Variance: what it means and what to do

Variance is the word BudLogix uses for "these two numbers should agree and do not". It appears in three places, and each one compares a different pair.

Shift closing: the drawer against what the register took

On a shift closing, each side's difference is what was counted minus what was expected: cash counted minus expected cash, and the debit terminal total minus expected debit. The expected figures come from Dutchie. The two are added for the total. Below zero is short; above zero is over.

• Under $1.00 either way is rounding and counts as Balanced: expected cash carries cents, the drawer is counted in whole dollars.
• $1.00 or more over in total: over, approved automatically. It never asks for a sign-off, even when cash and debit offset.
• $1.00 or more short in total: short, and it needs a manager's sign-off.
• The total balances, but cash and debit are each off by $1.00 or more in opposite directions: Balanced overall. That is usually a debit sale rung up as cash, or the reverse, and it is also how cash missing from the drawer would look, so it needs a sign-off too.
• $50.00 or more either way: also flagged, and a Shift Closing Flagged email goes out when the closing is recorded (not when it is edited). The Reconciliation list does not mark it; the reports count it as Flagged. A flagged short closing still needs a sign-off; a flagged over one does not.
• Nothing counted at all: Not counted yet.

What to do: open the closing from Shift Closing Reconciliation and read the Cash and Debit differences, the note and the photos. If a figure was keyed wrong, correct it rather than signing off a wrong number. Otherwise sign it off; see Approve or flag a closing.

Closing reconciliation: Dutchie against the closing

On the Closing Reconciliation tab, Variance is Dutchie's deposit Amount minus the matched closing's expected cash (Cash Expected on the closing, Shift cash receipts on the report). It is amber when the two disagree. It says nothing about the drawer; it says the person's record of receipts and Dutchie's record of the deposit differ.

What to do: open the closing and compare. A few cents usually means rounding at the register. A large gap usually means the closing was paired with the wrong deposit, sits on the wrong register or day, or was typed from the wrong report. A blank Shift cash receipts means no closing was found at all; see Reconcile a day.

Cash drop: the bank count against the period

On a cash drop, Variance is Total Counted minus the expected amount for the period. Expected is the sum of Dutchie's deposits in the period, or the sum of shift closings when Dutchie is not connected. Red means the count is short.

• Over, exact, or short by no more than the variance tolerance (default $0.50): the drop is approved on submit.
• Short by more: the drop is held as submitted, a Cash Drop Variance email goes out, and a supervisor must approve or reject it; see Approve or reject a cash drop.

What to do: before submitting, check the period. A period that starts or ends on the wrong day pulls in the wrong deposits and manufactures a variance. Then recount. The tolerance is set on the Settings page under Cash drops; see Cash Drop Settings.

Where you see this

• Shift Closing Reconciliation
• Cash Operations Reports
• Cash Drop Entry
• Cash Drop History