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Why a day's revenue or labor looks off
Updated Nov 10, 2026 · 3 min read · For Owners, GMs and finance leads
When one day's revenue or labor % looks wrong, it's often timing or a punch, not the business.
What it is
Two one-day surprises come up often: revenue that doesn't match what the POS showed, and a labor % that spikes for a day and then settles.
How it works
Revenue. The P&L uses net sales from your POS (no tips or sales tax), on the day of the sale. Cash Flow Explorer follows bank deposits instead. Card processors often pay out a day or more later and batch weekends, so Saturday's sales can land on Monday or Tuesday.
Labor. Labor % = wages ÷ net sales, so one day goes off when:
- A punch is missed. An open shift makes the day too high; a dropped shift makes it too low.
- A role has no category in your labor app, so the shift doesn't land where it should.
Kintow picks up fixes made in your labor app on its next daily run, so a Sunday fix shows on Monday. Salaried pay added under Settings > Employees is spread evenly, so it never makes one day spike.
What to do with it
- Use the P&L for daily revenue. Use Cash Flow Explorer only for cash planning.
- Find the day in Labor Variance. Go to Insights > Labor Cost, choose the Labor Variance tab, and compare Scheduled Hours with Actual Hours.
- Fix the punch or role in your labor app, not in Kintow.
- Check again the next day. Still wrong? Contact support.
To get a clean weekly number, you can schedule the Weekly Briefing for a day after punches are usually fixed.
Common questions
I fixed a punch. Why hasn't Kintow updated?+−
Kintow picks up labor app fixes on its next daily run, so check again tomorrow. A fix made on Sunday shows on Monday.
Revenue or labor % looks wrong for one day. Why?+−
Usually timing or a missed punch. Cash Flow Explorer follows bank deposits, so use the P&L for daily revenue, and fix missed punches in your labor app.