Recording daily retail cash sales in SamBooks
7 min read
A cash sale entry records the day's B2C takings: no invoice, just VAT split from the gross. SamBooks generates the entry itself, no XML, no SDI.
What this is for
A cash sale entry is how you record retail sales to private customers (a shop, a bar, B2C e-commerce) when you don't issue an invoice. The difference from an invoice is sharp: a cash sale entry doesn't generate an XML file, doesn't go to SDI, and doesn't create a due date — the money has already been collected, that same day. Instead, it always generates a general-ledger entry automatically: debit on the cash/bank account that received the money, credit on cash-sale revenue and on the VAT that flows into the periodic settlement.
Before you start
The Cash sales section doesn't appear in the menu for companies on the flat-rate scheme, which doesn't settle VAT and so has nothing to split out. You need a role with write permissions on invoicing (Manager or Administrative).
How to do it, step by step
1. Open Cash sales and record the new entry
Go to Cash sales in the left-hand menu and press "Record cash sale." In the dialog, choose the "Cash sale date" and the "Channel": Manual, Telematic cash register, E-commerce, or Online payments.
2. Split out VAT: enter the gross amount, not the taxable base
In the "VAT breakdown" section, add a line for every rate you collected that day with "Add rate." The field you fill in is the "Gross" amount: SamBooks calculates "Taxable amount" and "Tax" itself, read-only — you never type them. If a line is at 0% rate, the "VAT nature" field also appears, and it's required: without a nature code, saving is blocked with "For a 0% rate, indicate the VAT nature."
3. Optionally state how you collected it
In the "Payment methods (optional)" section you can add lines with "Add method" (Cash, Card/POS, Debit card, Credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Check, Meal vouchers, Bank transfer, Online payment, Other) and the corresponding amount. If you fill these in, they must add up to the gross total: SamBooks tells you in real time with "Payments match the gross total" or, if they don't, "Payments ({payments}) don't match the gross total ({total})."
4. Record it
Press "Record": the toast confirms "Cash sale recorded." At that same instant, with nothing more to do, SamBooks also generates the linked general-ledger entry — it isn't a follow-up step, it's the automatic consequence of recording.
5. Check (or repeat) the ledger posting from the detail page
Open the cash sale from the list ("Detail"): you'll find the "Record in general ledger" and "Ask Sam" buttons. They're the same action that already fired automatically in step 4, made available manually too: it's idempotent, so if you use it again on an already-posted entry, you just get the confirmation "The cash sale was already recorded in the general ledger," with nothing duplicated.
6. Download the monthly register
From the list, press "Cash sales register": in the dialog, choose Year and Month and press "Download PDF" — the VAT cash-sales register is always monthly, aggregating talking receipts, simplified invoices, and daily cash sales by day and rate.
7. Fix a wrong cash sale, as long as it hasn't been transmitted
As long as the cash sale isn't in the "Transmitted" status, its row shows edit and delete actions. "Edit" reopens the same recording dialog and, on save, realigns the linked general-ledger entry in place (the same entry, not a new one). "Delete" asks for confirmation with "Delete this cash sale?" — "The cash sale and its linked general-ledger entry will be deleted. It can be undone with Sam's help." — and removes both the cash sale and the entry.
8. A transmitted cash sale can't be edited anymore: you need a return
The channel decides whether and when a cash sale is born already "Transmitted": from a Telematic cash register, yes, immediately; from Manual, E-commerce, or Online payments, the status starts as "Not due." Once "Transmitted," the cash sale can no longer be edited or deleted: the way to fix it is to record a return, not touch it directly.
9. A B2C return starts from the e-commerce order, not from here
If the cash sale comes from an e-commerce order, the return isn't recorded from Cash sales: you open the linked order under Orders, and its page shows a "Register return" button (visible only if the order is on a cash-sale basis and doesn't already have a return recorded). The return reverses the fiscal amount with a new, linked negative cash sale, and it recently started loading the warehouse back too: if the returned item is stock-tracked, the goods go back into inventory the same way a return against an invoice does — this didn't use to happen, a defect fixed recently.
If something goes wrong
- A manual or telematic-cash-register cash sale needs a return, but I can't find the button: today the in-app return path only exists for cash sales with an e-commerce origin, reachable from the linked order. For the other channels there's no return or correction path inside the application.
- Payments don't match the gross total: the sum of the payment methods you entered must exactly match the taxable amount plus tax across all VAT lines; you can also leave the payment methods section empty, it's optional.
- I can't edit or delete a cash sale: if it's already "Transmitted" that's by design — the only way through is a return (e-commerce origin only, see above). If the accrual fiscal year is closed, editing and deleting are blocked regardless of the transmission status.
- The VAT nature field doesn't show up: it only appears on lines at 0% rate; if your line has a non-zero rate, the field stays hidden because it isn't needed.
Ask Sam
You can ask Sam to record the day's cash sale with the same result as the form — for example, "record today's cash sale, manual channel, €500 gross at 22%" — and also to post it to the general ledger or fix it (editing/deleting follow the same rules: only while not yet transmitted).
Frequently asked questions
How do I record the day's takings? Go to Cash sales, press "Record cash sale," choose the date and channel, then in the VAT breakdown section enter the gross amount collected for each rate.
Where do I enter cash sales? In the "Cash sales" section of the left-hand menu (it doesn't appear for companies on the flat-rate scheme).
How do I split VAT out of cash sales? You don't calculate it: you enter the gross amount collected for each rate, and SamBooks calculates the taxable amount and tax itself.
Do I enter the taxable amount or the gross amount? The gross amount: it's the only field you fill in, the taxable amount and tax are calculated automatically and shown read-only.
How do I print the cash sales register? Press "Cash sales register" from the list, choose the year and month, and press "Download PDF": the register is always monthly.
Payments don't match the gross total: why? Because the sum of the payment methods you entered doesn't match the taxable amount plus tax of the VAT lines. If you don't want to detail the payment methods, just leave that section empty: it's optional.
Can I fix a wrong cash sale? Yes, with "Edit," but only while it isn't in the "Transmitted" status: editing also realigns the linked general-ledger entry.
I can't delete a cash sale: why? Either it's already "Transmitted" (you need a return, available only for e-commerce origin), or the accrual fiscal year is closed.
Do cash sales need to be sent to the tax authority? It depends on the channel: from a telematic cash register, transmission is immediate; from the other channels (Manual, E-commerce, Online payments), the status starts as "Not due."
Does a cash sale create a general-ledger entry? Yes, always and automatically, the same instant you record it: debit on the cash/bank account, credit on cash-sale revenue and VAT on cash sales.
How do I record a combined card and cash payment? In the Payment methods section, add a "Card/POS" line with its amount and a "Cash" line with the rest: the sum must match the gross total.
How do I record a return on a cash sale? Only if the cash sale comes from an e-commerce order: open the linked order and press "Register return" from its page, not from Cash sales.
Zero-rate cash sale, what nature code do I use? The VAT nature field becomes required as soon as the line's rate is 0: choose the nature code that matches your transaction.