How To Choose the Best Cash Register? Classic or software?

More than a year ago, cash registers for individual entrepreneurs became required by the Law on Cash Registers. Some entrepreneurs consider cash registers to be a norm, a necessary tool for accounting and reporting. Many others perceive the cash register as an additional control mechanism from the tax authorities.

What is a cash register?

A cash register is a device or software that registers and sends information about sales and returns of goods to the tax authorities.
Types of cash registers:

• The cash register prints paper fiscal receipts. All operations for sending checks to the tax authorities must be performed manually. The cash register operates separately from the accounting system.
• Fiscal registrar is a printer that prints paper fiscal receipts and can be connected to the accounting program. It sends information about sales to the tax office using a built-in modem.
• The software cash registrar fully automates the sales process. It generates electronic fiscal receipts, sends them to the tax office, stores all information about sales, generates reports and keeps statistics for analytics, automatically fills out applications to the tax office when registering cashiers, etc.

According to Law №265, starting from January 1, 2022, entrepreneurs are required to use cash registers.

Cash registers and the law

Who can work without a cash register?

Sole proprietors of the first group and entrepreneurs who use only non-cash payments and do not sell excisable goods or goods with warranty service.
Please note that it means payments from bank account to bank account. In all other cases, for example, when paying to a card number in an online store, you must use a cash register.
Also, you do not need to install cash registers in rural shops, except for the sale of alcoholic beverages.
So, if you are not a Group I sole proprietor but do not want to use a cash register, switch to cashless payments only.

Are there any fines for not using cash registers?

According to preliminary information, starting from August 1, inspections will return to the territories where no hostilities are taking place. Fines will be imposed for the absence of cash registers.
On June 13, in his telegram channel, Danylo Hetmantsev reassured entrepreneurs and said that there would be no fines for not using cash registers during the war and until August 1. This does not apply to violations of the sale of excisable goods.

The most common reasons for violations of work with cash registers

• Inattention of sellers. For example, they forgot to pass the goods through the cash register, did not issue a fiscal check, or did not send a check to the tax office.
• There was no electricity or internet, and the store continued to sell goods without issuing fiscal receipts.
• The entrepreneur did not know exactly what transactions should be conducted through the cash register and did not notice such a transaction, but the tax authorities did.

Most of these transactions may go unnoticed, but there is a tax chatbot for customers to report non-issuance of fiscal receipts, and customers are actively using it.

Will there be a rush?

There is already a rush. Most entrepreneurs are trying to install cash registers by August 1.

What if we don't pay attention to the law?

Not the law should be the main driving force behind the installation of cash registers, but convenience for the entrepreneur. If used correctly, a cash register is an assistant to an entrepreneur, because automation is a natural stage in business development:

• The cash register works together with the accounting program: it issues fiscal checks, sends them to the tax office, and thus greatly facilitates the work of the entrepreneur.
• The software registrar of payment transactions fully automates the sales process: the program stores all information about sales, keeps records of goods, customer base, generates reports, etc.
• If you often lose power or the Internet, you can install a program that saves sales information and issues fiscal receipts even offline, and synchronizes data with the server when the Internet connection is restored.

So, there are different options for cash registers, and it is important to choose the one that best suits your business.

Which is better: software or classic cash register? Comparison of cash registers and cash registers

The difference between a classic and a software cash register is significant. If you compare them to mail, then a software cash register is like e-mail, and a classic cash register is like a mailbox with paper letters. There will always be fans of the romance of sending a paper envelope, but it is still more convenient, faster and more reliable to use e-mail.
The same is true for cash registers. The classic cash register registers sales and issues receipts, but the software cash register solves many more issues for the entrepreneur: recording sales, keeping records, generating and sending reports, statistics for analytics. In addition, installing a software cash register means transferring a significant part of the entrepreneur's actions online: reports, applications to the tax office, maintenance of the cash register, sending electronic receipts to customers.

What do you need to use a cash register?

