How to track petty cash in AcboBooks

In this lesson you will

Replenish the petty cash box from the bank
Record a petty cash slip to the right account
Check the box against the balance

Before you start

Set up bank and credit card accounts

Petty Cash screen with $157.50 in the box and the register of slips

Fill the box

Step 1: Open Banking → Petty Cash and replenish

The first time you open Petty Cash, AcboBooks adds a Petty Cash bank account for you, numbered 1020 (or the next free number). To put cash in the box, choose the bank account the cash came from, the amount and the date, and click Replenish. That posts a transfer from the bank to Petty Cash.

From bank account: where the cash came from.
Amount you put in the box.
Replenish posts the transfer.

Petty Cash: replenish the box with 200.00 from Checking

Tip: The check or ATM withdrawal for the cash will match this transfer when you review the bank statement in Bank Feeds.

Record what goes out

Step 2: Enter each slip

For every payment from the box, keep the receipt and enter a slip: the date, who was paid, the account and the amount. Use + Line when one receipt covers two accounts. Click Record Slip; AcboBooks numbers the slips PC-1, PC-2 and so on.

Paid to: who got the cash.
The account the cost belongs to.
The amount from the receipt.
Record Slip posts it.

Petty cash slip: Downtown parking garage, Travel and Meals, 18.00

Count the box

Step 3: Compare the box with the screen

In the box shows what should be there now. Count the cash now and then: cash plus the receipts you haven't entered should add up to the amount when you started. To correct a slip, click Void on its line and enter it again.

In the box, with what was paid out in the last 30 days.
Every replenishment and slip, with a running balance.

Petty cash register with a replenishment and two slips, $157.50 left in the box

Canadian edition: In the Canadian edition, petty cash slips are entered without a GST/HST column. If you want to claim the input tax credit on a larger cash purchase, enter that purchase with Write Cheques from the Petty Cash account instead.

Recap

You can replenish the box from the bank.
You can record a slip for each payment.
You can check the box against what AcboBooks says should be there.

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Questions

Can I reconcile petty cash?

Yes. Petty Cash is a Bank account, so it appears in Reconcile. Use your cash count as the statement ending balance.

How much should I keep in the box?

Enough for a few weeks of small costs. Top it up back to the same amount each time, so the replenishment equals what was spent.

Screenshots from AcboBooks 0.2.2 with the built-in sample company. Updated October 25, 2026. Your screens may differ slightly with another version or window size.

Keep a petty cash box