Guides · Counter billing
Discounts and offers at the counter
Discounts and offers are part of counter selling, but a discount only helps if the bill still records what actually happened. Handled cleanly, the day's takings and the books stay in step.
Show the discount on the bill
A discount given at the counter belongs on the bill, as a line or a reduction against the item, so the amount the customer actually paid is what gets recorded.
A discount handed over verbally, with the bill showing the full price, is where the till and the books start to drift apart.
Offers and their effect on tax
Where the business is registered and the sale is taxable, a discount shown on the bill at the time of sale reduces the value the tax is charged on. Later or conditional offers can work differently.
The safe habit is to record the discount at the moment of the sale, on the bill, rather than adjusting afterward.
How Lekha helps
Lekha records each counter sale into the same ledger as the rest of the business, so a discounted sale lands with the amount actually taken.
Lekha records what your documents say and tracks the money on both sides — what you owe and what you are owed. It records and tracks; it does not replace your accountant.
Questions
- Should a counter discount appear on the bill?
- Yes. Showing the discount on the bill means the recorded amount matches what the customer paid, so the takings and the books stay in step.
- Does a discount affect the tax on a counter sale?
- A discount shown on the bill at the time of a taxable sale generally reduces the value the tax is charged on. Later or conditional offers can be treated differently.
- How do I keep the till and the books matching?
- Record every discount on the bill at the moment of sale, rather than giving it verbally or adjusting afterward, so each sale is recorded at the amount taken.