The difference between a classic and a software-based cash register is felt at the installation stage:
A classic fiscal registrar:

1. you need to buy a cash register,
2. take the documents on its purchase and go to a service center, sign a contract for the maintenance of the cash register,
3. go to the tax office with these documents and submit an application for registration of the cash register, and the tax authorities must approve the application,
4. when the application is approved, you need to go to the service center again to set up the payment transaction registrar.

The process takes 3–5 days.
Software cash registers:

1. you need to make an electronic key,
2. pay for the cash register,
3. fill out an online application for the use of a cash register and send it to the tax office, you can register a cash register through Torgsoft,
4. the tax office will generate a fiscal number for your cash register, and you need to enter this number into your accounting program. This usually happens on the same day.

All actions are performed online, you do not need to go anywhere.
The process takes 1 day.

Technical support specialists can also help you install and configure the cash register.

Repair and maintenance of cash registers

Classic cash registers are repaired at a service center, including in case of errors. You need to pay for the service on a monthly basis to the company with which you have concluded a service agreement.
A software cash register is a program, it does not need to be repaired. Errors in operation are corrected remotely. The program displays an information window that tells you what happened and how to fix it, so you can fix some errors yourself by following these tips. Technical support can be contacted via Viber, Telegram, or by phone.
That is, if internal system errors occur in a classic fiscal registrar, you need to take or mail the fiscal registrar to a service center. When using a software cash register, it is enough to contact the technical support of the cash register developer.

Opening a shift

With a classic cash register, you need to open a shift manually.
With a software cash register, the program opens the shift automatically upon the first sale.

Working with cash registers without electricity and internet

A classic cash register does not generate fiscal receipts without the Internet. Without electricity and the Internet, you need to switch to a cash register or stop selling.
Software cash register generates fiscal receipts offline and synchronizes all sales data with the server as soon as the Internet connection is restored. You can work without electricity and the Internet. You can also install the program on several devices at the same time and work on them one by one as long as they have enough charge.

Issuing checks: regular, fiscal, electronic checks

A classic cash register prints paper receipts, but does not generate electronic ones.
A software cash register prints paper and generates electronic receipts. They can be sent to the customer via SMS, Viber, or e-mail instead of paper.

Advantages of an electronic check:

• e-receipts are stored in the program and can be printed at any time if needed,
• savings on consumables: paper, printer,
• environmental friendliness: by not printing a receipt, you reduce the use of paper, which in most cases is immediately thrown into the trash by customers,
• collecting customer data: to send a check, you need to have the customer's phone number or e-mail address. This creates an up-to-date customer base in the program, which can be used to send mailings.

Electronic receipts are actively used by large retail chains. In an SMS, the buyer does not receive the receipt itself, but a link to it in the tax office.

You can exclude a customer from the mass mailing list in Torgsoft ⟶ Marketing ⟶ Customers ⟶ Customer card ⟶ Other.

The cost of a cash register

Updating a classic cash register, flashing and replacing it cost money. There are monthly payments for use. Prices range from 500 to 1500 UAH.
The law requires replacing a classic cash register with a new one every 7 years. In addition, the list of cash registers allowed for use is periodically updated. Therefore, if you have purchased a payment transaction recorder, and it is removed from the list of authorized ones, you will have to replace it regardless of whether 7 years have passed since the installation of the cash register.
In Torgsoft, a license for a software cash register is purchased once, there are no monthly payments. Updates of the software cash register from Torgsoft are currently free of charge.

How to work with a bank terminal and a cash register?

In addition to cash registers, the tax authorities also require a bank terminal in stores in towns with a population of more than 25 thousand people.
Regardless of the type of cash register used, Torgsoft works in such a way that when paying with a terminal, funds are first credited to the account, and then the sale is recorded. This allows you to avoid a situation when the client has no funds on the account, but the sale has already been made, and you have to make a refund.

If the terminal is connected to Torgsoft

Set the settings in the cash register or software cash register so that information about the payment in the bank terminal is transmitted and the receipt from the terminal is automatically printed on the fiscal receipt.

Go to Settings ⟶ Options ⟶ Receipt ⟶ Fiscal ⟶ Configure/Set ⟶ check the box «Transfer payment information by bank terminal» ⟶ Record.
The fiscal receipt will contain the required information.

