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

1. Find a spot to beancount near the bookkeeping toolbox.
2. Get the uncounted tills and the cash box from the safe.
3. Start an e-mail addressed to beancounters@lists.freegeek.org. (Subject is "Till Report [date]")
4. Pull up the income report for the day in question.
5. Start with the Thrift Store till, then resume here with the Front Desk till. This will eliminate duplication of data entry.
6. Pull up a copy of the till worksheet to help you count and record stuff.
   • Make sure to fill in the date, FD or TS, and your name at the bottom.
   • When starting the FD till, clear our entries from the TS till.

Count the Checks & Credit Cards

1. Review the checks.
   • Each one should say FD (Front Desk) or TS (Thrift Store) 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.
   • If any of the above 3 errors occurred, make a note in your e-mail to beancounters.
   • Put the checks in numerical order by transaction number
   • On the Till Worksheet, record the amount of the check under "Chk Amt", and the transaction number under "Description".
2. 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.
   • If either of the above 2 errors occurred, make a note in your e-mail.
   • 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.
   • From the credit card report, copy the "TOTAL NET" at the bottom to the Till Worksheet's "E - Credit/Debit" cell.

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.

1. Start by flipping up all of the billholders of the cash drawer.
2. "Face" the bills and the checks. (All bills/checks face up, same orientation. Makes it easier to find misplaced items.)
3. Count the bills and coins and record them on the till worksheet of your computer screen.
   • Record using the number of items, not the value of the cash. (e.g. If you have 13 quarters, record "13", not "$3.25").
   • As you count bills, leave the standard till amount in the drawer and flip the billholder down so you'll know that denomination is done.
   • Don't mix cash from one drawer with the other drawer at this point.
   • If you can't leave the standard till amount, leave the billholder up as a reminder to add cash later.
4. After counting all bills and coins, compare your numbers on the screen to the Till Worksheet printed by the cashier.
   • If you don't have a printed Till Worksheet, use the End of Shift paperwork.
   • Check off each number that matches on the paperwork.
   • If your count doesn't match what the paperwork says, double check your work. \\
   • If it still doesn't match, make a note of the discrepancy in your e-mail.

Verify Paperwork

Look for any other paperwork in the till related to the following:

• 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.)

Enter these on the Till Worksheet of your computer screen with notes to explain anything unusual.

Now make a final comparison of your screen to the printed paperwork. If there is any discrepancy, print a copy of the Till Worksheet from the screen and include it with the other till paperwork.

If you've just finished the TS till, go back to the "Get Ready" section to do the FD till. If you've just finished the FD till, continue below.

Transfer out excess money

Leave a standard till.

1. 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.)
2. 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.
3. 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)
------------------------------------
TOTAL:        ($32.40)

See Also

• Making Deposits
• Recording Daily Transactions in Gnucash
• Checking the checks