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Shortage investigation

How to Investigate a Staff Cash or Float Shortage Before Shift Close

When cash or float is short, preserve the trail first. The goal is to locate and explain the variance while transactions, staff and supporting evidence are still available.

Same-day investigationField-informedStaff-neutral diagnosis first
Investigation principleA shortage is a control signal, not proof of theft. Our own testing showed that provider settlement timing, customer credit, fee classification, reversals, staff transfers, FX direction and transaction mapping can all create a variance that looks like missing money.

Step 1: freeze the shift

Confirm the last legitimate transaction has been entered. Do not let staff rewrite opening balances or change old entries simply to make the close match. Record any late correction as a visible correction/reversal.

Step 2: run the Shortage Location Test

Compare expected and actual values separately for physical cash by currency and every material provider/platform bucket. Then check provider receivables, customer receivables, staff liabilities and owner float movements.

Where the variance appearsWhat it may indicate
Physical cash onlyCash count, payout, expense, staff transfer, customer credit incorrectly treated as cash
One wallet/platform onlySettlement timing, transfer, reversal, wrong transaction direction, actual balance error
Both cash and walletTransaction mapping/classification, missing transaction, principal/fee treatment
USD and LRD oppositeFX direction or rate/amount issue
Difference disappears after new floatFloat Injection Masking

Step 3: review exceptions before ordinary transactions

Start with missing references, reversals, corrections, duplicate entries, staff transfers, owner float added/removed, unsettled provider items, customer credit and FX. High-risk exceptions are more efficient to test than rereading every ordinary transaction first.

Step 4: preserve the evidence trail

For each unresolved item, record date, shift, staff, service/bucket, amount, likely cause, evidence reviewed, action taken, manager decision and whether it is resolved. Never delete the original transaction to make the numbers clean.

Step 5: separate error from loss

A classification error can create the same numeric shortage as an actual missing-cash event. Fix the expected balance only when there is evidence the original mapping was wrong. If the actual value is still missing after classification and evidence are verified, keep the shortage open under the owner's escalation policy.

Step 6: do not silently carry the difference into tomorrow

An unresolved shortage should remain a named exception. Rolling it into the next opening balance destroys the timing evidence and makes later recovery harder.

Case files to use during investigation

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Questions this case answers

Frequently asked questions

Does a cash shortage prove staff stole money?

No. A shortage can come from error, timing, classification, missing evidence, staff activity or actual loss. Locate and test the variance before concluding the cause.

What should I investigate first?

Start with the exact bucket that is wrong, then review high-risk exceptions such as missing references, reversals, staff/owner movements, provider settlement timing, customer credit and FX.

Should I change the opening balance to make the day balance?

No. Changing opening balances after the fact can hide the period when the shortage occurred. Preserve the original control point and document corrections separately.