If the bank terminal is not connected to Torgsoft

If the option «Connecting a bank terminal» is not configured, you will have to enter the transaction information manually each time.

Go to Settings ⟶ Options ⟶ Check ⟶ Fiscal ⟶ Configure/Set ⟶ check the box «Transmit payment information by bank terminal» ⟶ check the box «Request bank terminal transaction parameters» ⟶ Save.
Take the receipt from the bank terminal, find the necessary information in it and rewrite it in the form for filling in the parameters for payment by bank card to display this information on the fiscal receipt:

• Payment device identifier
• Name of the acquirer
• Payment system
• Transaction code
• Authorization code

If the receipt does not contain all the necessary information or is filled out with errors, fines are imposed.
Manually filling out a receipt is time-consuming and there is a high probability of errors. Therefore, entrepreneurs connect the terminal to the Torgsoft program and the program automatically duplicates the receipt from the terminal to the fiscal one.
Some sellers attach a bank receipt to a regular receipt instead of filling out a receipt, but the law requires that the receipt contain all the necessary information, so how the tax authorities perceive this during the audit depends directly on the tax officer, that is, how the inspector wishes.

How to work with a software cash register?

How do sellers work with a software cash register?

Each cashier has an electronic signature registered with the tax office.
Option 1: One of the sellers opens a shift at the cash register with his/her key and all day long all sales at this cash register come from this seller until he/she closes the shift.
Option 2: Specify that the program asks which seller's seal to use every time during a sale. Then different sellers can work at the same checkout and sales will come from different sellers depending on the seal used.
For convenience, the surname of the seller can be indicated on the sales form:

How to conduct sales through a software cash register?

• Identify the fiscal characteristic of the product in the program.

• In the program settings, specify whether you want to print receipts. The Print receipts setting should be enabled even if there is no printer. This is necessary for the program to generate electronic receipts and send them to the tax server. So, if you don't have a printer, just select the option to print PDF in the settings.

• Link the employee who has the electronic key to the salesperson in the program.
• Open the sales form and make sales.

How to return a fiscal item?

• Open the return form.
• Scan the item you want to return.
• Click Refund.

On the refund form, check the «Print refund receipt» box to return fiscal goods through the tax office.

How to register a software cash register, business unit, cashiers in Torgsoft?

Registration of cash registers

To register a software cash register, you no longer need to go to the tax office, search for the registration form in tabs, fill in all the fields manually, no need to go from tab to tab in search of an electronic signature, password, send an application to the tax office manually and worry about errors. The registration process is automated in the Torgsoft program, so registering a cash register, business unit, or cashier takes a few minutes.
On the company form and on the software cash register form, enter the entrepreneur's key or the director's key of the organization and the password.

Click «Add», specify the name, type of cash register, whether it supports offline mode, click «Save» and the Form №1 will be created.
The program will fill in this form with the necessary data from the tax office and automatically send the application.
When the tax office approves the application, the program will display a receipt of successful registration of the cash register. Next, you just need to click the «Create a software cash register» button and the new cash register will be added to the Torgsoft program. You can open a shift and use it.

How to register cashiers in the Torgsoft program?

To register a cashier through the software cash register, it is enough to have a cashier key. Add a new cashier in the program, select the cashier's key, the program reads information about his or her tax number, and click the «Save» button. The program automatically creates Form №5, fills it out, and sends it to the tax office. Within the next 5 minutes, you usually receive a response from the tax office. The program highlights approved applications in green.

If you have several cash registers and several sellers, you need to create a digital signature for each cashier.
Next, you need to register this signature using Form №5.

How do I know if the program has pulled up the correct data in the application form?

If there are any errors, they will be indicated in the receipt from the tax office.

Frequently asked questions about the software cash register

What fiscal number of the cash register should I specify?

• In receipt №2 from the tax office about the acceptance of the package of documents, in brackets, there are a number of the devices provided by the tax office. This number is the fiscal number of the cash register.

What number should I assign to the cash register?

• Cash registers are numbered sequentially: 1, 2, 3, etc.

