X-Report vs. Z-Report – The Difference

In the POS world there are two key reports that often get confused: X-report and Z-report. They look similar on screen but do different things. Understanding the difference matters for both staff and auditors.

Short summary

What is an X-report?

The X-report is a read-only snapshot of sales since the last Z-report. It can be run at any time, as many times as you want, and affects nothing.

Typical uses:

• Lunch restaurant: run X at 14:00 to see how lunch went
• Bar manager: run X before shift change to follow sales
• Owner: quick check of day's result without closing the till
• Staff coaching: show real-time sales

What it shows:

• Orders so far
• Total including VAT
• Breakdown per payment method (cash, card, Swish)
• Breakdown per category (food, beverage, alcohol)
• VAT amount per rate
• Discounts and returns

What does not happen:

• No counter is reset
• No voucher is created
• Nothing is sent to Skatteverket
• The fiscal archive is untouched
• CCA is not contacted

Think of the X-report as a "preview" of the Z-report.

What is a Z-report?

The Z-report is the end of a period, usually a day. When run it:

1. Aggregates all sales since the last Z-report
2. An immutable log entry is added to the fiscal archive
3. A balanced voucher is created
4. The Z-report counter is atomically incremented by 1
5. The day's totals are "locked" – they cannot be changed afterwards

Z stands for "zero" – because the day's counter is reset.

Under the Swedish Cash Register Act (SKVFS 2014:9), a restaurant must close a Z-report at least once per day with sales. Days without sales should also be closed (zero report) to keep the sequence gap-free.

Concrete flow over a day

09:00 – Till open

• Cashier logs in
• Float is added (e.g. 1,500 SEK)
• No report is run

11:30 – After breakfast rush

• Cashier runs X-report: "87 orders, 6,400 SEK, of which 3,200 SEK card"
• Nothing happens in the system, just information
• Till keeps taking orders

14:00 – After lunch

• Manager runs X-report: "234 orders, 18,500 SEK"
• Uses data to plan the evening shift

17:00 – Shift change

• Evening staff starts
• No report needed (X can be run optionally by the new cashier)

23:30 – Close

• Last guest has left
• Kitchen closes, till is done
• Shift leader counts physical cash: 4,512 SEK (incl. 1,500 SEK float = 3,012 SEK in sales)
• Z-report is run:
  • System compares its own 1910 total (expected 3,010 SEK)
  • Difference: 2 SEK (over)
  • 3740 Penny rounding is credited with 2 SEK
  • Voucher Z-number #147 is created
  • SIE file becomes automatically available for export

What happens if I forget to run a Z-report?

One day missed: Next day, when you run the Z-report, two days of sales land in the same voucher. The report is twice as big but technically still correct.

Several days missed: Problems arise – accounting gets messy. The accountant can't see which day each sale happened. You also violate the Cash Register Act's daily Z-report requirement.

Recommendation: Enable automatic Z-report in Vendion so it runs at 23:00 every day, even when the restaurant is closed.

Admin → Accounting → Settings
☑ Enable automatic Z-report
⏰ Time: 23:00
📅 Days: All

Technical details

X-report: Vendion reads the day's sales since the last Z-report and shows them aggregated – no changes to the books.

Z-report: Vendion builds the voucher atomically so that two Z-reports never share a number and no sale is ever double-counted.

Can I submit an X-report to Skatteverket?

No. X-reports are not valid as accounting evidence. They are purely internal reconciliation aids.

• Z-reports must be kept for 7 years (Bookkeeping Act)
• X-reports can be discarded immediately

When to use which?

Use X-report when:

• You want to see current sales
• A shift ends but the day continues
• You want to count the till to make sure everything matches (without closing)
• The manager checks how lunch is going

Use Z-report when:

• The day is over (or nearly over)
• You're closing and going home
• It's month-end and you need to export SIE
• After an audit where Skatteverket has reviewed the till

Common questions

Can I run several Z-reports on the same day? Yes, but it's unusual. Some restaurants do it at shift change (lunch-Z + dinner-Z). Each Z gets its own number and its own voucher.

What happens if I accidentally run Z instead of X? Don't panic – the voucher is created but sales are unaffected. The next Z-report will just be smaller. But you should inform the accountant (vouchers with very small amounts look odd in the books).

Does the X-report print a receipt? Yes, if the receipt printer is configured. The printout is labelled "X – NOT A VOUCHER" to clearly distinguish it from a Z-statement.

Can I see old X-reports? No. They are not stored – they are just temporary snapshots. Historical data is in the Z-reports.