The goods were returned, but the money is not reflected in the "Daily Cash Report": we are looking for a lost financial document

Entrepreneurs often contact technical support with the following problem: a customer returned goods, the cashier processed the operation in the program, the goods were successfully returned to stock, but the outflow of money is not shown in the «Daily Cash Report». The «Daily Cash Report» mode is a critically important tool for the owner, as it allows them to see all financial movements (income, expenses, cash collection) and control the cash balance. The most common complaint from entrepreneurs is that the return is recorded in the goods report (there is a goods movement), but the cash movement is completely absent, which creates an unclear discrepancy between the physical cash in the cash drawer and the program data.

In this article, we will explain in detail why this happens, where the financial document disappears, and how to quickly fix this situation.

How the return mechanism should work ideally

In Torgsoft, every complete trade operation consists of two parts: inventory and financial. When a customer returns goods, the program should perform two actions:

1. Inventory movement: create an incoming invoice and return the goods to the store’s stock balance.

2. Financial movement: create an expense financial document that records the fact of issuing money to the customer from the cash desk or settlement account.

If the balance does not match, it means that the link between these two documents has been broken, or the financial document was not created at all.

Main reasons why a financial document is missing during a return

1. Sudden power outage or computer failure 

If, during the return process, the power suddenly goes out, the computer shuts down, or the Torgsoft process is forcibly terminated, the operation may be interrupted halfway. In such cases, an active return document remains (inventory document), but the payout for it does not occur because the financial document simply did not have time to be created.

2. No payment link to the original sale 

A common reason is not the return itself, but how the goods were originally sold. If, during the sale to a regular customer, the payment was not linked to the sale, then when these goods are later returned, the program returns the goods to stock, but no cash movement occurs. The program assumes that since the money for the goods was not linked to the invoice (or the goods were issued on credit), there is nothing to return to the customer.

3. Changing VIP customer settings without restarting cash desks 

If the business owner changed the VIP customer operating mode (for example, switched from the 1st or 2nd mode to the 3rd), but after that Torgsoft was not restarted at the cashier workstations, a system failure may occur. Payments for sales lose their connection with financial documents, and when trying to make a return, the amount to be paid out for such sales equals zero.

4. Cashier error (unfinished return) 

Sometimes the human factor plays the main role. The cashier may add the goods to the return document but close the program window before clicking the «Return money» button and confirming the payout. In this case, the goods are returned to stock, there is no payment breakdown, and the financial document is not created.

How to fix the situation: step-by-step algorithm

If you find that the goods were returned to stock, but the money was not written off from the cash desk, follow this algorithm:

Step 1. Find the "problem" return.

Check the Goods Report or the list of returns and find the document that caused the problem. Make sure that no financial document is actually linked to it.

Step 2. Check the original sale.

Find the original sale for which the goods were returned. Check whether it was actually paid and whether the payment is linked to a financial document. If the goods were sold without payment being recorded, the system logically does not issue money during the return.

Step 3. Delete the "empty" return.

Since the inventory document already exists but has no financial value, it needs to be cancelled. Delete this return document from the database.

Step 4. Process the return again.

Create a new goods return. If the shift in which the return was made has already been closed, process the new return retroactively (if you have the necessary access rights) or at the current time to balance the cash desk. Carefully make sure that during the operation the «Money returned» button is clicked and a financial document is created.

How to prevent "missing" financial documents from appearing

• Ensure uninterrupted power supply. Install UPS units (uninterruptible power supplies) at cashier workstations. This will protect the database from transaction interruptions during voltage drops.

• Restart the program after changes. Any global changes in program parameter settings (especially those related to VIP customers or calculation methods) require Torgsoft to be restarted on all workstations in the network.

• Update the program. Torgsoft developers constantly improve protection against unfinished operations. Working with the current version of the program minimizes the likelihood of software failures when working with fiscal registrars and bank terminals.