Record keeping in the pubs and clubs industry

This fact sheet sets out what records you need to keep for your daily business transactions if you operate a small business in the pubs and clubs industry.

What does a typical system for recording income in a pub or club look like?

Generally the main method a pub or club uses to record income is by way of a cash register.

• Record each individual transaction through the cash register.
• Conduct a daily sales reconciliation between the 'Z' total and cash in the register, taking into account cash taken from the cash register for business use and personal use.
• Transfer daily sales total into the cash receipts book regularly.
• Record all cash income collected from coin operated machines (for example, pool tables) into the cash receipts book regularly.
• Where your business provides an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) service and owns the cash in an ATM, record all cash movements in and out of the ATM. Regularly reconcile the cash in the ATM with the cash movements in and out of the ATM and the bank deposits recorded on your bank statements for customer card withdrawals.
• Record all cash taken from the till for payments of large winnings on gaming machines.
• Regularly reconcile the cash in gaming machine hoppers with large winnings payments records and metered profit statements.
• Perform bank reconciliations between bank statements, ATM cash transfer records and cash receipts book at least monthly.
• Keep 'Z' totals and reconciliations for five years and the actual till rolls for one month after they have been reconciled with actual sales and banking.
• If a daily sales reconciliation is not performed, keep the till rolls for five years.
• Keep bank records and cash receipts book for five years.
• Maintain a filing system to keep track of paid and unpaid accounts.

For some pub or club businesses, when it is impractical and the recording of every individual transaction would seriously impair the normal conduct of a business.

• Make and keep sales records at regular intervals, for example, at the end of each shift or day.
• The sales records must be reconciled each day, taking into account cash received and cash taken for business use and personal use.
• Transfer daily sales total into the cash receipts book regularly.
• Record all cash income collected from coin operated machines (for example, pool tables) into the cash receipts book regularly.
• Where your business provides an ATM service and owns the cash in an ATM, record all cash movements in and out of the ATM. Regularly reconcile the cash in the ATM with the cash movements in and out of the ATM and the bank deposits recorded on your bank statements for customer card withdrawals.
• Record all cash taken from the till for payments of large winnings on gaming machines.
• Regularly reconcile the cash in gaming machine hoppers with large winnings payments records and metered profit statements.
• Perform bank reconciliations between bank statements, ATM cash transfer records and cash receipts book at least monthly.
• Keep the daily sales reconciliations for five years.
• Keep bank records and cash receipts book for five years.
• Maintain a filing system to keep track of paid and unpaid accounts.