A business uses a petty cash account for tracking physical cash used to make small payments. The cash can be kept in a small safe or locked file cabinet, perhaps in an manila envelope. Petty cash is often used for meeting refreshments, reimbursing an employee for office supplies she purchased, or other miscellaneous expenses that require payments in cash or coin. A petty cash log can be taped to the envelope or stored with the cash so that whenever you remove or add cash you can use the form to record the date, payee, purpose, and amount.


At the end of the reporting period or when the petty cash log is filled up, the custodian in charge of the cash will count the money and compare to the ending balance on the form. Differences are resolved and a new cash log is created with a new balance for the new reporting period. The custodian will likely be entering transactions into whatever accounting software he/she is using, and may require an employee to complete a voucher and submit receipts. The petty cash log provides a physical paper-based record of the cash-in and cash-out. To customize a petty cash form for your business, download the free template below.

Petty Cash Template

for Excel and Google Sheets
Petty Cash Log Template

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⤓ Excel
For: Excel 2007 or later & Excel for iPad/iPhone

Description

This petty cash log template allows you to easily modify the heading labels as needed and contains working formulas in the Balance column in case you want to track the petty cash log using the spreadsheets itself, rather than printing a blank form.

Printable Petty Cash Form

PDF
Printable Petty Cash Form PDF

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Printable (PDF)

Description

This printable PDF provides a simple way to keep track of your petty cash with a printable form. If you want to customize a form, you can download the Excel template listed above.

References

To learn more about how to use a petty cash fund, check out the Accounting Coach website.