Free controlled substance count sheets and log templates
Printable narcotic count sheets and logs, built for Canadian pharmacies. No account, no email required.
A controlled substance log example
One drug’s perpetual log for a month: hydromorphone 2 mg tablets, DIN 00125083.
| Date | Reference | Rec’d | Disp. | Wasted | Ret’d | Balance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-01 | Balance fwd | 48 | |||||
| 2026-08-04 | Inv. 88417 | 100 | 148 | ||||
| 2026-08-06 | Rx 4471902 | 20 | 128 | ||||
| 2026-08-09 | Rx 4472588 | 12 | 116 | ||||
| 2026-08-12 | Rx 4473011 | 30 | 86 | ||||
| 2026-08-14 | Rx 4472588 | 6 | 92 | ||||
| 2026-08-15 | Dest. log p.7 | 6 | 86 | ||||
| 2026-08-20 | Rx 4474330 | 24 | 62 | ||||
| 2026-08-23 | Rx 4474901 | 8 | 54 | ||||
| 2026-08-27 | Rx 4475602 | 20 | 34 | ||||
| 2026-08-31 | Count | 34 |
How the closing balance is checked
Expected on hand = balance brought forward + received + returned − dispensed − wasted or destroyed. On this sheet: 48 + 100 + 6 − 114 − 6 = 34. The physical count on 31 August was 34, so there is no variance.
What belongs on a count sheet
A narcotic count sheet and a controlled drug count sheet carry the same columns.
- Drug identity. Generic and brand name, strength, dosage form, DIN and pack size. The DIN matters most: a variance is often a dispense recorded under another DIN of the same molecule.
- Location. Safe, vault or cabinet. A drug stored in two places and counted as one is a variance waiting to happen.
- One row per transaction. Date, an Rx number or invoice reference, and the quantity in the right column: received, dispensed, wasted or destroyed, returned.
- A running balance. Recalculated on every line, so the expected figure is always current.
- Who did it. Initials for the person entering, and for the person checking. At shift change, a printed name and a signature from both sides.
- Room for the story. Space to record what you found and what you did about it.
When the paper stops keeping up
A count sheet is a good record and a poor calculator. It will not carry a balance forward, or tell you that a destruction was never logged.
NarcCount is narcotic reconciliation software for Canadian pharmacies. It calculates the expected balance from your records and shows the variance against your count.
Questions
What is a controlled substance count sheet?
It is the record of what came in, what went out and what is left of a controlled drug. In practice a pharmacy keeps two related things: a perpetual log that tracks one drug continuously with a running balance, and a count sheet used to record a physical count at a point in time — at shift change, or at a periodic reconciliation. The count is then compared against the balance the log expects, and the difference is the variance.
Are these count sheets free?
Yes. Every sheet on this page is free to download, print, photocopy and use in your pharmacy, with no account and no email address required. The editable spreadsheet is free too; we email that one so we can send you the file.
How often do Canadian pharmacies have to count narcotics?
The Ontario College of Pharmacists expects narcotics and controlled substances to be reconciled at least every six months. Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are stricter: narcotics and controlled drugs are reconciled monthly. Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland & Labrador generally require reconciliation every three months. If you operate in more than one province, hold yourself to the strictest cadence that applies, and confirm the current requirement with each provincial college.
How long do I have to keep a completed count sheet?
In Ontario, pharmacy patient and dispensing records — which include your controlled-substance dispensing — must be kept at least 10 years, and longer for a minor (10 years past the day they turn 18), under O. Reg. 264/16 s. 21. Federally, narcotic and controlled-substance records must be kept at least 2 years (Controlled Substances Regulations s. 123(1), in force October 1, 2026; it replaced Narcotic Control Regulations s. 40.1, Food and Drug Regulations s. G.03.010 and Benzodiazepines and Other Targeted Substances Regulations s. 75, which set the same 2 years). Because the longest applicable rule governs, keep the full history.
What do I do if the count does not match?
Recount the drug first, then check the records behind the expected figure — an unlogged destruction, a dispense recorded under a different DIN, quantities committed to compliance packaging, or a transaction dated just outside the count window. Most variances turn out to be record gaps. If it still does not reconcile and what you have is a loss or theft of a controlled substance, that is reported to Health Canada's Office of Controlled Substances within 10 days of discovering it.
Are these American forms?
No, and that is the point of them. They use DIN rather than NDC, they carry an accreditation number field rather than a DEA registrant number, and the retention and reconciliation notes printed on every sheet are the Canadian ones. Most free count sheets you will find are built around US requirements.
Keep reading
- Moving your narcotic count off paper: what changes on day one
- What does your narcotic count actually cost you? (calculator)
- Controlled substance tracking software: what it does, and what it does not
- How often must Ontario pharmacies count narcotics?
- What to do after a narcotic discrepancy: a step-by-step
- CDSA recordkeeping: what to keep, and for how long
- A narcotic reconciliation worked end to end
These templates are provided free and as-is, as general information rather than legal or professional advice. For authoritative requirements, refer to the Ontario College of Pharmacists, your own provincial college, and Health Canada.