How Do You Record the Journal Entry for Petty Cash?

(Figure)Prepare a trial balance for Lavender Company using the journal entries in (Figure). (Figure)Prepare a trial balance using the journal entries in (Figure). While it shouldn’t be a habitual practice, petty cash in a pinch can be used to make change for customers, if the till’s running short. Petty cash can also work for frequent but mundane expenses, like milk for the office fridge, stamps, or cleaning supplies.

• However, companies limit how much they can pay through this account.
• However, it should be replenished at the end of the accounting period in order to ensure that all expenses are properly recorded.
• It’s not really an adjusting journal entry because there is an actual transaction being recorded.
• Typically, as the petty cash balance falls to a preset level, the custodian applies for additional cash from the cashier.

A replenishment transaction is initiated by the petty cash custodian. As we have discussed, one of the hardest assets to control book value vs. market value within any organization is cash. One way to control cash is for an organization to require that all payments be made by check.

Step 3: Record Petty Cash Expenses

If an item exceeds that amount, companies deal with the reimbursement through other means. On top of that, they may also specify the areas or accounts that the petty cash can cover. However, they require formal procedures, such as cheques, signs, authorization, etc. On top of that, they also come with additional charges that companies must pay to operate their bank accounts. Count the cash remaining in the lock box and add up the receipts.

The journal entry for replenishing the petty cash fund should be completed as soon as possible after the transfer of funds is made from the bank. This will ensure that the company’s financial statements are up to date and that the petty cash fund is properly replenished. The journal entry should include the date of the transfer, the amount transferred, and any other relevant details.

How to Change the Online Opening Balance in QuickBooks

If we have an overage of cash, we record the overage as a credit, and this has the same impact as if we are recording revenue. If there were cash overage, the petty cash account would be debited and the cash over and short account would be credited. In this case, the expense balance decreases, and the year-end balance is the net balance from all overages and shortages during the year.

Step 3: Reimburse Receipts and Record Expense in the Petty Cash Log

To show this, debit your Petty Cash account and credit your Cash account. You typically evaluate your petty cash fund at the end of each month for more accurate balances. Remember to record petty cash expenses in your accounts as journal entries. We can make the petty cash replenishment journal entry by debiting the expenses accounts and crediting the cash account for the petty cash expenses that we have so far. Petty Cash book is the book which records small cash payment and receipt during daily business operation.

Example of Petty Cash Accounting

So petty cash refers to a small sum of money set aside for trifling or little purchases, as opposed to major expenses or bills. Commercial transactions are increasingly cashless—even at small retailers and restaurants, where purchases traditionally have relied heavily on coins. When it’s time to record expenses, such as the end of the month, go back to the Petty Cash Register and click Add Expense. You need to create an expense entry for each receipt that you’re recording from the lockbox. The reconciliation is straightforward—every time you take cash out of the box, you replace the cash with a receipt for the same amount. Therefore, all receipts plus remaining cash must be equal to the original amount placed in petty cash.

Petty cash is stored in a petty cash drawer or box near where it is most needed. There may be several petty cash locations in a larger business, probably one per building or even one per department. A separate accounting system is used to track petty cash transactions.

Increasing the Base Fund

The journal entry to replenish the petty cash account will be as follows. When the cash balance in the petty cash fund drops to a sufficiently minimal level, the petty cash custodian applies for more cash from the cashier. This takes the form of a summarization of all the receipts that the custodian has accumulated. The cashier creates a new check in the amount of the receipts, and swaps the check for the receipts. The petty cash journal entry is a debit to the petty cash account and a credit to the cash account. For petty cash accounting, you must create a log detailing your transactions.

It is important to realize that the $80 check will be credited to Cash (the company’s checking account). There is no entry to the Petty Cash account when merely replenishing the petty cash. During the period, ABC Co. also received $500 from a customer as cash. The company decided to use this amount to reimburse its petty cash account.

You might debit multiple accounts, depending on how often you update your books for petty cash accounting. Lastly, you should choose a maximum amount that employees can request for petty cash transactions. If the employee needs to spend more than the petty cash request limit, they can use the business credit card. For example, you might send an employee to pick up office supplies, like staples or printer paper. You would use your petty cash fund to reimburse your employee for the purchase of the supplies. This is due to the petty cash expense is usually limited to only a certain amount that is deemed to be immaterial.

Because a petty cash voucher is made out for all disbursements, the total of the vouchers and the remaining cash should always equal the amount of the fund (in this case, $100). To create a petty cash fund, a check is written to cash for a set amount such as $75 or $100. Establishing a dollar amount to meets your business’s petty cash needs is essential. Make sure your employees understand what the petty cash fund can or can’t be used for by creating a petty cash policy. As your business grows, you may need to re-evaluate the amount you keep in your petty cash fund. In this case, there is a cash overage of $2 and we need to replenish only $78 ($100 – $22) in order to reach the full amount of $100 in our petty cash fund.

Petty cash float is the amount which company allows the responsible person to control, and any amount over that must be deposit to the bank. It depends on several factors, such as the demand for petty cash during regular operation. However, we also need to consider the risk of fraud if the float amount is too high as the payment through petty cash does not go through management approval. The cashier can only spend what they have (float amount) and will claim what they already spend.

Using a cash count sheet can be used to document the cash count, but it’s optional. Having a petty cash fund speeds up reimbursements and is an important best practice in cash management. It enables your employees to perform quick errands without using personal money.

Any discrepancies should be quickly addressed with proper documentation. To ensure efficient management of resources, the replenishment of money allocated for small purchases must be regularly monitored. Replenishing petty cash is the act of returning a significant amount of cash in the petty cash box to the amount listed in the general ledger account. A petty cash fund will undergo periodic reconciliations, with transactions also recorded on the financial statements. In larger corporations, each department might have its own petty cash fund. To reimburse expenses, require a receipt from the employee and then provide them with the exact amount of cash and coins from the lockbox.

Step 5: Complete the Bottom Portion of the Petty Cash Log

Petty cash is used for buying supplies, postage, snacks for employees, and other small business expenses. When petty cash is expended, the employee must provide a receipt and explain the purpose of the purchase. Petty cash can be a convenient way for businesses to handle small expenses, but it is important to keep track of all expenditures to avoid overspending. Notice that the petty cash account is debited or credited only when the fund is established or when the size of the fund is increased or decreased, not when the fund is replenished.

The petty cash custodian is the person accountable for the petty cash fund. They’ll be in charge of handling and disbursing petty cash and ensuring that the petty cash fund is used for its intended purpose. They’re also responsible for the safekeeping of the physical cash and possess the key to the lockbox where the cash and receipts are kept. Any expense that’s too small to write a check for can be paid with cash from the petty cash fund.