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Manage shifts and the cash drawer

Each register has its own cash drawer. A shift starts when you count the cash and open the drawer, and ends when you count it again and close it. The register keeps track of cash sales, pay ins, pay outs and cash refunds, so you know how much should be in the drawer.

Updated 5 October 2026

How to open the cash drawer

On the web register, tap the Cash drawer button in the side bar or the Cash drawer tile. On a phone, it's under More. In the iPad and iPhone app, it's under Menu.

  1. Count the cash in the drawer.
  2. Enter it as the Opening float. Enter 0 if the drawer is empty.
  3. Tap Open drawer.

During the shift

Cash sales need an open drawer on a register. Without one, the register asks you to open the drawer or take a card payment.

Use Pay in when you add cash, such as extra change. Use Pay out when you take cash out, and write what it was for. Use No sale to open the drawer without a sale. Tap Print X report to see the totals so far without closing the shift.

Pay in, Pay out, No sale and Close shift each need a permission. If a cashier doesn't have it, a manager approves with their PIN.

How to close the shift

  1. Open the Cash drawer and tap Close shift.
  2. Count all the cash in the drawer and enter it in Counted cash.
  3. Close the shift. The register shows the Z report.
  4. Check the result. Drawer balanced means the count matches. Over by or Short by shows the difference.
  5. Tap Print Z report to keep a paper copy.

What the Z report shows

The Cash drawer part lists the Opening float, Cash sales, Pay ins, Pay outs, Cash refunds and the Expected amount. The Sales part shows the number of sales, gross sales, discounts and refunds. By staff shows how much each person sold.

Check sessions in your admin

Open Point of Sale, then Settings, then Register sessions. Filter by date, device and Open or Closed. Each row shows the Device, when it was Opened and Closed, the Float, the Expected and Counted cash, and the Difference.

Staff hours are separate from drawer shifts. Staff Clock in and Clock out on the register, and you'll find their hours under Point of Sale, Reports, Timesheets.

Questions people ask

Why is my drawer short?

Common causes are change given wrong, a pay out that wasn't recorded, or a cash sale rung up as card. Check the Z report and the day's POS orders.

Can two registers share one drawer?

No. Each register has its own drawer and its own shifts, so you can tell exactly where a difference came from.

Set up staff PINs and permissionsAdd your team to Mawg3 POS with staff PINs, choose Cashier or Manager roles, decide what cashiers can do and use manager approval at the register.Set up POS for your shopSet up POS on Mawg3 to sell in person: install it, add a register, give staff PINs and ring up your first sale on a tablet, iPad or laptop.Track sales and revenueTrack sales and revenue in Mawg3 across your online store and POS. Read the sales breakdown, compare channels, export CSVs and ask Barq AI for a report.