How to settle cash with delivery riders at the end of a shift

The formula in one line

Due = opening change float + cash collected − expenses − advances + any old shortage still owed

A worked example with sample numbers: a rider took a 100 EGP float, collected 1,380 EGP from 4 cash orders, spent 50 EGP on fuel and took a 200 EGP advance. He is due to hand over 1,230 EGP. If he hands over 1,200 EGP, there is a 30 EGP shortage that needs a reason.

What counts as cash and what doesn't

Cash on delivery: counts at the amount actually collected, not the menu price.
Paid online, by InstaPay or through a delivery app: not cash, never part of the rider's count.
Card at the door on a terminal: not cash, but marked on the order so it reconciles with the bank.
Returned order: no cash, unless the customer paid the delivery fee.
Customer paid more or less: the difference is written on that order when it happens, not at midnight.

Closing the shift, step by step

Before the shift, write down the change float each rider takes.
Every order that leaves is written against a rider with the amount to collect.
Any expense (fuel, parking, change given to a customer) is recorded when it happens, with a receipt photo if there is one.
At the end of the night, work out the "due" number before the rider counts.
The rider counts in front of the cashier, and the cashier writes down what was received.
Any gap gets a reason: change given, customer paid less, unrecorded fuel, unrecorded advance, or a counting mistake.
Decide: the gap stays on the rider for the next handover, or it is written off.
The rider sees the same number that was written, so nobody comes back later saying they forgot.

When a rider is carrying too much cash mid-shift

Take part of it and keep the shift open. That is not a settlement: the rest stays with him as normal until the end of the night and is not a shortage. Just record that he handed in part, and how much, so the end-of-night number comes out right.

Shortages: handling them without losing the rider

Before blaming anyone, check these in order: a prepaid order counted as cash, an unrecorded expense, change given to a customer, an advance nobody wrote down, or a returned order still counted against him. If the gap is still there, record it with its reason.

Agree with your riders up front, in writing: when a shortage is deducted, when it is written off, and the most that can stay on a rider. Keep an old shortage on its own line so it never mixes with tonight's count.

Why WhatsApp and a notebook lose track

Orders sit in the group chat, expenses in voice notes, the float in the cashier's head. At midnight someone has to add it all up, and an order nobody wrote down when it left has no record. Any method that records each thing as it happens closes that gap, whether it is paper or software.

To start on paper, print the free shift-close sheet. To have the count done for you: Ridercrew records each order against its rider when it leaves, adds the cash up on each rider's card, and at the end of the night the cashier enters what was received and the gap shows with its reason. Try it in the live demo.

Questions owners ask

Should riders hand in cash after every order or at the end of the shift?

End of shift is simpler and less error-prone, as long as every order is recorded when it leaves. If a rider is carrying a large amount, take part of it mid-shift without closing the shift.

What if the rider says the customer paid less?

Record it on that order when it happens, with the customer's number. Then the gap has a reason and a place to check, instead of showing up as a shortage at midnight.

How is the opening change float counted?

It is added to what he is due to hand over, because it is the kitchen's money in his pocket. If it doesn't come back, it shows in the count straight away.

Do prepaid orders count in the rider's cash?

No. Any order paid before delivery, online, by InstaPay or through a delivery app, is not part of the cash the rider is responsible for.

Does this work the same for drivers in the Gulf?

Yes. Whether you call them riders, drivers or captains, the count is the same: float, collections, expenses, advances, and the gap with its reason.

How to settle cash with your delivery riders at the end of a shift