Beancounting

What is "Beancounting"?

Beancounting is a job that needs to be after a cash till is pulled from the front desk or thrift store. The staff member counts the money from till, transfers it into the safe, and makes the till ready for the next shift.

The Bookkeeping Toolbox

It's easiest to do beancounting in the Monkeyhouse since this is where the Bookkeeping Toolbox and the safe currently live. The Bookkeeping Toolbox should contain:

An endorsement stamp for checks received
Some hard copies of the end of shift form
Some large envelopes
Deposit tickets for making deposits at the bank
A pen or two

The Till

Generally, you will get the tills from the safe at the beginning of the day. Make sure that you get the till that has been used. There may be a couple of fresh tills that are already in the safe. If you're doing this at the end of the day, you may need to gather tills from the Front Desk and/or Thrift Store.

Each till should contain:

Cash (bills and coins) received that day
Checks received that day (usually none for Thrift Store)
Credit card signature copies
A completed end of shift form
A till worksheet
An income report

It might also contain:

Reimbursement slips with proof of purchase receipts attached
Mileage reimbursement slips (signed with explanations)
Miscellaneous money receipts
Notes about data entry errors that should be corrected in the database
Copies of receipts for clients to be invoiced

The Job

Get Ready

Find a spot to beancount near the bookkeeping toolbox.
Get the uncounted tills and the cash box from the safe.
Start an e-mail addressed to beancounters@lists.freegeek.org. (Subject is "Till Report [date]")
Pull up the income report for the day in question.

Count the Checks & Credit Cards

Start with the Thrift Store till, then resume here with the Front Desk till. This will eliminate duplication of data entry.
Pull up a fresh copy of the till worksheet to help you count and record stuff.
- Make sure to fill in the date, TD or FS, and your name at the bottom.
Review the checks.
- Each one should say TS (Thrift Store) or FD (Front Desk) and a transaction number. If TS/FD is missing write it in.
- If the transaction number is missing, look it up on the database, then write it on the check.
- Confirm that each check is stamped on the back with the endorsment stamp. If not, stamp it.
- Put the checks in numerical order by transaction number
Review the Credit Card slips
- Make sure each one has a transaction number on it. If not, use the database to find it, then write it.
- Make sure they're all signed
- Put the credit card slips in numerical order by transaction number
- Make sure you have a credit card report and that the number of transactions on the report matches the number of signed copies.

Count the money

Verify that the cashier who last used the till filled out the end of shift form correctly. Also verify that the starting cash was counted and signed off.

"Face" the bills and the checks. (That is, put all the bills face up with the dead presidents' heads pointing in the same direction. This makes counting easier and it makes it easier to spot a five in the tens, for instance.)
Count the checks, the bills, and the coins
- If your count doesn't match what the paperwork says, double check your work and then correct the paperwork by crossing out the incorrect amount and clearly writing in the correct amount.
- If the counts match, then put a check mark next to the amount on the paperwork.

Verify the paperwork

Check the completed end of shift form for data entry errors

There are places on the paperwork for all the kinds of transactions that typically happen in the course of a day. Verify that they are correct and put a check mark next to them or correct them as necessary. These are:

Money receipts -- These are standard receipts from the office supply store and are used for miscellaneous sales or donations that aren't covered by the standard receipt.
Reimbursement records -- for when money goes out of the till to buy something for Free Geek
Transfer records (both transfers in and out) -- for when money goes from one till to the other or into the safe. (There should be a transfer out of the till that loses money and a transfer in for the till that gains money.)
Unpaid IOUs -- For when someone borrows money from a till (typically to buy something for Free Geek) and hasn't paid it back at the end of the day. (IOUs that are paid up at the end of the day can be discarded. If someone borrowed money to buy something though, there should be a reimbursement record.)

(These forms are available on Dead trees.)

Transfer out excess money

Leave a standard till.

Transfer the money from the tills to an envelope
- Transfer all checks, and all 20s, 50s, and 100s.
- Transfer whatever else you need to to make the remaining till come out right ($100).
- Try to leave enough ones and quarters. (See Standard Cash Drawer for details on how much of each denomination is needed for each till.)
On the envelope, write:
- The date the till was active
- The amount of money enclosed
- Which till (Front Desk or Thrift Store) was being counted.
Put the envelope in the safe alongside the cash box. Make certain the safe is locked.

Making Change

You may find yourself short of the denominations needed to fill out a decent cash drawer.

If you are counting two tills at the same time, you may be able to "buy" change from one till into the other. (Be sure to count the money and check/correct the paperwork before doing this, or we won't know where the till adjustments came from.)

Also, the cash box in the safe should have spare coins and bills of denominations that are usually needed for making change. You can "buy" change from this cash box from the till you are working on.

Whoever is preparing the deposit will try to keep an adequate supply on hand. We typically have in the cash box:

Ten dollar bills:   6 ($60.00)
Five dollar bills: 18 ($90.00)
One dollar bills:  50 ($50.00)
------------------------------------
TOTAL:               ($200.00)

There are also will also be a varying supply of coins. Once in a while we get too much change and deposit all of it except:

Pennies:   15 ($ 0.15)
Nickels:   15 ($ 0.75)
Dimes:     15 ($ 1.50)
Quarters: 120 ($30.00)
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TOTAL:        ($32.40)