Here is a real free Excel cash journal to download, not a screenshot or a locked form. The workbook contains five localized tabs: how to use it, blank journal, blank daily close, filled example, and example close. It calculates expected physical cash from the opening balance, cash in, and cash out, then compares that result with what was actually counted. A difference receives a reason, supporting document, and signed approval. Use it for the daily control of a small till, never as a substitute for official accounts or advice from your professional.
The file in four points
- Three separate files. French, Arabic, and English have their own labels; Arabic is right-to-left.
- Two input areas. The journal receives every cash movement; the close receives opening balance and counted cash.
- Four automatic calculations. Cash in, cash out, expected close, and difference.
- One checkable example. Two fictional days show a matched close and a documented MAD -10 difference.
- One clear limit. The workbook helps reconcile a till; it replaces neither evidence, accounts, nor professional review.
1. Download and open the right cash journal
Download the English workbook (.xlsx). Save a working copy first and keep the original unchanged. It contains no macro, script, or external connection. Formulas recalculate on opening. Headers are frozen and every data range has a filter, two behaviours documented in Microsoft’s current Excel support pages.
| Tab | What you enter | What is calculated |
|---|---|---|
| Blank journal | Date, time, reference, transaction, evidence, cash in or cash out | Expected physical cash after every movement |
| Blank daily close | Date, opening balance, counted cash, owner, note, and signature | Cash in, cash out, expected close, and difference |
| Filled example | Nothing at first; read the nine fictional movements | Running balance across two days |
| Example daily close | Two fictional counts and approvals | MAD 1,395 then MAD 1,860 results |
| How to use | Nothing | Input rules and the workbook’s limits |
Only physical cash belongs in this journal. A card, bank transfer, or wallet sale may appear in the sales report, but it does not add notes and coins to the drawer. Mixing it into cash creates a false difference. Our Morocco payment-methods guide separates recording a tender from an actual terminal and bank connection.
2. What the journal proves, and what it does not
An operational cash journal answers a narrow question: how was the expected amount built, and why did the counted amount differ? It ties each movement to a time, reference, and supporting item. It does not certify that an item is legally valid, VAT is correct, or the accounts are complete. Morocco’s Ministry of Finance maintains a separate accounting framework and standards; this template does not attempt to summarize them.
- Opening balance: Physical cash left in the till before the first transaction. It is not a sale.
- Cash in: Cash that physically enters: a cash sale, documented top-up, or refund received.
- Cash out: Cash that physically leaves, backed by authorization and evidence.
- Expected close: Opening balance + cash in – cash out. This is a calculation, not a count.
- Cash counted: Notes and coins physically present, ideally counted before the expected result is revealed.
- Difference: Cash counted – expected close. Explain it; do not make it disappear.
The opening cash float has its own guide covering size, separation, and carry-forward. This workbook does not choose the amount. Our cash-difference guide handles diagnosis after a gap exists. This page’s job is the trace that makes diagnosis possible.
Never erase a mistaken row as though it never existed. Add a referenced correction, retain the evidence, and state who approved it. Excel makes calculation easy, but an edited cell does not leave the same history as a system with user accounts, permissions, and an activity log. Archive a read-only daily copy.
3. The daily routine, from first note to signature
The quality of the file depends more on discipline than on the formula. Microsoft recommends coherent ranges for sums, so the workbook carries formulas through 500 rows. Your job is to keep chronological order, use only one amount column per line, and record movements when they happen.
- Open the day in Blank daily close with date, opening balance, and responsible person.
- Create a line in Blank journal when the movement happens, not hours later.
- Enter either cash in or cash out. One line never carries both.
- Give it a unique reference and copy the ticket, receipt, or authorization number.
- At close, stop transactions and count notes and coins by denomination.
- Enter counted cash. The difference calculates automatically.
- If it is not zero, recount, match evidence, write the result, and obtain approval.
- Archive a dated read-only copy with that day’s supporting documents.
| 5 August example | Amount | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Opening balance | MAD 1 000 | Cash present before the first sale |
| Cash in | MAD 515 | Four fictional sales, each with a ticket |
| Cash out | MAD 120 | One urgent purchase, receipt RC-005 |
| Expected close | MAD 1 395 | 1,000 + 515 – 120 |
| Cash counted | MAD 1 385 | The physical count result |
| Difference | MAD -10 | Recounted, evidence checked, note signed |
On the next day, the example opens with MAD 1,385, records MAD 555 in and MAD 80 out, then finds MAD 1,860 both expected and counted. These figures are not averages or recommended float amounts. They exist only to demonstrate a working formula, a real difference, and its documentary close.
