Gift cards and the forgotten ledger beside your POS

Many shops treat gift card sales as ordinary revenue the day they are sold. The POS application may track remaining balances, yet nobody reconciles that liability to the books. During a full POS financial audit we often ask for three numbers: cards sold, cards redeemed, and outstanding balance per the POS. If the bookkeeping system never recorded a liability, outstanding balances become a quiet debt to guests.

A light monthly ritual helps: export the gift card liability report, compare it to last month, and explain large movements (festival promotions, expired cards if your policy allows). You do not need elaborate software—just a consistent export and a notebook line your accountant can see.