Keep a small cash box in order with a log that shows every payment, advance and top-up. This free tool starts from an opening float, keeps a running balance after each entry and compares the cash you count with the cash that should be there. Print a numbered voucher for each payment and the ledger with its reconciliation, or download a CSV. The sample is fictional and can be replaced with your own entries.
How to keep a petty cash log
- Enter the float date, the opening float and, if you like, the business, the person who holds the box and a limit for one voucher.
- Choose Add voucher each time cash is paid out against a receipt. Enter the voucher number, date, who was paid, the purpose, a category, the amount and who received the cash.
- Choose Add advance when someone takes cash before buying something. When the receipts and change come back, enter the change and mark the advance settled.
- Choose Add top-up when cash is put back into the box, usually to restore the float.
- Count the notes and coins in the box, enter the count date and cash on hand, then read the reconciliation and the voucher check.
- Print the ledger, the vouchers or both, or download the log as text or CSV.
Each voucher and advance needs its own number, and the tool suggests the next one in your series. Entries can be typed in any order; the ledger lists them by date and the running balance may not fall below zero.
What is petty cash?
Petty cash is a small amount of cash kept on hand for minor business purchases that are not worth a card payment or an invoice, such as postage, cleaning supplies or a replacement light bulb. One person usually holds the box and pays out against a slip, so every dollar is either still in the box or covered by a voucher and its receipt.
Many shops run an imprest petty cash system: the box starts with a fixed petty cash float, and each top-up brings it back to that amount. The top-up equals what was spent since the last one, so the vouchers explain exactly why the box needs refilling.
Worked example
The fictional sample covers a small shop's October 2026, with a $200.00 float held by one person:
The settled advance handed out $30.00 for staff refreshments and $6.20 in change came back, so it counts as $23.80 spent. Expected cash on hand is $160.75 and the count on October 31 matches it. A petty cash replenishment of $39.25 would restore the $200.00 float, and the $25.00 taxi advance still needs its receipt before the period is closed.
How to reconcile petty cash
Expected cash equals the opening float plus top-ups and change returned, minus vouchers and advances. Count only notes and coins: receipts, vouchers and IOUs are not cash, even when they sit in the box. The difference is the cash on hand minus the expected cash, so a positive figure is an overage and a negative one a shortage.
When the figures differ, look for a voucher that was never written, an amount typed wrongly, change from an advance that was not recorded, or cash used to make change for the till. The tool shows the difference; it does not say why it happened.
An advance counts as paid out from the day the cash leaves the box. Until its receipts and change come back, it appears under advances awaiting receipts, so a box that looks short may be waiting on one. Settle advances before you top up, so the top-up covers what was really spent.
Petty cash vouchers and receipts
A petty cash voucher records one payment: its number, the date, who was paid, what for, the amount and the signature of the person who received the cash. Staple the receipt to it, keep the vouchers in number order and file them with the period's petty cash book once it is reconciled.
The voucher check lists any payment over your limit for one voucher, any voucher with no name under Received by, advances still waiting for receipts, and purposes that read like a loan or pay. Petty cash is usually kept for small purchases; IOUs and wages are usually recorded another way. The check never blocks printing.
The IRS explains recordkeeping for small businesses and what kind of records to keep. In the UK, GOV.UK covers business records if you're self-employed. How petty cash is recorded, taxed and kept depends on where you are and how your books are set up. This log adds up what you type; it is not accounting, tax or legal advice.
Petty cash and the till are separate
A petty cash box is a fund for small purchases, while a till holds sales cash. Keep them apart: do not pay a voucher from the till drawer or put sales cash in the box. To count a cash drawer at the end of a shift, use the cash reconciliation tool, and record bigger business spending in the income and expense tracker.
Print, save or export
Choose what the preview shows: the ledger and reconciliation, one voucher slip for each payment and advance, or the ledger followed by the vouchers on a new page. Print it, or choose Save as PDF in the print dialog. The vouchers print with lines to sign, and the ledger with lines for whoever counted and checked the box.
The CSV file starts with the opening float, then lists one row per entry with paid out, change returned, paid in and the balance after each, plus a total row. Start a blank log for the next period: it keeps the business, the holder, the currency, the float and the voucher limit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep a petty cash log without an account?
Yes. The log opens with an editable sample and works without a login or email address. Nothing you type is uploaded.
Is this a petty cash template I can print blank?
The tool fills each voucher from an entry, so add the entries first. A voucher with an empty Received by name prints a line to sign, which suits vouchers written before the cash is handed over.
Does the page keep my log?
The current log stays in this browser tab when you refresh, and closing the tab clears it. Download the CSV or print the ledger before you close the tab if you need to keep it.
How much should a petty cash float be?
Choose an amount that covers a typical period of small purchases without leaving a lot of cash on the premises, then review it after a few top-ups. If the box runs out before each top-up, the float may be too small; if most of it is never used, it may be larger than you need.