A free petty cash template built for Australian businesses: a log with a GST column that flags purchases needing a tax invoice, printable petty cash vouchers, and a reconciliation tab that works out your top-up. Download the Excel spreadsheet, no sign-up.
Many free petty cash templates are built for the US and don’t handle GST. This one works out the GST on every purchase, flags the ones that need a tax invoice, and does the reconciliation maths for you.
What’s inside
- Petty cash log: one row per voucher, with date, voucher number, who was paid, description, category, amount including GST, a GST-free flag, GST, amount excluding GST, whether you hold the receipt, whether a tax invoice is needed, and who approved it. Totals by category calculate as you go.
- Reconciliation: enter your float and the cash you counted. It shows the expected cash, any shortfall or overage, and the top-up needed to bring the float back to its full amount. It also counts vouchers with no receipt and purchases that need a tax invoice.
- Printable vouchers: four petty cash vouchers on one A4 page, ready to print and cut.
- How to use: step-by-step instructions and the ATO record-keeping basics.
How to use it
- On the Reconciliation tab, enter your float amount and the period dates.
- Each time someone takes cash, fill in a voucher and add a row to the log with the amount including GST.
- Mark the purchase GST-free if there’s no GST on it, and mark whether you hold the receipt.
- At the end of the period, count the cash and enter it on the Reconciliation tab. Top up by the amount it shows.
- Sign off the reconciliation, file it with the vouchers and receipts, and start a fresh log.
The ATO bits
Keep most business records for five years, in English, and be able to show them to the ATO if asked. To claim a GST credit on a purchase over $82.50 including GST, you need a tax invoice; the log flags those rows for you. The threshold sits in one cell, so it’s a single edit if the figure changes. Threshold checked October 2026. Sources: ATO record keeping for business and ATO: when you can claim a GST credit. This is general information, not tax advice.
The honest limit of a petty cash log
A log records what people tell you they spent. It can’t stop cash going missing, and it can’t tell you who took the $5 the count is short. Every row with N under “Receipt held?” is a receipt someone now has to chase. If you run several floats or spend hours each month on the count, replace the tin with petty cash cards that record each purchase and its receipt as it happens.
The template is free to download below, with no sign-up required. Want a practical Australian finance tip in your inbox each week? Subscribe to Budgetly Insights.
Free template. Built for Australian businesses.