FREE FIELD GUIDE
Close the market before you pack away the numbers.
Use a sales log and your payment processor’s actual totals. Keep customer names and card details out of this worksheet. Use one currency per event.
1. Count the cash
Expected closing cash = opening float + cash received + other cash added − cash refunds − cash removed.
Use cash received including sales tax here: you are counting physical money. Count the till separately. Actual counted cash minus expected cash is the discrepancy. A negative number means cash is short; it is not automatically theft or a sale you forgot.
Example: $100 float + $220 cash received − $20 cash refunds − $30 taken out = $270 expected cash. A count of $265 leaves a $5 shortage to investigate.
2. Count the stock
Expected ending units = starting units + added units − units sold + all customer-returned units − damaged customer-returned units.
Count each SKU separately. A refund does not always mean an item came back in sellable condition. Record all physically returned units, then subtract the damaged subset once. Investigate other stock losses through the count difference and record their cost under Other expenses.
Example: 30 candles + 5 added − 12 sold + 2 returned − 1 damaged return = 24 expected candles.
3. Separate revenue from collected tax
Net sales = customer payments − refunds − net sales tax collected.
If customer payments are already tax-exclusive, do not subtract tax again. Use consistent inputs. Collected tax is not income you can spend as event profit. This guide does not determine whether you must charge tax or which rate applies.
4. Include what the event cost
Subtract the cost of goods sold, actual payment-processing fees, booth fees, travel and other event costs. If original stock is lost or damaged, enter its known cost under Other expenses; a stock-count difference is not automatically a cost. Damaged customer returns already remain in goods cost, so do not count them again. Do not subtract a card refund twice because a processor payout already includes it.
Divide the event result by your owner labor hours for a planning measure. Include preparation, travel, selling and closing. This is not take-home pay and does not include income tax or overhead unless you entered them.
5. Save the evidence
Keep your processor report, receipts and stock count with the event summary. Compare processor sales with its payout separately: timing, fees and refunds can make them differ. Export a backup before clearing or changing devices.
Product sales are not open yet. This original guide is free to read and print for your own business.