Cash float calculator
How much change to bring to a market or craft fair: what your float covers at your prices, and the bills to ask the bank for.
A $150 float covers
18 sales
paid with a $20, at $8.00 change each, before the small bills run out.
| Tens | 8 × $10 |
|---|---|
| Fives | 8 × $5 |
| Ones | 30 × $1 |
| Cash to bring | $150 |
| Cash takings25 sales at $12.00 | $300.00 |
| In the cash box at the end of the day | $450.00 |
You expect 25 cash sales. Not every customer pays with a $20, and the bills they pay with go back into the float, but if they all did you'd be out of change after 18. Bring a backup, or try a bigger float.
The bills follow the $100 float one Maine farmers market vendor carries: five tens, five fives and twenty-five ones, scaled to your float.
How much to bring
Craftybase calls $100 to $150 in small bills a sensible starting point, with a few rolls of coins [2]. A Maine farmers market vendor carries exactly $100 a person, as five tens, five fives and twenty-five ones, and keeps one more $100 ready as a backup [1].
Price so you need less change
The same vendor prices everything so the smallest coin needed is a quarter [1]. Whole-dollar prices go further: no coins at all, and a $5 price is changed from a $20 with three fives.
Keep it on you
They keep the float in a wad on their person rather than a cash box, which shows your cash to everyone each time you open it, and they count after the market, not during it [1]. At the end of the day, take the starting float back out first; what's left is the day's cash.
Questions
How much change should I bring to a craft fair?
About $100 to $150 in small bills is the usual start. One farmers market vendor carries $100 a person, as five tens, five fives and twenty-five ones, with a second $100 as a backup.
What bills should be in a cash float?
Mostly ones and fives, with some tens. Twenties are the bill you need least, because that is what customers pay with.
Do I need coins?
Only if your prices need them. Price in whole dollars and you need none. If a price ends in 25, 50 or 75 cents, a $10 roll of quarters covers it.
How do I count the cash at the end of the day?
Take your starting float back out first, so tomorrow's is ready. What's left is the day's cash takings.
Sources
- Handling your money at market, Maine Federation of Farmers' Markets. Read October 30, 2026.
- How to prepare for your first craft show, Craftybase. Read October 30, 2026.
Read more: what to charge for what you make, and what card fees cost over a season.
Need less change
Regulars prepay by Zelle® to your business bank, and you charge them with a scan. No cash to count, and no card fee.
Set up your stall