Payments
Closing the Till
Last updated 22 May 2026
Closing the Till
TL;DR
- Close till compares expected takings with counted cash and external card totals.
- Owners and Managers can close the till. Team members can view expected totals only.
- Mobile supports expected totals, blockers, cash movements, close completion, and close history.
- Open orders and unsynced offline transactions block the close.
- A note is required when cash or external card variance is more than $5.00.
Close till is the end-of-period reconciliation flow for venues that take cash, use Stripe through OpenChair, or use a separate card provider. It gives you one place to count the drawer, record paid-in or paid-out cash, compare external card takings, and save an immutable close record.
Where do I find Close till?
Close till is available from the authenticated web app and the mobile app.
| Surface | How to open it |
|---|---|
| Web sidebar | Go to Money and click Close till |
| Web command palette | Press Cmd/Ctrl+K and select Close till |
| Web direct route | /app/[slug]/payments/till-close |
| Mobile Take payment | Tap the cash drawer action in the Take payment header |
| Mobile command palette | Search for Close till |
| Mobile Manage or Settings | Open Manage -> Money -> Close till, or Settings -> Payments & pricing -> Till close |
The page title is Close till. Web includes History and Refresh actions at the top. Mobile includes refresh, close entry, cash movement entry, and recent close history.
Settings
Close till has no separate setup screen in this version. It uses recorded checkout transactions, cash movements entered during the close period, and the venue timezone stored on the close record.
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Close period start | Previous close end, or one day lookback if there is no previous close | Previous close end |
| Variance note threshold | Note required when cash or external card variance is more than $5.00 | $5.00 |
| External provider | Optional free text at close | Blank |
| Settlement reference | Optional free text at close | Blank |
What does Close till count?
Close till counts recorded transactions for the current close period. By default, the period starts at the end of the previous completed close and ends at the current time.
| Total | What is included |
|---|---|
| Cash tender | Cash payment rows minus cash refund rows |
| External card | External card payment rows minus external card refund rows |
| Stripe card | Stripe Terminal and Tap to Pay totals |
| Online | Online and card-on-file payments |
| Gift card | Gift card tender values in the close snapshot |
| Cash movements | Paid in and paid out cash movements recorded before the close |
Expected totals are recalculated on the server when the close is completed. The visible totals are guidance, not a client-side authority.
How do I close the till?
Close the till after checkout work for the period is finished.
- Open Close till.
- Review the period shown at the top of the page.
- Check the expected totals for Cash tender, External card, Stripe card, and Online.
- Enter Opening float.
- Count the drawer and enter Counted cash.
- Enter Closing float and Cash to bank.
- Compare your external provider's batch report and enter Counted external card.
- Optionally enter External provider and Settlement reference.
- Add a Close note if needed.
- Click or tap Complete close and confirm the close summary.
Note
Counted cash, Closing float, Cash to bank, and Counted external card must be entered explicitly, even when the value is $0.00. Closing float plus Cash to bank must equal Counted cash. If those two amounts do not match, the page shows a cash breakdown mismatch and the close button is disabled.
How do cash movements work?
Cash movements record money added to or removed from the drawer before the till is closed. Use them for petty cash, change runs, tip cash-outs, or other drawer adjustments.
The Cash movements panel has:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Paid in | Money added to the drawer |
| Paid out | Money removed from the drawer |
| Amount | Movement amount |
| Reason | Required explanation for the movement |
| Record movement | Saves the cash movement |
Cash movements recorded during the open period are attached to the close when Complete close succeeds.
How are variances handled?
Variances show the difference between expected and counted totals. OpenChair calculates separate variances for cash and external card, then stores the total variance on the close record.
| Variance | Formula |
|---|---|
| Cash variance | Counted cash minus expected cash drawer |
| External card variance | Counted external card minus expected external card |
| Total variance | Actual total minus expected total |
If the cash variance or external card variance is more than $5.00 in either direction, Close note is required.
What blocks a close?
Close till blocks completion when the close period is not ready to reconcile.
| Blocker | What to do |
|---|---|
| Open orders | Finish payment, close without paying, or discard the open orders before closing |
| Unsynced offline transactions | Bring the device online and let the offline queue sync |
| Overlapping close period | Open History and check whether the same period has already been closed |
| Cash breakdown mismatch | Make Closing float plus Cash to bank equal Counted cash |
The page shows Close blocked when open orders or unsynced transactions are present.
Close history and close details
Close history lists saved close records for the venue. On web, open History from the Close till page to view prior closes. On mobile, open Close till from Take payment, Manage, Settings, or the command palette, then tap a close record.
Each close detail shows:
- Business date
- Close status
- Period start and end
- Expected total, actual total, and total variance
- Closed by
- Cash breakdown
- External card provider and settlement reference when recorded
- Close note when recorded
Close records are intended as audit records. The current version does not expose an in-app delete action for close records.
Who can use this
| Role | Access |
|---|---|
| Owner | View expected totals, record cash movements, complete close, view history and detail on web or mobile |
| Manager | View expected totals, record cash movements, complete close, view history and detail on web or mobile |
| Team | View expected totals, history and detail if they can access the route. They cannot record movements or close the till |
Common mistakes
Closing while orders are still open. Finish or discard open orders first. Open orders can change expected totals.
Putting external card into Stripe card totals. Use External card for separate card providers. Stripe card totals are for Terminal and Tap to Pay.
Forgetting paid-out cash. Record the paid-out movement before closing so expected cash matches the drawer.
Making cash to bank a variance. Cash to bank is part of the counted cash breakdown. Variance is based on counted cash versus expected cash.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Close till says Close blocked | Resolve open orders and sync offline transactions, then click Refresh. |
| The Complete close button is disabled | Check that your role is Owner or Manager, all counted values are entered, there are no blockers, and Closing float plus Cash to bank equals Counted cash. |
| Cash variance is not what I expected | Check Opening float, cash payments, cash refunds, paid-in movements, and paid-out movements for the period. |
| External card variance is not what I expected | Compare Counted external card with your provider batch and check whether payments were recorded as External card. |
| I need to see an old close | Open History, then select the close row for the business date you need. |
FAQ
What is Close till?
Close till is the end-of-period reconciliation flow for cash and external card takings. It compares expected OpenChair totals with the amounts counted in the drawer and external card batch.
Who can close the till?
Owners and Managers can record cash movements and close the till. Team members can view expected totals and prior close records, but they cannot complete a close.
What blocks a till close?
A till close is blocked when the period has open orders or unsynced offline transactions. Finish or discard open orders and sync offline transactions before closing.
Why do I need a note for a variance?
OpenChair requires a close note when the cash or external card variance is more than $5.00. The note is stored with the close record so the variance has audit context.