Also called: End of Day Report, Banking Report, X Balance, Z Balance, Z report
What an end-of-day report is
An end-of-day report is a summary of activity recorded by your POS system or payment terminal for a chosen day, shift, or serving period. It helps you compare what the system recorded with what staff counted and what your payment activity shows. The exact fields depend on the software and terminal, so the title alone does not tell you whether the report covers card sales, cash, checks, or all three.
Some systems use related labels such as Banking Report, X Balance, Z Balance, or Z report. Those names are not a reliable guarantee that the reports work the same way. One POS report format, for example, separates Actual Total, Total Cash, Total Checks, Total Collected, and Deposit Amount. It calculates Over/(Short) by comparing the drawer total with the amount counted.
A terminal report can also identify the merchant ID, terminal, reporting dates, and transaction totals by card type. Look at the report fields, not just the name, to confirm what activity it includes.
A report summarizes recorded activity; it does not prove that your card batch settled or your bank deposit arrived.
How it works
Your POS or terminal records transactions as they happen, then displays or prints a summary for the date or period you select. A cashier closeout can add a drawer count to the transaction totals. For example, a report might show cash entered, checks recorded, starting cash, and the amount staff counted at close. If those figures differ, the over-or-short amount helps narrow down the discrepancy.
A report and a batch close are separate things. The report shows recorded activity. Closing a card batch submits or settles transactions for processing, which is part of moving funds toward your business account. Printing a report does not, by itself, prove that a batch closed or that the matching deposit reached your bank.
For card activity, compare the report's date, terminal, and card totals with your batch records and later deposits. Timing differences between a transaction date, batch close, and bank deposit can make totals land on different days.
What it means for your business
The report does not set your card-processing rates, and the research provides no standard fee for generating one. Its direct value is operational: finding a missing transaction, a drawer shortage, or a mismatch before the day's records are closed. It does not replace a review of your monthly merchant statement.
Use separate totals for cash, checks, and cards when reconciling. A drawer count that includes starting cash will not match a sales total unless you account for that starting amount. For card sales, compare the report with the batch total and the deposit record rather than expecting a same-day match across all three.
If your report shows a difference, preserve the date, terminal, cashier, and transaction detail. Those fields help you trace the issue to a specific shift or payment record instead of adjusting the books to force a match.
What you can actually change
- Check the report fields. Confirm the date range, terminal, and whether the totals cover card payments, cash, checks, or a drawer count. Similar report names do not guarantee identical contents.
- Match each payment type. Compare cash and checks with the drawer count, then compare card totals with the batch record and bank deposit. Account for starting cash and dates that cross a batch close.
- Keep the detail. Save transaction-level records when a total is off. The date, cashier, terminal, and transaction details help locate the discrepancy.
Frequently asked questions
Is an end-of-day report the same as a batch settlement?
No. The report summarizes activity recorded in your POS or terminal. Batch settlement submits card transactions for processing. Check the batch record separately to confirm it closed, then compare its total with the relevant deposit.
Are X Balance, Z Balance, and Banking Report the same thing?
Not necessarily. These labels are used for end-of-day or terminal reports, but the names alone do not establish what each report includes or whether it closes a batch. Compare the date range, payment types, totals, and closeout fields.
Does an end-of-day report show my processing fees?
A daily POS or terminal report is not a substitute for your monthly merchant statement. The research provides no standard end-of-day report fee or universal report field for processing costs. Review your merchant statement for billed processing fees.