Petty Cash Policy and Log

Control small cash spending with an imprest float, vouchers, a running log, regular counts and a clear audit trail.

Editable Word document
11
10pages
Guidance notes included
aml consultancy solutions

Finance & credit control

Petty Cash Policy and Log

About this document

What it’s for

A petty cash policy together with all the forms you need to run it: a petty cash voucher, a running log, a cash count and reconciliation sheet, a top-up request and a custodian handover record. It uses the imprest system, where the float is topped back up to a fixed amount, which makes shortages easy to spot.

When to use it

  • If your business, shop, surgery, office or charity keeps a small amount of cash for minor purchases
  • When appointing a new petty cash custodian
  • After an unexplained shortage, to tighten controls

What’s inside

The document is laid out in the sections below. Each one comes with a plain-English guidance note explaining what it does and what to change.

  1. Purpose
  2. Scope
  3. Definitions
  4. Roles and responsibilities
  5. Security
  6. What petty cash may and may not be used for
  7. Procedure for making a payment
  8. Topping up the float
  9. Counts, reconciliation and discrepancies
  10. Change of custodian
  11. Records
  12. Monitoring and review

Also included

  • Custodian and deputy acknowledgement
  • Form 1 – Petty cash voucher
  • Form 2 – Petty cash log
  • Form 3 – Cash count and reconciliation sheet
  • Form 4 – Top-up request
  • Form 5 – Custodian handover record

How to complete it

  • Set the float amount, the maximum single payment and the custodian names in the policy
  • Print or copy the voucher, log and count sheet pages as needed – they are designed to be reused
  • Ask the custodian and deputy to sign the policy acknowledgement
  • Keep the completed log and vouchers with your monthly accounting records

Key points to check

  • Keep the float as low as practical – many businesses manage with £100 to £250
  • Never let petty cash be used for wages, cash advances to staff or IOUs
  • Surprise counts by someone other than the custodian are the single best control

Our templates are professionally structured starting points for UK businesses, not legal advice. For anything complex, unusual or high-value, have your final version checked by a solicitor.

Included in the pack

Finance & credit control

£20

for every document in this category

Editable Microsoft Word files

Guidance notes in every document

Written for UK businesses

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