Why Do Businesses Use Petty Cash Funds? 7 Reasons You Should Know

The custodian must gather all slips and vouchers issued to different people in the firm. These details are recorded in the general ledger as credits to the petty cash account and as debit detail to other expense accounts. As soon as the petty fund is replenished, it is recorded as a debit to the petty cash account and credit to the cash account.

On the other side, debit and gift cards do not accrue points or other perks and do not typically come with anti-fraud measures. Even though the cash economy is getting smaller, there is still often a need to reimburse employees or to quickly pay a delivery driver. A petty cash fund allows a small amount of cash to be kept in a convenient place for miscellaneous expenses. For handling petty cash in daily accounting, users can utilize the reconciliation feature to track every transaction, ensuring transparency. Financial close streamlines the recording of petty cash activities, and anomaly management helps detect discrepancies promptly.

Definition of Petty Cash

It can be in the form of actual money, like amounts you haven’t yet deposited in the bank or smaller bills and coins that you keep in the cash register to make change for customers. As we have discussed, one of the hardest assets to control within any organization is cash. One way to control cash is for an organization to why do businesses use petty cash funds? require that all payments be made by check. However, there are situations in which it is not practical to use a check. For example, imagine that the Galaxy’s Best Yogurt runs out of milk one evening. It is not possible to operate without milk, and the normal shipment does not come from the supplier for another 48 hours.

Small office expenditures are also funded instantly by using the cash amount in the company’s petty cash fund. A business can’t vouch and account for every small expense like a cup of coffee, taxi fare, smaller office supplies, etc. On the other hand, these expenses are unavoidable and must be carried out by the businesses.

Make sure everyone uses the petty cash log

Petty cash is a small amount of cash that is kept on the company premises to pay for minor cash needs such as office supplies, cards, flowers, and so forth. It is an effective way to keep minor items from bogging down the accounts payable system. If you use the petty cash account to make change for customers, you will need to do a mini-audit at the end of each day. Start with beginning balance, cash in, cash out compared to transactions, and ending cash. Someone must check the account periodically so the balance doesn’t get too low.

• Begin by appointing a petty cash custodian responsible for managing the fund.
• Do you have a method to disburse and efficiently track petty cash expenses in your organization?
• Petty cash funds are a holdover from a time when paper cash was preferred over card transactions.
• The amount of petty cash that is allowed changes depending on the company’s internal policies.

With the world shifting in technology and becoming paperless, you may think there’s no point to having a petty cash fund. Even though we are becoming more digital, there’s always a need for petty cash. You never want to find yourself or your staff member in a bind because no physical cash is lying around for those “just in case” moments. A monitoring and tracking system, with receipts, should be used for the petty cash fund. Entries are needed to (1) establish the fund, (2) increase or decrease the balance of the fund (replenish the fund as cash is used), and (3) adjust for overages and shortages of cash. Safeguarding petty cash, segregating duties, and monthly reconciliation are crucial controls for effective management.