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Free Petty Cash Book Template (Excel) — self-balancing + reconciliation

Petty cash goes missing when nobody can say what the float should be. This free book fixes that: record your opening float, log every voucher and top-up, and the running balance keeps itself. At any time you can count the cash in the tin and check it against the book — the difference is worked out for you.

Download free — Excel (.xlsx) ↓Opens in Excel or Google Sheets · no sign-up

What's inside

  • Self-balancing running total (red below your alert level)
  • Low-float warning so you top up in time
  • Spending by category from an editable list
  • Book-vs-counted reconciliation with the difference shown
  • Prints clean for audit files

The tabs

  • Start Here (guide)
  • Cash Book
  • Dashboard

Yellow cells only. You type in the yellow cells; the rest are locked formulas. Gridlines are off and it prints clean on A4.

One row per voucher — date, number, description, category and the amount spent (or a top-up in) — and the balance updates on every line, turning red if it drops below the alert level you set. Categories come from an editable list, so spending groups cleanly. The Dashboard totals opening float, top-ups, spending and the current balance, tells you when the float is low, breaks spending down by category, and reconciles your book balance against the cash you physically counted.

It's the standard petty-cash format an auditor expects, with the arithmetic done for you and the formulas locked so a busy office can't break it. Prints cleanly for your files at month-end, in Excel or Google Sheets.

For your whole business's cash — not just the tin — Biashara Yangu keeps the books automatically.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a petty cash book used for?

It records the small day-to-day cash a business keeps on hand (the float) — fares, airtime, refreshments, postage — so every shilling out is accounted for by a voucher, and the balance in the tin always matches the book.

How does the reconciliation work?

On the Dashboard you enter the cash you physically counted. The book shows your calculated balance, and the difference (counted − book) is worked out for you. Zero means it balances; anything else flags a shortage or surplus to investigate.

Can I change the categories?

Yes. The category list on the Dashboard is editable, and the Cash Book dropdown follows it — so your spending groups match how your office actually spends.