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Petty Cash Fund Management & Journal Entries

The company needs to replenish the petty cash so that it will increase to a maximum level. On June 10, 2024, your business used $75 from the petty cash fund to pay for minor repairs to office equipment. Occasional errors may cause the petty cash fund to be out of balance. The sum of the cash and receipts will differ from the correct Petty Cash balance. This might be the result of simple mistakes, such as math errors in making change, or perhaps someone failed to provide a receipt for an appropriate expenditure.

Finally, using petty cash can also create a sense of entitlement among employees. If they are used to having access to extra funds for small purchases, they may begin to expect it as a regular perk of the job. For these reasons, it is important to weigh the risks and benefits of using company petty cash before making a decision. Company petty cash is a small amount of cash kept on hand by a business for the purpose of making small purchases. The cash is typically kept in a locked box or drawer, and only a designated employee, usually the office manager or bookkeeper, has the key. On April 15, 2024, your business used $100 from the petty cash fund to pay for a taxi ride for a business meeting.

We outline below the imprest system of petty cash journal entries used to establish, use, and reimburse the imprest account. To do this, a check is written on the main checking account for the needed amount and is recorded as a credit to Cash. Vouchers are then used to determine which general ledger accounts should be debited. Any difference in the debits and credits is then recorded in the Cash Short and Over account on the income statement. To ensure efficient management of resources, the replenishment of money allocated for small purchases must be regularly monitored. Replenishing petty cash is the act of returning a significant amount of cash in the petty cash box to the amount listed in the general ledger account.

Petty cash replenishment journal entry

At the same time, receipts are removed from the petty cash box and formally recorded as expenses. Subsequently at the end of the accounting period the petty cash book is totalled and reconciled, and the petty cash fund is replenished. It is important to realize that at all times the total of the cash held plus the petty cash vouchers should equal the original imprest fund.

By assigning the responsibility for the fund to one individual, the company has internal control over the cash in the fund. The custodian of the fund must log all expenses and present receipts as proof of the expense. The custodian is responsible for tracking the total expenses, and when the amount exceeds the amount of the fund, a request for replenishment is made to the finance department. Replenishing the petty cash involves adding money back into the fund and recording the transaction. At the end of the month, assume the $100 petty cash fund has a balance of $6.25 in actual cash (a five-dollar bill, a one-dollar bill, and a quarter).

  • Moreover, it is important to periodically review the transactions and adjust the fund accordingly.
  • In some cases, companies may also receive money from debtors directly into this account.
  • If they are used to having access to extra funds for small purchases, they may begin to expect it as a regular perk of the job.
  • Usually, companies use the imprest system to handle their petty cash funds.
  • Next, let’s assume that there is only $20.00 in cash remaining and Mary realizes that $20 is not sufficient.
  • If a surplus or shortage is discovered, the difference will be recorded in Cash Short (Over); a debit balance indicates a shortage (expense), while a credit represents an overage (revenue).

Example: Increasing the Petty Cash Fund

Frank, who is the responsible person, has been filling out the voucher during the month, and all the receipts are stapled to the voucher. Therefore, payments through the petty cash account will use the following journal entry. Usually, companies use “petty cash” to denote this account in their books. The accounting for petty cash is straightforward once the source of the transaction is determined. Companies may also allocate petty cash budgets to various departments. Consequently, they can manage their petty cash funds more smoothly.

A custodian must be selected to manage and distribute the funds, as well as a cashier to add money to the fund and handle the accounting. It is important to determine the amount for the fund, as well as the maximum amount for requests. Additionally, it is also important to decide what the funds can be used for. A company, ABC Co., uses its petty cash account to deal with various transactions during an accounting period. On the other hand, companies must also account for any receipts in the petty cash account. As stated above, the most common source for these transactions involves the bank account.

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Hence, it is more efficient to just record all those expenses with the cash account directly. This is due to the petty cash expense is usually limited to only a certain amount that is deemed to be immaterial. After all, the petty cash fund is established in the first place in order to handle the small expenses that occur in our day-to-day operation. The journal entry is debiting expense $ 400 and credit petty cash $ 400.

