.webp)
*Enter what you counted, not what you think it should be.*

**What the drawer should hold** is the opening balance, plus cash in, less cash out, plus the cash this cashier took for POS sales in this warehouse while the register was open, less the cash refunded there. Card, mobile money and unpaid amounts don't count: they never reach the drawer. A negative difference means the drawer is short.

## Check past registers

Open [Reports › Cash Register Report](/app/reports/cash-registers). Each register is a row: the cashier, warehouse, when it opened and closed, the opening balance, cash in, cash out, the shift's total sales, the closing count and the difference. Filter by **Date range**, **Cashier**, **Warehouse** or **Status**, and **Print** the list.

![The Cash Register Report: filters for Date range, Cashier, Warehouse and Status, and a row for William Castillo at Default Warehouse, opened at 02:50 with 100.00, 15.00 out, 5.96 in sales, closed at 02:54 with 90.00.](https://armpos.online/storage/help/c9f561d28d-open-and-close-the-register-5-report.webp)
*Every shift's register, with its totals at the bottom. Scroll the table sideways for Difference.*

> **Note:** **Total Sales** in the report is every POS sale of the shift, however it was paid. Only the cash part is in the drawer's expected amount.

A register belongs to its cashier. Someone else can see, move cash in or close it only if their role may see other people's records and the register's warehouse is theirs.

## What's next

Read [Returns and refunds](/app/help/returns-and-refunds).