Overview of role
The cashier works as part of the production accounting team. Cashiers help assistant accountants and production accountants keep accurate records of how the money on a production is spent. They primarily deal with expense claims, comparing what people have claimed with the receipts they have submitted, and making sure VAT is claimed where
appropriate. They also track money that’s been given to crew (floats), and make sure this money is available to the relevant crew members (and returned at the end of a shoot). They also perform petty cash reconciliations, where the cash on site is counted and cross referenced with outgoing spends.
Download the PDF version of this skills checklist.
Core responsibilities
These core responsibilities are provided as a guide and are not exhaustive. The exact responsibilities in a particular job will vary depending on the scale/budget band/genre of the production.
- Clarify your role, the outcomes and standards you are expected to work to at the start of projects
- Receive petty cash forms (aka expense forms, vouchers or petty cash envelopes), float requests and purchase card requests
- Log and keep a record of all forms and request received
- Deal with crew regarding the repayment of their expenses or top up their purchase card
- Summarise, record and communicate accounting balances to crew and Head of Department
- Analyse petty cash vouchers and receipts/invoice and code accordingly
- Develop methods of coding data, creating a list of most used codes
- Record transactions and allocate to the correct expenditure code and department
- Apply VAT input principles as per HMRC processes and follow internal protocols
- Maintain level of floats approved and process expenses in a timely manner
- Check daily floats, requests and conciliations that may be received
- Monitor actual expenditure against float received
- Process all expenditure and check all approvals are in place prior to repaying
- Promptly report any significant variations to the person controlling expenditure
- Identify crew who will not have a float or purchase card, and arrange for their expenses to be paid via accounts payable (AP) or payroll; consulting with AP or payroll departments on the best way to pay non-floaters expense forms
- Request top-up of purchase card general funds account
- Deal with lost receipts or money
- Produce accurate and up to date reports, presenting reports in the required format and at the required time
- Maintain records of end dates of crew, people who might be off-sick or no longer on the job, that affect petty cash balance, claims and top-ups
- Comply with department and productions deadlines, including bank payments cuts off, payroll day payments, bank holidays or special shooing days
- Request access to the various accounting software and apps for the production
- Follow filing and data entry procedures as described either on the production’s manual, accounts memo or head of department recommendations
- Locate the required information within the online accounting system
- Seek advice where there are difficulties in obtaining the required information
- Obtain additional authorisation for sensitive or confidential information in accordance with the organisation’s security
- Manage the production accounting software, spreadsheets, online signatures software and online purchase card banking system
- Store information in a format which helps others to access and use it
- Title spreadsheets, forms and reconciliations in a way which clearly defines its use and purpose
- Arrange the spreadsheets consistently with organisational conventions
- Check calculated values are correct when making changes to the inputs
- Use the spreadsheet to carry out data modifications and to enter related formulas
- Handle interfaces with other software packages
- Keep confidential information secure and do not disclose to unauthorised people
- Identify and suggest potential improvements to the computerised accounting system and consider their impact on the quality of the system and any interrelated systems
- Confirm the production’s petty cash accounts and banking arrangements are in order to ensure that the production is able to provide cash or purchase cards
- Monitor payments into purchase card accounts to ensure that funds are available to top up crew’s cards
- Arrange for funds to be transferred between accounts on a regular basis in a manner that ensures availability, as required
- Create the operations, transactions and journals on the system to reflect cash or transfers between current account and purchase card or cash tin account
- Identify potential cash shortfalls resulting from late receipt of funds or from overspends
- Arrange with the bank to ensure cash can be withdrawn in sufficient quantities to meet requirements
- Transport and store cash or physical purchase cards safely and securely between locations
- Maintain procedures for cash or purchase card handling, security and confidentiality at all times
- Follow up physical movement of money between the production account and the purchase card account or cash tin
- Establish a system to record petty cash transactions
- Accurately record cash withdrawals from the main cash account or transfers to the purchase card account
- Correctly calculate totals and balances and transfer totals of petty cash expenditure to the correct ledger accounts
- Identify and resolve any discrepancies, unusual features or queries promptly
- Process foreign receipts in a manner that minimises cost of transactions
- Follow health and safety and sustainability processes and procedures
- Keep confidential information secure and do not disclose it to unauthorised people
- Offer assistance, where the demands of your role permit, to colleagues in the production management team to facilitate the successful completion of tasks
Skills
Check out role specific skills, transferable skills and attributes for the role of cashier.
- Establish good relationships with production and accounts team members
- Liaise with production team and other departments regarding spend monitoring
- Maintain petty cash and banking records
- Communication: interpreting your team’s requirements and communicating well with your colleagues
- Team-working: collaboration within own and other departments
- Networking: investing time in networking activities, building a network of business contacts and establishing rapport with others quickly and effectively
- Resilience and enthusiasm: adapt positively to changing work priorities and patterns, ensuring deadlines continue to be met
- Proactive and explores new ideas and creative
ways of working which will enhance and deliver the best results for the production - Productivity: organises and prioritises work effectively and achieves required results within deadlines
- Demonstrates the drive and energy to get things done in pressurised situations and escalates appropriately when necessary
- Flexibility: willing to both listen and learn and to accept changing priorities and working requirements and has the flexibility to maintain high standards in a changing production environment
- Professional development: develop an ethos to learn and seek out learning and networking opportunities, identifying those that will be most beneficial