How can I name a cash register?

• There are no requirements for names. You can give it any name you like.

Can I not register a salesperson if he/she is the only cashier?

• It is not necessary to register a cashier, as he or she can work under the seal of a sole proprietorship. This is not a violation if the seller is officially employed.

What if I forgot to close the shift?

• You can close and open shifts whenever you want and for as long as you want, but the shift duration should not be longer than 24 hours. If you forget to close a shift in the evening, close it in the morning and open a new one.

What kind of reports do I need to make?

• Only the z-report is mandatory for the software cash register. It must be generated at the end of each working day. But if you forget to make this report, you can submit it within the next 24 hours and it will not be a violation. If there is a power outage, the report can be submitted as soon as the Internet connection and electricity supply are restored.

What errors can occur in a software cash register, why and how to fix them?

Errors can occur when working with any cash register. The sources of errors are different:

• the tax office — no connection to the server,
• on the part of the seller — they opened a shift at the wrong cash register,
• setup errors — when an entrepreneur tries to change the key or other settings on an open shift,
• in the operation of the cash register itself, if the sale of fiscal goods does not follow the logic of the cash register or the tax office makes changes to the cash register on the same day without warning.

The error information window is not an error itself. So do not close it in a hurry. The error text is a hint from the program that has already analyzed what happened and is trying to help you fix the situation.

Examples of errors and how to fix them

• No cryptographic libraries on the computer.

There is a direct link to download cryptographic libraries in the Torgsoft help:

Download them and install them on your computer.

• The cashier tries to print a check, but the program reports an incorrect document number.

This happens when fiscal receipts are printed on different devices and the numbering of fiscal receipts does not match the number of receipts printed on this particular database. Click «Yes» to update the numbering data in the printer system.

• The software cash register does not find a valid electronic key of the entrepreneur. Such an error occurs when the user specified the path to the key in the software cash register and then moved the folder with the key to another location. In this case, you need to re-enter the path to the key in the program and make sure that it has not expired.
• When the date is off on the computer where the accounting program is installed. When sending checks to the tax office, an error will occur due to the time difference between the server in fiscal checks and the tax office server. Set up time synchronization with the Internet on Windows, and the error will not occur.
• A mistake was made during the registration of the cash register, and now they are trying to re-register it during an open shift. You cannot make changes to the cash register during an open shift. Close the shift, then re-register the data on the cash register. After the application is accepted by the tax office, you can pull up the updated data in Torgsoft.
• If you forgot to indicate that the cash register works offline when registering it, then when the Internet goes offline, you will receive a message that this program is not planned to work online. You need to select a previously registered software cash register in form №1, click «Edit», to indicate that it supports offline mode. The program will create the form and send it to the tax office. The tax office will send a receipt of approval of the changes, after which you can sell fiscal goods without the Internet.

If the software cash register has already been added to Torgsoft and has been used, you need to go to the cash register settings again and select it again through the business units so that the changes are pulled up. You do not need to restart the program.
If your cash register supports offline mode and is registered with the tax office as working offline, then contact technical support.

What you shouldn't do to avoid problems?

• Do not fix the error yourself if you are not sure how to do it correctly.
• Do not delete files from the program, as there is no guarantee that they will be restored when you need them.
• Do not delete offline session receipts yourself, as it will be impossible to undo this action.

Most errors in the operation of the cash register can be avoided by maintaining the latest version of the Torgsoft program update.

Summary

• A cash register together with an accounting program helps an entrepreneur in business: it issues and sends checks to the tax authorities on its own.
• To make your work much easier, it is better to install a software cash register right away. The software cash register automates the sales process, provides convenient cash register management, displays visual analytics, makes it possible to sell goods without the Internet, and facilitates the collection of customer data. The program stores all sales information and keeps records in one or more stores at the same time. With the software cash register, most tasks go online: applications, registration, error correction, generating and saving checks, reporting.
• A bank terminal and a software cash register have to be used together, with the «Connecting a bank terminal» option enabled and configured.
• You can register a cash register directly from the Torgsoft program.