A signed difference is not a forgiven difference
A signature establishes who reviewed the note and when. It does not prove the cause, identify who handled unrecorded cash, or make an expense acceptable for accounting. If the same gap returns, examine timing, permissions, voids, returns, and evidence instead of repeating a vague explanation.
4. Controls that make the workbook reviewable
Start with references. A sale can carry its receipt number; an expense, its receipt and authorization; a correction, the line it fixes. A reviewer should move from spreadsheet to evidence without guessing. Do not write ‘miscellaneous’ when a precise transaction description is available.
Separate roles next. The till owner may count, while a second person validates material differences under your procedure. Protect formula cells, archive the workbook daily, and limit edit access to the folder. A backup is useful only if you know how to restore it and identify the final version.
Finally, reconcile without mixing worlds. Cash sales in the commercial report should meet journal cash in after top-ups, refunds, and corrections are isolated. Fiscal documents stay within the POS and DGI guide. This workbook adds no legal wording to receipts and files nothing on your behalf.
- Daily: One dated file, one owner, one close, one approval.
- Evidence: Tickets, receipts, authorizations, and corrections carrying matching references.
- Access: Few editors, protected folder, identifiable final version.
- Review: Recurring gaps analyzed by time, transaction type, and recorded user, never hidden by an untracked edit.
5. When Excel is enough, and when to stop double entry
A kiosk or small till handled by one person can start with this template. Once sales are numerous, several users collect payment, or stock must fall at sale time, copying tickets becomes the main risk. The Excel stock template has the same boundary: the calculation survives while manual input breaks.
| Situation | Excel journal | POS software |
|---|---|---|
| One till, few cash movements | Simple and free when entry is immediate | Useful but not essential to reconciliation alone |
| Several sellers | Declared identity, but editable history | Accounts, rights, and activity tied to recorded operations |
| Sale and stock | Two entries or a manual import | Sale can update stock in the same flow |
| Void and return | Referenced correction line | Action governed by rights and product report |
| Close | Manual calculation and signature | Till report, while a physical count remains necessary |
| Formal accounting | Does not replace it | Does not replace it either |
- Keep Excel when one person can enter every movement promptly and daily review remains realistic.
- Move to software when tickets are already recopied, several people edit the file, or differences are found too late.
- In both cases, retain evidence and have your accountant validate the procedure for your activity.
Disclosure: BelloCommerce publishes BelloPOS and benefits if you download it. BelloPOS can record sales, tenders, users, stock, and reports in a local Windows database, reducing re-entry. It does not physically count notes, justify an unrecorded payout, or replace your accountant and every required record. Test Lite against a copy of your real procedure first.
Mistakes to avoid
- Putting card takings in Cash in and then investigating a difference that is not real.
- Changing the opening balance to force expected close to match the count.
- Combining a day’s sales without retaining the report or tickets behind the total.
- Allowing cash out without receipt, reason, owner, or approval.
- Deleting an error instead of adding a traceable correction.
- Keeping files named final, final2, and corrected without identifying the official archive.
Frequently asked questions
What is an Excel cash journal?
It is a chronological table of physical cash in and cash out. Our template adds opening balance, expected balance, count, difference, and approval.
Is the template really free?
Yes. The English .xlsx file downloads directly from the article with no sign-up and no macro.
Should card payments be entered?
Not in the cash columns. Retain them in the sales report or a separate reconciliation with the terminal and bank.
How is expected close calculated?
Opening balance + cash in – cash out. The workbook then calculates difference as cash counted – expected close.
What should I do about a cash difference?
Recount, match every report and supporting item, write a precise note, obtain approval, and analyze recurrence. Never change the opening balance to hide it.
Does this replace POS software or accounting?
No. It may suit a small manual cash control. It replaces neither evidence, formal accounts, nor professional advice, and becomes fragile with several users or extensive double entry.
What to take away
Download the workbook if you need a simple cash trail today. Its value comes from four habits: one line per movement, one supporting item per reference, an independent count, and a difference that is never erased. When copying sales consumes more time than checking them, use the journal as requirements for software, not a reason to remain in Excel forever.
Sources
The figures and rules quoted above come from these pages, read on the date given in the article.
- Microsoft: SUM function and formula practices, read 6 August 2026
- Microsoft: filtering an Excel range or table, read 6 August 2026
- Microsoft: freezing rows and columns in Excel, read 6 August 2026
- Moroccan Ministry of Economy and Finance: accounting standards and profession, read 6 August 2026
- Moroccan accounting council: standards and CGNC, read 6 August 2026
- BelloPOS: sales, reports, users, and closing features, read 6 August 2026
Download the file first, then test one real day
Open the English version, replay a recent day on a copy, and check that each payout finds its evidence. If double entry is already the problem, compare the same test in BelloPOS Lite, free on a Windows PC.
Read next
Other practical guides on the same subject: