> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.now-os.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Start of day

> Open the business day on the NowOS register: enter the opening float, understand the after-midnight cutoff, and what happens when yesterday was left open.

The business day is the envelope around your selling day: it opens in the morning with the opening float, collects every sale and cash movement, then gets sealed in the evening at [close of day](/en/pos/close-of-day). Start of day works the same way in restaurant mode and retail mode.

## When the register offers it

You don't have to think about it: the register prompts you to open the day at the right moment.

* **At sign-in.** Right after your PIN, if no day is open, the **Open the day** window appears. You can dismiss it if you're not ready yet — a **"Day not open"** chip then stays at the top of the screen; tap it to open the day at any time.
* **At the first payment.** Taking orders doesn't require an open day, but taking a payment does. If the day still isn't open when you tap **Pay**, the same window appears — open the day and the payment continues. See [Taking payments](/en/pos/payments).
* **From the Close of day screen.** If you open **More** → **Close of day** with no day open, the register offers to open it there too.

## Opening the day

<Steps>
  <Step title="Count the cash in the drawer">
    Before the first sale, count what is actually in the cash drawer.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the suggested amount">
    The **STARTING FLOAT** card shows your location's default float, already pre-filled.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Adjust if needed">
    If the drawer doesn't hold exactly that amount, enter the real amount on the keypad.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap Open day">
    The **Open day** button shows the float you settled on. The day is open: you can take payments.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  The float you enter at opening is the starting point for the expected-cash calculation in the evening. Take the time to count it: a rough float in the morning becomes an unexplained difference at night.
</Note>

The default float is set in the backoffice — see [Settings](/en/backoffice/settings).

## The reminder about yesterday

If the previous day was closed, the opening window shows a reminder: yesterday's date, its Z number, the amount counted (or "drawer not counted" if the drawer wasn't counted), and how many orders were left open and carried over to the new day.

## Days that end after midnight

If your venue closes after midnight, late-service sales still count toward the current day: a sale taken at 00:45 belongs to the day opened the evening before, not to the next day.

The switch happens at your location's cutoff hour (04:00 by default, adjustable in the backoffice). Before that hour, everything stays attached to the previous day's business day.

## If yesterday's day was left open

Sometimes a team leaves without closing. The register never blocks the morning team because of it: when you open the new day, the forgotten day is sealed automatically and the float you enter restates the reality of the drawer. For the details of this automatic catch-up, see [Close of day](/en/pos/close-of-day).