Petty cash doesn't balance?

Most differences aren't missing money. They're a receipt in someone's pocket, a top-up nobody wrote down, or a sum done wrong. Find the size of the gap first, then hunt it down.

The formula

Cash in the tin should equal the float, minus every receipt or voucher since the last top-up, plus any cash put back. If the count doesn't match, the difference is your gap.

7 common causes, most likely first

1. A receipt that never came back. Check wallets, bags, car consoles, the till and the delivery box.
2. Change not returned. Someone took $50 for a $32 purchase and the $18 is still in their pocket.
3. A top-up or refund nobody logged. Cash went in, so the tin is over, or a refund went out and wasn't written down.
4. Adding errors. Re-add the receipts. Transposed digits ($46 written as $64) are common.
5. Coins miscounted. Count twice, ideally two different people.
6. Petty cash used for change at the till. It's handy, but it breaks the balance unless it's logged.
7. An IOU nobody wrote down. "I'll pay it back Friday" is still a withdrawal.

Still short?

Ask the people who used the tin in that period, without accusing anyone; most gaps are honest mistakes. If it's still unexplained, record an adjustment with a note of what you checked, so the next period starts clean. See what to do about a petty cash shortage.