Deposit branch cash: 4 steps to the bank
The last lesson closed every till difference. But the counted cash still sits in the branch, often two or three days of takings in a drawer before anyone visits the bank. When does it leave, who carries it, and how do you know all of it arrived?
Here are four steps that move branch cash to your bank and tie each slip to specific days, in one WhatsApp conversation.
What goes wrong without a deposit routine
- Cash sleeps in the branch: every night in the drawer adds a risk no count covers: loss, theft, or a "temporary loan".
- Bulk deposits blur the days: one slip for three days of takings cannot show which day was short.
- Nobody knows the amount: with no fixed float, staff deposit what seems right, and the figure matches nothing.
- The slip stays in a pocket: the bank has the money, but your books learn of it only from the month-end statement.
The four steps
1. Set a fixed float and calculate the deposit
Choose a fixed amount that stays in the till for the next shift, say 500 SAR, depending on branch size. Everything above it at close is "cash to deposit": closing count minus float, calculated by the system, not the cashier. Bag each day's deposit apart from the till.
2. Set the schedule, the cash cap and the carrier
Daily deposits are the easiest to reconcile: one slip per day. If the bank is far, pick fixed weekdays and note with each slip the days it covers. Cap the cash held in the branch: above the cap, it goes to the bank that day. Name one depositor and a backup, as in the absence coverage plan. Never pay anything from deposit cash; use petty cash.
3. Send the slip photo the same day
A deposit is complete when the slip photo reaches the system from your phone, not at the bank counter. The amount moves from branch cash to the bank, "in transit" until it shows on the statement, linked to the closes it covers. If you are VAT-registered, Article 66 of ZATCA's VAT Implementing Regulations (official Arabic text) requires the invoices, records and accounting documents you must keep to be retained for at least 6 years from the end of their tax period. The slip proves sales cash reached the bank: keep the original with its closes, not just the photo.
4. Match twice: against the close, then the statement
The first match is immediate: compare the slip with the cash to deposit for its days; any gap is a new till difference, handled with last lesson's steps. The second comes later: the same amount appears on the bank statement. Set a deadline, say one or two working days, and query the bank about anything later, quoting the slip's date and number. Your bank reconciliation then has few, explained deposits in transit.
The deposit as one exchange
The supervisor sends the slip photo and one line:
Supervisor: [deposit slip photo] Sunday and Monday deposit
System: Slip for 7,900 SAR dated Tuesday. Expected 8,000 SAR: 4,200 from Sunday's close and 3,800 from Monday's, after the 500 SAR float. Where did the other 100 SAR go?
Supervisor: we paid a plumber 100 SAR from it yesterday
System: Send his receipt and I will record it as an Al-Yasmin branch expense. Next time, pay from petty cash, not deposit cash.
Supervisor: [receipt photo]
System: Recorded; the slip now matches both closes. It is in transit; I will ask for the statement in two working days.
System (once the statement arrives): The 7,900 SAR deposit dated Tuesday is on the statement. Closed; nothing pending for Al-Yasmin.
A 100 SAR gap explained in a minute, not at month end.
Checklist before you start
| Item | Decide in advance |
|---|---|
| Float | A fixed till amount per branch |
| Deposit schedule | Daily, or fixed weekdays if the bank is far |
| Cash cap | Above it, cash is deposited the same day |
| Who deposits | One named person, with a known backup |
| The slip | Photo sent on the deposit day |
| Statement deadline | Working days before you query the bank |
A common mistake: depositing whatever is in the drawer
"Deposit what's in the drawer" sounds simple but removes the number you match against. Deposit everything and the branch opens with no change; keep "enough" and the float drifts, carrying till differences silently into the next day. A deposit is a figure calculated in advance. More in the system over WhatsApp.
In short: set a fixed float so the deposit is a calculated figure; set the schedule, cash cap and carrier; get the slip photo the same day; match it to the close at once and to the statement within your deadline. Never spend from deposit cash.