The lack of a paper trail can make it hard to track your funds and the large amount of on-site cash may require additional hassles to make sure it's kept safe. Tracking sales, keeping records, and understanding your customer base will take more time and more energy from you.
However, cash transactions also come with some disadvantages. For one, carrying large sums of cash can be risky, making both the buyer and seller vulnerable to theft or robbery. Cash transactions also do not offer the same level of protection as other forms of payment, such as credit cards or online payment systems.
Cash Can't be Recovered if it's Lost or Stolen
It is unlikely that you can recover cash if you lose it, whereas a credit card and debit card can be cancelled and stopped when it is lost. Even if someone manages to get your credit card or debit card and use it to make purchases, the money can be recovered by the issuer.
Cash-intensive businesses can be vulnerable to criminal exploitation by their operators and as such may represent an increased money laundering risk. They can be used to launder the proceeds of criminal activity by mixing the illicit proceeds of crime with legitimate income from the cash-intensive business.
It's fast. Banknotes and coins settle a payment instantly. It's secure. Cash has proven to be secure in terms of cybercrime, fraud and counterfeiting.
The advantages of cash payments include simplicity and immediate availability, while disadvantages include the risk of theft and lack of traceability. Advantages of cash payments include anonymity and immediate availability. Disadvantages include risk of theft and lack of digital record keeping.
Cash is particularly susceptible to misuse for money laundering and funding of terrorism (ML/FT) purposes.
Inflation is Un-hedged: Companies having excessive cash receive a comparatively little amount of interest on their bank accounts than other lucrative investment options like growth stocks, good bonds etc. In such cases companies fail to hedge inflation which ultimately decreases the economic value of business.
Primary Risks for Cash
The primary risks are: Cash is stolen. Cash is intentionally overstated to cover up theft. Not all cash accounts are on the general ledger.
Common red flags include large cash transactions, structuring transactions to avoid reporting thresholds, rapid movement of funds, unusual customer activity, lack of business justification, dealing with non-resident customers or Politically Exposed Persons, offshore transactions, unregistered or unlicensed entities, ...
Any of the following “red flags” should signal a scam:
You are sent a check in connection with a payment request. Con artists often win their victims' confidence by sending a fake check for more than the amount of purchase or to cover so-called processing fees, shipping costs or other expenses.
Key takeaways. A debit cards is an easy and convenient way to make purchases without overspending. Cash can come in handy when card processing systems are down or unavailable. Using a credit card is a good option for larger purchases you want to pay off over time.
"Paying in cash typically saves the small business owner between 2% and 3% of the transaction price in interchange fees. Interchange fees are the fees charged by the bank, the processing company and card network to process a credit or debit card transaction," Johnston said.
Far Greater Efficiency. There are two ways a cashless business is more efficient. Firstly, paying by card saves a lot of time as there's no need to worry about handling cash. Customers don't waste time counting out their money, you don't waste time putting it away and counting up change.
Financial institutions are required to report cash deposits of $10,000 or more to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in the United States, and also structuring to avoid the $10,000 threshold is also considered suspicious and reportable.
Firms should look out for activity that is inconsistent with their expected behavior, such as large cash payments, unexplained payments from a third party, or use of multiple or foreign accounts. These are all AML red flags.
Although many cash transactions are legitimate, the government can often trace illegal activities through payments reported on complete, accurate Forms 8300, Report of Cash Payments Over $10,000 Received in a Trade or BusinessPDF. Here are facts on who must file the form, what they must report and how to report it.
Payments accepted online, over the phone, and through email are all examples of card-not-present transactions. Because it's easier for fraudsters to use stolen credit card numbers when they don't have to show a physical card, this type of payment is considered a high-risk transaction.
All cash received should be accounted for immediately. All received cheques should be crossed immediately on receipt. Cash receipt should be issued to debtors and daily reconciliation of account should be done where the debtors pay cash on daily basis. All cash receipts should be deposited in bank on a daily basis.
Main area of focus for audit of “Cash and cash equivalents”:
Bank confirmations. Petty cash count and cash certificate for the year end balance of cash in hand. Subsequent position of cheques that were not cleared in the year end. Test of control over bank payments, petty cash payments and bank receipts.