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Till Is Out Of Balance At End Of Day

You're closing your till. Your physical count and the system's figure don't match. Do not leave the branch until this is resolved.

Stop. Do these in order.​

1. Lock the till physically​

Don't touch any cash, don't accept any further transactions. If a customer is still at your counter, ask the next teller to serve them.

2. Recount​

Count the cash twice. Use the counter on your desk plus a manual count of bundled stacks. Most balance issues are recount errors — not system errors. If the second count matches the first and still doesn't match the system, go to step 3.

3. Pull the till blotter​

From the dashboard, click Reports → Today's blotter. This is every transaction you posted today, with running balance after each one.

The bottom of the blotter shows:

Opening balance (from vault-to-till):    ₦XXX,XXX.XX
+ Total cash in (deposits):              ₦XXX,XXX.XX
− Total cash out (withdrawals):          ₦XXX,XXX.XX
= System expected closing balance:       ₦XXX,XXX.XX

Compare the system expected closing balance to your physical count. The difference is the gap.

4. Find the gap​

The gap is almost always one of these. Check in this order — quickest first:

  1. You forgot to post a transaction. Look at your receipt printer's spool — did you give someone a hand-written receipt for a deposit because the printer jammed? Did you take cash and not post it? If yes, post it now (before you close), and recount.

  2. You miskeyed an amount. Scan the blotter for any transaction where the amount looks suspicious — ₦5,000 posted as ₦50,000, ₦100,000 as ₦10,000. If you find one, note the reference number and continue to step 5 — you cannot fix it yourself.

  3. You took a deposit but the system rejected the post (account restricted, account not found, etc.) and you forgot to give the cash back to the customer. Look in the till for that cash — it's likely sitting separately. If you find it, you need to find the customer; this is escalated to your manager.

  4. A withdrawal was posted twice. Less common but possible if the system was slow and you clicked Post twice. The blotter shows two identical entries seconds apart. Note both reference numbers.

  5. You have an unposted cheque you took cash for (you advanced cash against a cheque without clearing it). This is a process violation; escalate to your manager.

5. Escalate to your branch manager​

Once you've found the cause — not necessarily the fix — call your branch manager over. Show them:

  • Your physical count
  • The blotter
  • The reference number(s) of any suspected wrong entries
  • The cash separated out for any rejected-but-not-returned transactions

The manager has two paths:

  • If the gap is < ₦5,000 and you have no suspected wrong entries, the manager logs it as a "till variance" in the system. You sign, the manager counter-signs, the gap is absorbed into the branch suspense account, and you close. The auditor reviews variances in next day's call-over.

  • If the gap is ≥ ₦5,000 or you have a suspected wrong entry, the manager initiates a posting reversal (coming soon) or a cash-shortage incident. You do not leave until this is logged.

6. Close the till​

When the variance is logged, post the till-to-vault transfer for whatever cash you have. The system closes your till for the day.

Sign the daily cash-handling log (the physical one in the branch manager's office), including the variance entry if applicable.

7. Sign out​

You can sign out now. The variance — if any — will be reviewed by the auditor in the morning's call-over and the outcome surfaces on your dashboard's Announcements panel.

Why we make you do this​

Every till variance that goes home undisposed becomes an audit issue and an internal-control breach against the bank's NDIC and CBN obligations. Disposing of it before you leave is what protects you (and the bank) from a "what did the teller do with the money?" question on the next inspection.