Introduction to Accounting for Petty Cash Financial Accounting

This person handles all purchases made with petty cash and collects receipts. At the end of the week or month, the amount of all receipts is totaled, and that sum is entered in the ledger. Accountants record the petty cash replenishment as a debit to the petty cash and credit to the cash account. Since, by definition, petty cash is still a company’s funds, it, too, has to appear on financial statements.

For example, anyone who requires such cash should be required to write their name, the date, time, and the specific amount and description of the transaction. Petty cash is a highly liquid asset, which means that it’s easily stolen. Even if you trust your employees, cash left out on a table or desk could be stolen by an office visitor or a customer. To combat this risk, keep the petty cash in a locked filing cabinet or cash box.

STEP 4: Reconciliation in petty cash accounting

The only problem is she has no cash and her credit card is maxed out. Review petty cash do’s and don’ts to ensure you correctly handle your fund. In the upper right portion of the window, click the green New button to create a petty cash account. The remaining $185 on hand is what’s left of the $500 petty cash fund after reimbursements. However, on corporate financial statements, petty cash is listed in the «Cash and cash equivalents» section of the balance sheet.

However, considering the amount (and various other factors), it is easily misused. A petty cash management software solution provides an easy and effective solution to the problems that traditional businesses face. You will find management and reconciliation of petty cash accounts most challenging depending on the management’s petty cash role. For small purchases, an employee must fill up a petty cash voucher detailing the expense and hand this over to the petty cash custodian. A petty cash voucher is a standard form that provides details of the person taking the cash, the expense date, the general ledger account, and the initials of the custodian.

Custodian’s responsibility

Sometimes, custodians perform a weekly or monthly reconciliation to track the cash balance. In a company, writing a check for every single expense is an arduous task and is not entirely possible. That is why paying through a small amount of cash is a much easier option for minor expenses like office supplies, meals, etc. Typically, companies keep between $30-$300 in their petty cash funds. The use of petty cash is only appropriate for small, erratic expenses that pop up unexpectedly. Even then, a petty cash fund is only appropriate if there is someone to monitor it and track the use of the money.

The best way to record these expenses is by collecting petty cash receipts. These receipts should match the replenishment of funds within the recorded periods. Most enterprises handle their business expenses through petty cash funds. Read this article to discover what petty cash is, its different procedures, and how to manage it. Petty cash is the small amount companies use for minor business needs and expenses.

What is Petty Cash?

A petty cash fund gives a small business the flexibility of quickly reimbursing or paying small expenditures without having to write a company check or use a company credit card. An employee can run out to the post office, not knowing the exact amount of postage needed on an item for the mail, and take petty cash with them to pay for the expenditure. Petty cash is a small amount of cash kept on hand to cover small, and often unexpected, expenses that pop up during a business day. You might use money from the petty cash fund to pay for minor expenses such as postage, Uber fares, or reimburse someone $10 for bringing in a box of donuts. Every time a payment is made through petty cash, it is recorded in the petty cash register usually by the cashier.

The petty cashier will subtract the remaining amount from the starting amount to determine how much was spent since the last reconciliation of the ledger. As a company grows, it may find a need to increase the base size of its petty cash fund. Otherwise, https://www.bookstime.com/ take note that the only entry to the Petty Cash account occurred when the fund was established. The second step is to deposit cash into the petty cash account, probably by writing a check to the account from the corporate checking account.

After a designated interval—usually, the same time each month or week—it’s time to reconcile or balance the petty fund account. This sum is the total withdrawn from the account during that time period. Petty cash refers specifically to money—literally, coins and bills—that a company keeps on hand for small outlays, usually because using cash is easier than using a check or credit card. The custodial duties generally include enforcing petty cash rules and regulations, requesting replenishments, and dispensing funds.

FloQast’s suite of easy-to-use and quick-to-deploy solutions enhance the way accounting teams already work. Learn how a FloQast partnership will further enhance the value you provide to your clients. If your company is larger, you may need to have more than one fund custodian. No matter what, ensure anyone with that title and responsibility is trustworthy and loyal to the company. On her way to the office, Jane receives a phone call from her boss asking her to stop and pick up some donuts for an unexpected meeting later that morning. Jane doesn’t have a credit card and has only $25 to last her until she gets paid.