Run a surprise cash count in 4 steps

A surprise cash count means counting a branch's money at a time the cashier cannot predict, by someone who does not hold it, against the system balance at that moment. Earlier lessons built a daily close, settled till gaps and banked the takings. All rely on the holder counting at a known time, so money returned to the drawer before the close never shows.

Four steps close that gap, in one WhatsApp conversation.

Why the cashier's close is not enough

• The holder writes the number: nobody outside the branch sees the money.
• Deposit bags and petty cash go unchecked: they sit for days between close and deposit.
• Gaps surface late: by the time a deposit or statement shows them, nobody remembers.

The four steps

1. Decide who counts and how often, never when

The counter holds no custody there: you, the area supervisor or the accountant, plus a backup. Set the frequency, say twice a month per branch, and vary day and shift unannounced: morning, peak, an hour before close. The cashier is always present.

2. Take the system balance first

Before touching anything, the counter sends "starting the count", and the system fixes the expected balance at that minute: float plus cash sales since opening, minus cash refunds, alongside the undeposited bag and petty cash. Fixed before counting, it cannot be bent to fit the result. The cashier pauses cash sales meanwhile.

3. Count everything, not just the drawer

Money sits in three places: the drawer, the deposit bag since the last close (see the branch deposits lesson) and petty cash with its receipts. Count all three together, since one can briefly cover a gap in another. An IOU or unrecorded receipt in the drawer goes on a separate line, never counted as money.

4. Record the result and close the gap with a decision

The counter sends the three figures; the system compares them, saves a record of time, counter and witnesses, and sends it to the cashier to confirm. Any gap is closed with a decision, as in the cash over and short lesson.

Never make a shortage an automatic pay deduction. In the Labor Law, as published by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (Arabic text), Article 92 bars wage deductions for private rights without the worker's written consent, except in listed cases. Article 91 sets one: loss or damage of machines or products the employer owns or holds in custody, through the worker's fault or breach of instructions, capped at five days' wage a month; either party may object within 15 working days, for the employer from discovery. So date the record, and ask your adviser whether this covers a cash shortage.

The count as one exchange

Tuesday afternoon, the area supervisor walks into Al-Narjis branch unannounced:

Supervisor: starting a surprise count at Al-Narjis

System: 4:10 pm. Expected: drawer 2,740 SAR, 500 float plus 2,240 sales since opening; last night's bag 3,100 SAR; petty cash 1,000 SAR in notes and receipts. Ask the cashier to pause cash sales.

Supervisor: drawer 2,640, bag 3,100, petty cash 620 plus two receipts for 380

System: Bag and petty cash match. The drawer is 100 SAR short. Any non-cash paper in it?

Supervisor: a note in the cashier's writing: 100 lent to a colleague, back before close

System: Recorded a 100 SAR shortage, "loan from the drawer", on this shift; the cashier has the record to confirm.

Cashier: Confirmed. My colleague has just repaid it

System: Logged 100 SAR back at 4:25 pm and closed the gap as "repaid". Lending from the drawer breaks branch instructions, so I logged it as an exception.

Without the count, the 100 SAR would be back by close, the figures would match, and you would never know your till lends to staff.

Checklist before your first count

Item	Decide in advance
Who counts	No custody in the branch; a named backup
Frequency	For example, twice a month per branch
Timing	A different day and shift, never announced
What is counted	Drawer, deposit bag and petty cash
The cashier	Present; confirms the record by reply
Any gap	Closed by decision, never auto-deducted

A common mistake: a "surprise" count on a fixed date

A first-Thursday count, or one at every supervisor visit, is known within two rounds and becomes one more close. The opposite mistake, counting only branches you suspect, turns it into an accusation. Keep the rhythm known and the timing unknown. More in the system over WhatsApp.