Whatever the cause, the available cash must be brought back to the appropriate level. The only occasions in which a posting is made to the petty cash account in the general ledger is when the amount of the imprest (petty cash fund) is permanently altered. The replenishment of funds is an important step in the successful management of resources. It is important that the amount of money in the petty cash fund is closely monitored and that any discrepancies are quickly addressed.

On May 20, 2024, your business spends $30 of the petty cash fund on miscellaneous items such as coffee for the office. When the petty cash fund runs low, you replenish it by writing a check or withdrawing cash from the bank to bring the fund back to its original amount. Assume that during January 2024, you used petty cash to pay for office supplies ($120) and postage ($80). It the above example, the cash at the end of the accounting period is 35, and therefore the fund needs the amount of 65 to restore the it back to its original fixed amount of 100. The journal entry for petty cash received from customers is as follows. Most companies specify the amount of money petty cash replenishment journal entry the petty cashier can allocate to a specific payment.

When accounting for petty cash, companies must consider various factors. Essentially, it includes any insignificant amount of money held in the office for small expenses. It should be noted that there is no entry made to the petty cash fund. With an imprest system the balance on the fund (cash + vouchers) is always constant (300). To replenish the fund the expense vouchers need to be replaced by cash of 60, bringing the total cash in the fund back to its original 300 (240 + 60). Petty cash replenishment refers to the process of restoring the cash balance in the petty cash fund back to its original imprest amount.

Balance Sheet

When accounting for those funds, companies must reconcile different departments’ balances. Overall, petty cash refers to money held to fund minor purchases or expenses. Companies use this cash to avoid going through the complications of banking transactions. After all, the petty cash expenses will only be recorded when we make petty replenishment.

It will involve the affected expense account as a debit and the petty cash account as a credit. The answer to how to record the journal entry for petty cash is not straightforward. As stated above, the petty cash account may include different types of transactions.

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  • Sometimes the petty cash custodian makes errors in making change from the fund or doesn’t receive correct amounts back from users.
  • Replenishing a petty cash fund is an important part of managing a company’s finances.
  • This fund is convenient when the expense is small and it is not feasible to process a check or a credit card transaction.
  • When accounting for petty cash, companies must record two types of transactions.
  • A petty cash voucher is a document or form that shows the amount of and reason for a petty cash disbursement.

It’s not really an adjusting journal entry because there is an actual transaction being recorded. Having a petty cash account is  just more convenient than going to the accounts payable clerk every time someone needs a stamp or a liter of coffee for a meeting. This is to ease the process of recording the accounting transactions and this usually works very well as long as there is proper petty cash control in place (e.g. dual signatures). Sometimes, the petty cash custodian makes errors in making change from the fund or doesn’t receive correct amounts back from users. These errors cause the cash in the fund to be more or less than the amount of the fund less the total vouchers. When the fund is replenished, the credit to Cash is for the difference between the established amount and the actual cash in the fund.

A petty cash journal entry is a financial record documenting the transactions made from the petty cash fund. These entries ensure that all withdrawals and replenishments are accurately tracked, providing an audit trail for small business expenses. Managing a petty cash fund efficiently requires accurate petty cash journal entries and regular replenishment. By following best practices and keeping meticulous records, businesses can maintain financial transparency and streamline their minor expense processes. Implementing these guidelines will help you handle petty cash with confidence, ensuring that your business operates smoothly without financial hiccups.

The second journal entry is debiting petty cash $ 400 and credit cash on hand $ 400. Sometimes, the company decides to combine the transactions above without touching the petty cash account. The transaction will end up impacting the expense account and cash-on-hand account. When you first set up a petty cash fund, you create a journal entry to transfer the initial cash amount to the petty cash account.

Suppose in the example above the remaining cash held had been 25 and not the 35 expected. In this case the calculation of the replenishment amount is as follows. However, companies may also limit how much a customer can pay into this account.

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