Petty Cash Creating, Disbursement, Replenishing, Journal Entry

Small purchases can quickly add up over time, so it’s best to overshoot the estimate in the budget. Reconciling petty cash should be simple enough if every petty cash deposit into the business bank account is the same amount every time. This makes it easier to track how much money should be in the account when compared to the requests for petty cash and the receipts that prove how much money has been spent.

• Read this article to discover what petty cash is, its different procedures, and how to manage it.
• The use of petty cash is only appropriate for small, erratic expenses that pop up unexpectedly.
• Though not literally cash, it’s money that can be easily and quickly accessed, which is why it’s “on hand.”
• To set up a petty cash fund, the cashier creates a check in the amount of the funding assigned to a particular petty cash fund (usually a few hundred dollars).

An accountant will typically write a cheque to “Petty cash” to fund the petty cash account and cash this cheque at the company’s bank. The petty cash account is considered a current asset in financial accounting, and the funds are entered as an average debit balance. The petty cash transaction is then recorded on financial statements. The expenditures or purchases made using this cash are not part of the journal entries. The cash must be taken from the checking account to replenish the petty cash box after the bookkeeper records all expenses in the books. The cash transfer must be recorded by debiting petty cash and crediting the checking account.

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The petty cash custodian is charged with distributing the cash and collecting receipts for all purchases or any uses of the funds. As the petty cash total declines, the receipts should increase and add up to the total amount withdrawn. The petty cash custodian pays out cash as requested in exchange for some form of evidence, such as a receipt or a voucher.

A petty cash custodian must review the recorded petty cash transactions and compare them with the available funds and petty cash receipts to make sure everything aligns. This step is important to ensuring the security and accuracy of the petty cash fund. There could be an additional field with the name of the officer approving the purchase. Once the balance falls below a certain amount, the petty cash account needs to be funded back to an appropriate level. The reconciliation can be done monthly to ensure that the receipts collected tally with the expenses recorded in the book.

We have put together a detailed guide, providing the definition of this important term and what exactly it’s used for. Worry no more, in this guide we will cover what Petty Cash is, who can use it, how to register it and other solutions you can use for your business expenses. For example, if there are un-reimbursed expenditures from petty cash at the end of the year, expenses are understated and cash overstated. Finally, surprise petty cash counts should be made to maintain good internal control over the fund. A petty cash fund is a small fund whose purpose is to make small disbursements of cash.

• If you have more than one employee, you could delegate managing the account.
• Cash on hand is any accessible cash the business or liquid funds have.
• But it can be helpful to keep paper slips too, along with receipts from the purchases or payments (if possible).
• This cash replacement brings the total amount of cash in the fund back up to the originally authorized amount of cash.
• Next, the amount is withdrawn from the bank to settle cash expenses.

SuperMoney strives to provide a wide array of offers for our users, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products. “Petty cash” and “cash on hand” sound a lot alike, and they do overlap. balanced budget definition Sign up for our quarterly newsletter and receive educational and
interesting content straight to your inbox. If you need to replenish the funds every few days, it probably means your fund is too small.

Therefore, companies always resort to cash for payment to avoid all this hassle. After procuring the petty cash, the custodian will store the petty cash in a box and lock it. The petty cash custodian will be the only person who can access the box. Likewise, a prepaid card is an option provided by businesses to employees. Unlike a debit card, the prepaid card is not linked to any account and must be funded by the company. While it functions similar to a debit card, the amount in a prepaid card does not earn interest.

Petty cash is used to cover minor expenditures, which can aid employers in reimbursing employees and clients for small expenses. Some examples may include snacks, transport fares, office supplies, etc. Lastly, you must regularly review and reconcile your petty cash funds. Be sure to investigate and review any discrepancies as soon as they are discovered. Companies will need to set money aside in their yearly or quarterly budget to build a petty cash fund.

Eric Gerard Ruiz is an accounting and bookkeeping expert for Fit Small Business. He completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy at Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Philippines. Before joining FSB, Eric has worked as a freelance content writer with various digital marketing agencies in Australia, the United States, and the Philippines.

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It is the job of the petty cash fund custodian to ensure the petty cash transactions that go through the fund are recorded and reconciled. The recording usually consists of a journal entry stating what the expense was, how much it cost, how much petty cash was issued, and the change received. At an interval decided upon by the company leadership, they will reconcile the journal entries and receipts, keep track of available funds, and enter values into their ledger.

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The important thing is to monitor your petty cash and keep track of it on a ledger. Therefore, it is only appropriate to keep petty cash on hand when a trusted employee can keep an eye on it. Do you need to stop and grab donuts for this morning’s staff meeting? Maybe you have an unexpected client drop by and you want to send out for bottled water or soft drinks. Small businesses handle small expenses like this by using a petty cash fund. If the petty cash fund does not balance, it needs to be investigated immediately.

Step 3: Reimburse and record it in petty cash logs

Petty Cash is an important financial term used in business, and it signifies a small amount of cash kept on hand for miscellaneous expenses. It’s crucial because it allows for the efficient handling of small, unplanned expenses without going through the cumbersome process of making a formal cash withdrawal. It’s accounted for through the ‘Petty Cash Account’ and usually kept under lock and key, tracked through a record, the petty cash log, and constantly audited for discrepancies. For instance, it can be used for minor necessities like office supplies or for reimbursing minor travel expenses. Thus, understanding and effectively managing Petty Cash is a key facet of healthy financial management in a business setting.

Recording petty cash funds

Petty cash can be in the form of cash or other instruments like debit cards. Petty cash is tracked through a petty cash log, which records every withdrawal and replenishment. The log helps maintain transparency and ensures that the petty cash fund is never overdrawn.

Usually, the rules involve restrictions on who can use the petty cash, what it is used for, and the procedures for using it. An employee at a civil engineering firm — let’s call her Jane — needs to send hard copies of building plans to the local government office. The employee’s supervisor decides this is a good time to tap into the petty cash account to pay for postage.