Z-report

A Z-report is the summary a till prints when you close the day. It lists what was sold, how it was paid, what was refunded, voided or discounted, and how much cash should be in the drawer — and then resets the day’s running totals to zero so tomorrow starts clean. On traditional cash registers, an X reading prints the totals so far without clearing them, while a Z reading prints them and resets. That is where the names come from in everyday use.

X-report vs Z-report

What a Z-report contains

• Gross sales, then discounts, refunds and voids, and the resulting net sales.
• Totals by payment method — cash, card, mobile money and any others.
• Number of transactions, and often the average transaction value.
• Tax collected, where the till handles tax.
• Expected cash in the drawer: the opening cash float plus cash sales, less cash refunds and paid-outs.

A worked example

A small restaurant closes the day with $2,480 in gross sales, $60 in discounts and $45 in voids and refunds, so net sales are $2,480 − $60 − $45 = $2,375 from 95 transactions. By payment method that is $820 cash, $1,310 card and $245 mobile money, which adds up to the same $2,375.

1. Average transaction: $2,375 ÷ 95 = $25.00.
2. Expected cash: $150 float + $820 cash sales = $970.
3. Counted cash: $965, so the drawer is $5 short.
4. Card total checked against the card terminal’s own end-of-day settlement: both show $1,310.

The amounts are in dollars here, but the report and the checks are the same in any currency.

Why it matters for a small business

The Z-report is the daily line under the business: it fixes what was sold and how it was paid before memories fade. Checking it each night catches the problems that get harder to explain a week later — a card total that does not match the terminal, a cash drawer that is short, an unusual number of voids on one shift. Over time, the stack of daily reports becomes your sales history, the basis for spotting slow days and planning stock and staff.

It also gives the person closing up a clear, repeatable routine. Instead of guessing whether the day went well, they run the report, count the drawer, compare the card total with the terminal and note anything unusual. A five-minute check every night is far easier than reconstructing a missing amount at the end of the month.

In some countries, tax rules require businesses to use a certified fiscal register and keep its Z-reports. Check what applies where you trade; requirements vary and change.

Common mistakes

• Running a Z when you meant an X. On many tills a Z resets the totals; doing it mid-day splits the day in two.
• Not reconciling against the cash count. The report says what should be in the drawer; it is only useful if someone counts what is.
• Skipping the card check. Compare card and mobile totals with the payment provider’s own settlement each day.
• Ignoring the voids and discounts lines. These are where mistakes and misuse show up first.
• Late-night trading split across two dates. A bar open past midnight needs a business day that ends when it closes, not at 00:00.

How it relates to other terms

The Z-report’s cash check starts from the cash float. Its average transaction figure is your daily average order value. And its voids and discounts lines, together with cash over and short, sit alongside inventory shrinkage as the places where losses first become visible.