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Internal controls over cash

Reconciliations find problems after the fact; controls stop many of them happening. This category covers the internal controls around cash: who should handle, record, approve and reconcile it, how to review a reconciliation properly, bank access and online permissions, positive pay and ACH blocks, wire and vendor change checks, and what works when the team is only two people. It also covers testing those controls. Read Internal Controls Over Cash for Small Finance Teams first, then the segregation of duties posts.

  1. Wire Transfer Approval Process With Callbacks

    A wire transfer approval process: request, documentation, callback verification, dual release and the records that prove each step happened.

    Published October 17, 2026wire transferscallback verificationpayment approval

  2. What Is Positive Pay and Should You Use It?

    What is positive pay: the issued-check file, exception decisions, payee positive pay, ACH positive pay, and costs against the fraud it stops.

    Published October 17, 2026positive paycheck fraudbank services

  3. Vendor Bank Account Change Verification Steps

    Vendor bank account change verification: independent callbacks, waiting periods, test payments and red flags in an email asking to switch banks.

    Published October 17, 2026vendor masterpayment fraudcallback

  4. Testing Bank Reconciliation Controls: Design and Operation

    Testing bank reconciliation controls: design walkthroughs, operating effectiveness samples, review evidence and how to grade a control that failed.

    Published October 17, 2026control testingbank reconciliationinternal audit

  5. SOX Controls for Cash: Key Controls and Evidence

    SOX controls for cash: the key controls, typical control descriptions, the evidence testers ask for and the deficiencies that come up most.

    Published October 17, 2026soxicfrkey controls

  6. Segregation of Duties in a Small Business With Two People

    Segregation of duties in a small business with one or two staff: compensating controls, owner review and what to do when duties cannot be split.

    Published October 17, 2026segregation of dutiessmall businessowner review

  7. Segregation of Duties for Cash: Who Does What

    Segregation of duties for cash: separating custody, recording, approval and reconciliation, with a duty matrix you can fill in for your own team.

    Published October 17, 2026segregation of dutiescash controlsduty matrix

  8. Remote Deposit Capture Controls for Scanned Checks

    Remote deposit capture controls: who scans, storing and destroying checks, duplicate presentment risk and reconciling captured deposits to the bank.

    Published October 17, 2026remote depositcheck depositsduplicates

  9. Petty Cash Controls: Float, Custodian, Receipts

    Petty cash controls that work: an imprest float, one custodian, receipts for every payout, surprise counts and limits on what petty cash can buy.

    Published October 17, 2026petty cashimprest fundcash controls

  10. Owner Review of Bank Statements in 15 Minutes

    A 15-minute owner review of bank statements: unfamiliar payees, check images, transfers, payroll totals and the questions to ask your bookkeeper.

    Published October 17, 2026owner reviewsmall businessfraud prevention

  11. Online Banking User Permissions and Approval Rules

    How to set online banking user permissions: view, initiate and approve roles, dual approval for payments, token control and quarterly access reviews.

    Published October 17, 2026online bankinguser accessdual approval

  12. Nonprofit Cash Controls With Volunteers and a Board

    Nonprofit cash controls for small organizations: volunteers, two-person counts, board oversight and how restricted gifts are tracked to the bank.

    Published October 17, 2026nonprofitvolunteersrestricted gifts

  13. Mandatory Vacation Policy: A Fraud Control That Works

    Why a mandatory vacation policy exposes fraud, how long the absence should be, who covers the duties and what to look at while the person is away.

    Published October 17, 2026mandatory vacationfraud preventionjob rotation

  14. Internal Controls Over Cash for Small Finance Teams

    Internal controls over cash for small teams: receipts, disbursements, bank access and reconciliation review, with the minimum set that still works.

    Published October 17, 2026internal controlscashsmall teams

  15. Internal Control Questionnaire for Cash, Ready to Use

    An internal control questionnaire for cash: questions on receipts, disbursements, bank access and reconciliations, and how to read the answers.

    Published October 17, 2026questionnaireinternal controlaudit planning

  16. Dual Signature on Checks: Does It Still Work?

    Whether a dual signature on checks still protects you: how banks treat it, why it fails with electronic payments and the controls that replace it.

    Published October 17, 2026check signingpayment approvaldual control

  17. Corporate Card Controls: Limits, Receipts and Review

    Corporate card controls: per-card limits, merchant blocks, receipt deadlines, manager review and what to do when a card is used for personal costs.

    Published October 17, 2026corporate cardsexpense policycard review

  18. Church Offering Counting Procedures That Protect Counters

    Church offering counting procedures: two unrelated counters, count sheets, sealed deposits and matching the count to the bank deposit every week.

    Published October 17, 2026churchoffering countnonprofit

  19. Check Stock Security: Storage, Logs and Disposal

    Check stock security basics: locked storage, numbering logs, who can print checks, destroying voided stock and reviewing sequence gaps monthly.

    Published October 17, 2026check stockcheck frauddisbursements

  20. Cash Receipts Internal Controls From Mail to Deposit

    Cash receipts internal controls from mail opening to deposit: logs, restrictive endorsement, daily deposits and matching receipts to the bank.

    Published October 17, 2026cash receiptsinternal controlsdeposits

  21. Cash Handling Procedures for Registers and Tills

    Cash handling procedures for registers and tills: opening floats, drops, voids, end-of-shift counts and the deposit trail that ties to the bank.

    Published October 17, 2026cash handlingregisterstill count

  22. Cash Disbursement Controls That Stop Bad Payments

    Cash disbursement controls that stop bad payments: approval limits, supporting documents, payment release and the reports to review after the fact.

    Published October 17, 2026disbursementspayment approvalaccounts payable

  23. Cash Control Deficiencies Auditors Report Most

    The cash control deficiencies auditors report most: late reconciliations, missing review, shared logins, unsigned checks, and how to fix each one.

    Published October 17, 2026deficienciesaudit findingsremediation

  24. Bank Reconciliation Sign Off: Evidence That Counts

    What a bank reconciliation sign off should show: preparer and reviewer, dates, what was checked, and why a bare initial is weak evidence of review.

    Published October 17, 2026sign-offreview evidencedocumentation

  25. Bank Reconciliation Review Checklist for Reviewers

    A bank reconciliation review checklist: tie balances to source, test reconciling items, check dates and signatures, and know what to send back.

    Published October 17, 2026reviewbank reconciliationsign-off

  26. Bank Account Inventory: List Every Account You Own

    How to keep a bank account inventory: every account, signer and online user, how to confirm the list with each bank and close accounts nobody uses.

    Published October 17, 2026account listbank accessdormant accounts

  27. Authorized Signers on Business Bank Account Records

    How to manage authorized signers on a business bank account: who should sign, removing departed staff, board resolutions and annual reviews.

    Published October 17, 2026signersbank accessboard resolution

  28. ACH Debit Block vs ACH Debit Filter

    What an ACH debit block does, how a debit filter differs, which accounts need one and how to authorize the legitimate debits you still want.

    Published October 17, 2026achdebit blockbank services