Payments
Closing the Till
Close till compares expected cash and external card totals with the amounts you counted at the end of the trading period.
Last updated 19 June 2026
Closing the Till
TL;DR
- Close till compares expected takings with counted cash and external card totals.
- External card totals are counted by configured external terminal when providers are set up.
- 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.
- Closed records are not edited in place. Owners and Managers can void a close with a reason, then create a corrected close for the same period.
- Venue owners receive an email summary when a till is closed or voided.
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 Counter sale | Tap the cash drawer action in the Counter sale 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 uses recorded checkout transactions, cash movements entered during the close period, configured external card terminals, 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 card terminals | Configured in Settings -> In-person payments | None |
| Batch / settlement reference | Optional reference per provider row | 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 Cash in drawer now.
- Enter Leave in drawer and Remove / bank.
- Compare each external provider's batch report and enter the counted total for each provider row.
- Optionally enter a Settlement reference for each provider.
- Add a Close note if needed.
- Click or tap Complete close and confirm the close summary.
Note
Cash in drawer now, Leave in drawer, Remove / bank, and each external card provider total must be entered explicitly, even when the value is $0.00. Cash in drawer now must equal Leave in drawer plus Remove / bank. If those 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 | Cash in drawer now minus expected drawer cash |
| External card variance | Counted external provider totals 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 Leave in drawer plus Remove / bank equal Cash in drawer now |
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 Counter sale, 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 breakdown and settlement references 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.
Fixing a mistake
Closed till records are not edited in place. If a close has the wrong drawer count, bank amount, external batch, or note, Owners and Managers should use Void and correct from the close detail.
- Open the close detail from History.
- Click Void and correct.
- Enter the reason for voiding.
- Review the locked correction period.
- Correct the values and complete the corrected close.
The voided close stays in history with the reason, and the corrected close links back to it. This keeps the accounting trail intact while still giving operators a recovery path.
Owner email summaries
When a close is completed, venue owners receive an email summary with the period, who closed it, expected and actual totals, cash variance, external card variance, paid-in/paid-out movements, and close note. Owners also receive an email when a close is voided, including the void reason.
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.
Leaving old external payments unclassified. Legacy or fallback External card transactions appear as Unclassified external card. Set up external terminals in Settings -> In-person payments so future payments are grouped by provider.
Forgetting paid-out cash. Record the paid-out movement before closing so expected cash matches the drawer.
Making Remove / bank a variance. Remove / bank is part of the drawer cash split. Variance is based on Cash in drawer now versus Expected drawer 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 Leave in drawer plus Remove / bank equals Cash in drawer now. |
| 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 each provider row with that provider's batch report and check whether payments were recorded as External card under the right provider. |
| 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.