> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bizaxl.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Till Sessions > Open and close the till in BIZ Cafe - the Cafe Opening Entry to start a shift and the Cafe Closing Entry to reconcile cash at the end, with billing blocked until a session is open. A till session frames a cashier's shift. The cashier opens the till at the start with a **Cafe Opening Entry**, bills orders against it, and closes it at the end with a **Cafe Closing Entry** that reconciles the cash. Billing is blocked until a session is open, so this is the first thing a cashier does each shift. BIZ Cafe shift-control screen for opening a till with cash, card, and UPI opening balances *** ## Who Uses This Feature | Role | What They Do Here | | ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Cafe Cashier** | Opens the till at shift start and closes it with a cash count at shift end | | **Cafe Admin** | Can open and close the till and reviews the resulting Z-report | *** ## Open the Till At the start of a shift, the cashier opens the till by creating a **Cafe Opening Entry**. This records the cash already in the drawer, who is on the till, and which terminal it is. Begin a Cafe Opening Entry for your shift. Count the cash float in the drawer and enter it as the opening cash amount. Confirm you are the cashier on the session and which terminal or till it is. Open the session. Its status becomes `Open` and you can now bill orders against it. Billing is blocked until a till session is `Open`. Open the till before you take any payment, or the counter will not let you bill. ### Field Guide: Cafe Opening Entry | Field | Description | | ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | | **Opening Date & Time** | When the shift and session start. Required | | **Cashier / User** | The person operating the till for this session. Required | | **Opening Cash Amount** | The cash float in the drawer at the start. Required | | **Terminal / Till** | The terminal or till this session is on | | **Status** | The session state (Open or Closed). Required | | **Notes** | Any notes about the opening | An opening entry stays `Open` until its closing entry is submitted, at which point it becomes `Closed`. *** ## Close the Till At the end of the shift, the cashier closes the till by creating a **Cafe Closing Entry**. BIZ Cafe computes the shift's sales by tender, works out the expected cash, and compares it against the cash the cashier physically counts. Begin a Cafe Closing Entry against your open session. The entry shows total sales and the split by tender: cash, card, and UPI. Physically count the cash in the drawer and enter it as the actual cash in hand. The entry shows expected closing cash and the difference, flagged as Balanced, Excess, or Shortage. Submit the closing entry. The session locks, cash reconciliation is posted in the background, and the alerts are sent. ### Field Guide: Cafe Closing Entry | Field | Description | | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Till Session (Opening Entry)** | The open session being closed. Required | | **Cashier / User** | The person closing the till | | **Closing Date & Time** | When the shift ends. Required | | **Status** | The state of the closing entry (Draft, Submitted, or Cancelled) | | **Total Sales** | The total sales for the session | | **Cash Collected** | Sales taken as cash | | **Card Collected** | Sales taken by card | | **UPI Collected** | Sales taken by UPI | | **Opening Cash** | The float carried from the opening entry | | **Expected Closing Cash** | What the drawer should hold (opening cash plus cash sales) | | **Actual Cash in Hand** | The cash the cashier counted. Required | | **Cash Difference** | The gap between expected and actual cash | | **Difference** | The outcome, shown as Balanced, Excess, or Shortage | Submitting the closing entry posts a cash-reconciliation record in the background and fires a closing-summary alert. If the till is over or short beyond the set threshold, a cash-variance alert is also sent so a manager can investigate. *** ## What Gets Printed Two slips support the shift: * **Cafe Opening Slip**, a record of the till opening. * **Cafe Closing Slip**, the end-of-shift summary with the cash reconciliation. The closed session also feeds the **Cafe Session Report**, the Z-report. See [Reports Overview](/hospitality-leisure/cafe/reports-overview). *** ## Counters and Who May Open Them A till session runs on a **counter**, and each counter lists the cashiers allowed to work it. A cashier who is not on that list cannot open the counter, and a counter that is already open cannot be opened again until it is closed. If you run more than one outlet, a cashier opens a counter at their own outlet only. See [Outlets and Counters](/hospitality-leisure/cafe/outlets-and-counters) for setting counters up and assigning cashiers. *** ## Upstream and Downstream Dependencies * A till session **must be open before billing**; the counter depends on it. See [Counter & Billing](/hospitality-leisure/cafe/counter-and-billing). * The closing entry **depends on the bills** taken during the session to compute sales by tender. * A submitted closing entry **feeds** the background cash reconciliation and the Z-report, and **closes** its opening entry. *** ## Best Practices * **Open the till first thing.** Nothing can be billed until the session is `Open`. * **Count the float at opening, not from memory.** An accurate opening cash amount is what makes the closing reconciliation meaningful. * **Physically count the drawer before entering actual cash.** Do not guess; count notes and coins. * **Close every session the same shift.** Closing posts the reconciliation and locks the session for an accurate Z-report. * **Investigate a variance the same shift.** A flagged excess or shortage is easiest to explain while the shift is fresh.