Checkout, bill splitting and tips
For the waiter and cashier at payment time, and for the accountant who wants to know what happens behind the "Pay and close" button.
On this page
From ordering to payment
When the customer asks for the bill, the waiter presses "Request bill" and the session moves to the "Checkout" screen. It shows the subtotal, discount, service charge, tax, total, paid and remaining. "Back to ordering" returns the session to add a forgotten item.
Starting checkout and taking payment need the "Payment and closing" permission. See Roles.
Ways to split the bill
| Mode | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Whole bill | One customer pays everything, with one method or more. |
| By items | Everyone pays for what they ordered: pick the items this person pays for. |
| By seat | If items were tied to seats when ordered, each seat's bill is totalled. |
| By amount | "Put 50 on me" without picking items; it is deducted from the remaining. |
Each payment is recorded with "Record payment" until the remaining is zero, then "Pay and close". The bill does not close while anything remains. Splitting needs the "Open bill, split" permission.
Payment methods and change
Cash, card (with the "transaction reference" from the card terminal), or other. For cash you enter the "Received" amount and the app computes the "Change"; if the received amount is less than required, "Received amount is less than required" appears. Cash goes to the shift cashbox of the main POS, and card to the card clearing account.
A payment recorded by mistake is voided with "Void" and a "Reason", which needs the void payments permission. Reopening a bill from checkout back to ordering needs the "Reopen" permission.
Discount and service charge
- Bill discount: a percentage or amount on the whole bill, and item discount on one line. A discount above the staff member's allowed limit asks for "Manager approval" by PIN.
- Service charge is computed automatically after the bill discount on the order types chosen in setup, and appears as a separate line. "Remove service charge" for a specific customer needs a special permission, and "Restore service charge" puts it back.
- Delivery fee for a delivery order is entered by the cashier by hand and taxed like the "delivery fee" item.
Tips
When paying by card, a "Tip" can be entered above the bill value. It is recorded in the books as an amount payable to staff, not as restaurant revenue, and paid out to them later with a regular payment voucher. A cash tip stays in the drawer and does not enter the books unless you switch on "Record cash tips in the books" in restaurant setup. The tips report is in Restaurant reports.
What happens in the books
What happens in the books
On "Pay and close" the server creates, in a single transaction, a sales invoice on the "restaurant" channel, a receipt voucher per payment, and a voucher for the tip, all posted and linked to the main POS shift:
The invoice: debit Cash customer (1410) or the customer receivable (1400); credit Sales (4100); credit Service charge revenue (4130); credit Output VAT (2300); plus or minus Rounding differences (5210); together with Cost of goods sold (5100) against Inventory (1500), deducting the components of a bundled meal and of item options that carry a component.
Each payment: debit the shift cashbox (1100) or Card clearing (1210); credit the customer, allocated to the invoice.
The tip: debit Card clearing (or the cashbox if cash and recorded); credit Tips payable to staff (2400).
The server recomputes the invoice with the same specification the app uses; any difference is treated as a defect and rejected, not recorded.
Warning
If one voucher fails, the whole invoice is rolled back: the bill stays printed and paid on the device but "unposted" on the server, and it appears under Live view, Unposted bills, with the reason and a "Retry posting" button. Do not enter it again by hand.
Shift closing and cash handover are in Counting the drawer and closing the shift, and receipt printing in Printing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I close the bill with an amount remaining?
No. The remaining must reach zero. If the customer will pay later, a credit sale in the name of a defined customer needs the credit sales permission and appears in receivables ageing.
Where do tips appear in reports?
Under Restaurant reports, Tips, by staff member and payment method, and in the books on the Tips payable to staff account 2400 until paid out.
Is the service charge applied to takeaway?
According to the "Applies to" setting in the General tab. You can limit it to dine in orders only.