Retail cash: till reconciliation and counterfeit notes
For cashiers, sales associates and shift supervisors who open, close and reconcile tills in a store. Complete 'Cash handling controls' first, which covers the basic expected-cash calculation, dual control and deposits. This course goes further with real POS register session reports (floats, drops, top-ups, paid-outs and non-cash tenders), counting by denomination, the errors that make a till look wrong, checking UK and US banknotes and handling a suspected counterfeit, and the records a US business keeps for cash, including when a large cash payment triggers IRS Form 8300. Your store's procedure sets the float, tolerances and who to call. Counterfeit guidance comes from the Bank of England (UK) and the US Secret Service and Federal Reserve (US). This course is not legal advice or tax advice, and it doesn't qualify you as a bookkeeper or accountant.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- About 74 minutes
- Contents
- 4 lessons · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 10 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Calculate expected cash and the over or short for a till from a POS register session report
- Reconcile a till count by denomination and find the errors in a cash-up sheet
- Check banknotes' security features and handle a suspected counterfeit without passing it on
- Keep cash-up records that support the books, and recognise when a US cash payment must be reported on Form 8300
Course outline
- 1.Calculating expected cash from a POS register session reportLesson · 18 min
- 2.Reconciling a till count by denomination and finding cash-up errorsLesson · 18 min
- 3.Checking banknotes and handling a suspected counterfeitLesson · 18 min
- 4.Keeping cash-up records and recognising when large cash payments must be reported (US)Lesson · 10 min
- 5.Retail cash: till reconciliation and counterfeit notes: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 15 questions
- 6.Retail cash: till reconciliation and counterfeit notes: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 7.Final exam8 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- Bank of England: Counterfeit banknotes (offences, what to do, how counterfeits are found)
- Bank of England: Advice for retailers and businesses (check notes at point of sale, UV lamps, detector pens, authentication machines) (last updated 14 June 2024)
- Bank of England: How to check your banknotes (security features of polymer notes) (last updated 31 March 2026)
- U.S. Currency Education Program (Federal Reserve Board): $100 note security features
- U.S. Secret Service: Counterfeit investigations (what to do with suspected counterfeit currency)
- U.S. Secret Service: Reporting Suspected Counterfeit Currency to the United States Secret Service (September 2024)
- IRS: What kind of records should I keep (gross receipts: cash register tapes, deposit information) (reviewed 3 August 2026)
- IRS: IRS Form 8300 reference guide (cash payments over $10,000 received in a trade or business) (reviewed 27 July 2026)
- Shopify Help Center: Managing register sessions from the Shopify POS app (opening float, adding and removing cash, closing and counting)
- Shopify Help Center: Cash register management (register sessions, expected versus counted cash)
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