The card statement lands on the 2nd. You have a folder of receipts, a coded spreadsheet, and forty minutes before service. The temptation is to check the totals, see they are "about right", and sign it off. Do that, and the first person to look properly at your books will be an auditor who does not know you and does not owe you the benefit of the doubt.
What Makes a Receipt Valid
| Element | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Vendor name and address | Proves who was paid |
| Vendor tax / VAT number | Required for any tax or VAT treatment |
| Date | Places the spend in the right period |
| Itemised list | Supports allocation to cost codes |
| Currency and total | Supports the reconciliation |
| Tax / VAT shown separately | The management company needs it split |
| Payment method | Links the receipt to the card line or the cash book |
A photograph of a thermal receipt, taken the day it is issued, is worth more than the original in three months, when the original is blank.
The Missing-Receipt Procedure
If a receipt genuinely cannot be obtained, do not invent one and do not quietly absorb the spend:
- Complete a missing-receipt voucher the same day: date, vendor, amount, currency, what was bought, cost code, and why there is no receipt.
- Sign it, and have it countersigned by the captain or the relevant HOD.
- Attach any secondary evidence: the card line, a photo of the goods, an email confirmation.
- Track the frequency. One voucher a quarter is life. Five vouchers a month is a control failure and will be read as one.
Reconciling Line by Line — Worked Example
Reconciliation means matching every statement line to an evidenced entry. Not totals. Lines.
| Date | Vendor | Statement (EUR) | Receipt (EUR) | Code | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 Jun | Supermarket | 412.60 | 412.60 | Split 3 ways | Matched |
| 04 Jun | Florist | 185.00 | 185.00 | Flowers | Matched |
| 05 Jun | Chandlery | 96.40 | 96.40 | Interior consumables | Matched |
| 06 Jun | Fuel dock | 1,240.00 | — | Fuel | Unmatched |
| 07 Jun | Laundry | 320.75 | 320.75 | Laundry | Matched |
| Total | 2,254.75 | 1,014.75 |
412.60 + 185.00 + 96.40 + 1,240.00 + 320.75 = 2,254.75. Receipts evidenced total 1,014.75. The gap is exactly EUR 1,240.00 — a single unmatched line, not a mystery. You now have one specific question to answer, and the name of the vendor to answer it with.
Onboard Notes
- Reconcile weekly during a busy season. Monthly reconciliation of a charter month is a long, unhappy evening.
- Tick each line in the file as you match it. Half-reconciled is not reconciled.
- Never adjust a receipt figure to make a line agree. Adjust your understanding, or raise the discrepancy.