Petrol pump daily sale: calculating litres and cash from meter readings

Every pump owner knows the feeling: the shift is over, the cash is counted, and it's short. Finding out why starts with doing the meter calculation the same way every time.

Step by step

For each nozzle:

1. Litres sold = closing meter − opening meter − testing litres (fuel poured back into the tank)
2. Meter sale = litres × rate

Add all nozzles together. Then:

3. Cash due = meter sale − credit sales − card and wallet sales
4. Short or over = cash handed in − cash due

A worked example

One petrol nozzle, rate Rs 260 a litre (an example figure):

• Opening meter: 125,430.5
• Closing meter: 126,210.5
• Testing: 5 litres
• Litres sold: 126,210.5 − 125,430.5 − 5 = 775 litres
• Meter sale: 775 × 260 = Rs 201,500
• Credit slips during the shift: Rs 40,000
• Card and JazzCash: Rs 25,000
• Cash due: Rs 136,500

If the attendant hands in Rs 136,000, the shift is Rs 500 short.

When the rate changes mid-shift

Write each nozzle's meter at the moment the new rate starts. Litres before it are sold at the old rate, litres after at the new one. Skipping this step is one of the most common reasons a shift doesn't match.

Tank dip

Once a day, compare the dip in the tank with the book stock (opening + tankers − litres sold). A small difference is normal from temperature; a growing one needs looking into.

Munshi's petrol pump software does all of this at shift close: meters, testing litres, rate changes, credit and card sales, each attendant's cash due and the tank dip.