> ## 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.
# Shift Management
> How to open the till each morning, track sales during the day, close the shift at night, and print the Z-report for cash reconciliation.
A shift is the official record of one day's (or one period's) sales at a counter. Every sale belongs to a shift. You must open a shift before billing can start, and close it at the end of the day to reconcile cash and finalize the records.
***
## Before You Start
* You must have the Cashier, Manager, or Admin role.
* Only one shift can be open at a time for a given counter.
* The POS terminal must be loaded and connected.
***
## Opening the Shift
### When to Open
Open the shift before the first customer of the day. Billing will not work until a shift is open - if you tap Charge and see "No open shift", come here first.
### Steps
1. Go to the **Shift** tab in the top navigation bar
2. The "Open Shift" form appears
3. You see one row for each payment mode:
* **Cash row**: enter the amount of cash currently in the drawer (the opening float). For example, ₹2,000 if you started with ₹2,000 for change
* **Card and UPI rows**: these are locked at 0.00 - digital payments do not need an opening float
4. Tap **Open Shift**
5. The shift is now open. A green pulsing dot appears in the top right of the screen, and the status reads "Open"
***
## Monitoring During the Day
You can check progress at any time without closing the shift.
1. Go to the **Shift** tab
2. The open shift card shows:
* The shift record number and start time
* **Total sales value** for the shift so far
* **Number of transactions** completed
This is a live view - it updates every time you visit the Shift tab.
***
## Field Guide: Shift Status Card
| Field | What It Shows |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Shift record number | The unique ID for this shift (used for audit) |
| Period start | When this shift was opened |
| Sales total | Total revenue in this shift |
| Sales count | Number of completed sales |
| Shift open badge | Confirms the shift is active |
***
## Closing the Shift
### When to Close
Close the shift at the end of the trading day, or when handing over to another cashier. Do not leave a shift open overnight.
### Steps
1. Count the physical cash in the drawer and keep note of the amount
2. Go to the **Shift** tab
3. The "Close Shift" form is shown below the open shift status
4. For each payment mode:
* **Cash row**: enter the amount of cash currently in the drawer (what you physically counted)
* **Card and UPI rows**: these are filled in automatically with the expected amounts from the system - you cannot change them because they reconcile electronically
5. Tap **Close Shift and Generate Z-Report**
6. The shift is closed and the Z-Report appears
***
## The Z-Report
The Z-Report is generated automatically when you close the shift. It is the official end-of-day reconciliation record.
### Reading the Z-Report
| Column | What It Means |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Mode** | The payment method (Cash, Card, UPI, etc.) |
| **Opening** | The float you entered when you opened the shift |
| **Expected** | What the system calculated should be in the drawer (opening + all collections) |
| **Counted** | What you physically counted and entered in the close form |
| **Variance** | The difference between Expected and Counted |
**Variance = Expected minus Counted**
* **Zero variance (green)**: the drawer matches perfectly
* **Positive variance**: you have more cash than expected - possible counting error or unrecorded receipt
* **Negative variance**: you have less than expected - possible shortage or counting error
Card and UPI variances will always be zero because they auto-reconcile.
### Printing the Z-Report
Tap the **Print** button on the Z-Report to print it on the connected printer. File this with your daily cash records.
***
## Field Guide: Close Shift Form
| Field | What to Enter |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Cash | The total cash physically in the drawer right now |
| Card | Automatically filled - do not change |
| UPI | Automatically filled - do not change |
| Any other mode | Automatically filled if configured as a digital mode |
***
## What Happens When You Close
When a shift is closed:
1. The POS Closing Entry record is created and saved
2. All sales from that shift are linked to the closing entry
3. Stock levels are confirmed
4. Accounting entries are finalized in BAS
5. The shift status changes from "Open" to "Closed"
The shift cannot be reopened once closed. If you accidentally close too early, open a new shift.
***
## Troubleshooting
**"No open shift" when I try to bill a customer**
Go to the Shift tab and open a shift. Billing is blocked until a shift is open.
**The Shift tab shows nothing (no open form and no open shift card)**
The POS may still be loading. Wait a moment and refresh the page. If the problem persists, check that the POS Profile is configured correctly in POS Settings.
**The variance is large and I cannot explain it**
Do not guess. Count the drawer again carefully. If there is a genuine discrepancy, record the actual counted amount and report it to your manager before closing. Do not enter the expected amount just to make the variance zero.
**I closed the shift by mistake before I finished billing**
Open a new shift and continue. The previous shift's Z-Report captures what was done before. The new shift will capture the remaining sales.
**The Z-Report did not print**
Check the printer connection. You can also ask your Admin to find the POS Closing Entry record in the back-office and print from there.
***
## Best Practices
* Count the cash drawer before you close the shift, not after. Once you submit, you cannot change the closing amounts.
* If you need to hand over mid-shift to another cashier, you do not need to close - just let the next cashier continue on the same shift using the same terminal.
* If your store has multiple counters, each counter has its own separate shift. Closing Counter 1 does not close Counter 2.
* Always print the Z-Report. Keep a physical copy alongside the cash for your daily records.
* If the shift total seems unusually low, check the Analytics screen before closing to see if any sales show as Draft (not submitted). Contact your manager.
***
## Related Features
* [Making a Sale](/retail/footwear-retail-pos/selling): How sales link to the open shift
* [Analytics](/retail/footwear-retail-pos/analytics): View sales detail within the shift
* [POS Settings](/retail/footwear-retail-pos/pos-settings): Where to configure the shift settings