How do I check a gas station’s fuel and store sales separately?

A gas station is usually several businesses on one lot. Fuel moves on thin per-litre margins and depends on the supplier’s terms. The store, car wash or service bay behave more like ordinary retail. If the seller gives you one combined number, you cannot tell which part is carrying the site. Ask for the streams separately and test each against an independent record.

The fuel records

Ask for the supplier’s invoices and statements for fuel purchased, litres sold by grade, and the margin the site kept after supplier charges and card fees. Compare litres bought with litres sold, and ask the seller to explain any gap. Ask whether fuel prices are set locally or by the supplier, since that decides how much control you will have.

The store and other services

Ask for point of sale reports by department, covering the store, tobacco and lottery commissions, the car wash and any service bay. Check whether any of these are run by someone else, such as a tenant or a franchise partner, because that income may not be yours. Ask which items carry commissions rather than a retail margin.

Tying each stream to the bank

Match the totals to bank deposits, card processor statements and the sales tax returns. A stream that looks strong in the seller’s summary but does not trace to deposits needs an explanation. Ask your accountant to prepare a simple schedule that shows each stream beside the cost of running it, so you can see what each part adds before you decide anything.

The same split helps when you review the seller’s add-backs, because owner expenses often sit in one stream and not another.