No More Pennies: Cash Rounding vs Card Totals

What the Common Cents Act does

The ABA Banking Journal reported on September 29, 2026 that the Senate passed the Common Cents Act (H.R. 10167) by unanimous consent, after the House approved the Senate's changes earlier in the month, and that the bill was heading to the President. As described there, it officially orders the Treasury to stop making pennies, allows cash transactions to be rounded up or down to the nearest five cents if exact change is not available, and clarifies that checks, credit cards and other non-cash payment methods are not subject to rounding. The US Mint had already stopped producing pennies for circulation in late 2025. Read the final law once it is signed for the exact rounding method before you change your settings.

Cash is rounded, cards are not

Three things to check in your setup

1. Can your point of sale round cash totals only, without touching card totals? Many systems have a cash rounding setting, but check whether it applies by tender type or to every sale. 2. Does your receipt show the rounding line clearly, so a customer sees the original total and the rounded cash amount? 3. Do your end-of-day reports separate cash rounding from sales, so your cash drawer balances and your sales and tax figures stay accurate? Ask your POS provider in writing how each of these works on your version.

Split payments, tips and refunds

Some cases need a decision before they happen at the counter. If a customer pays part in cash and part by card, the card portion stays exact. Decide how staff handle tips added to a card payment and cash tips left on the table, since only cash can be rounded. Refunds should follow how the customer paid: an exact refund to a card, and a clear rule for cash refunds. Write these rules down and train staff so every shift handles them the same way.

What changes for multi-location and enterprise businesses

Rounding happens on many terminals at once, so consistency matters. Roll out one setting across every location and register, and test it on a few terminals before you switch everyone. Make sure your accounting maps the rounding line to its own account, so finance can see it by location. Check self-checkout machines, kiosks and vending equipment too, since they handle cash without a cashier. Canada went through a similar change when it phased out its penny, so cross-border businesses may already have a working setup to copy.

Where card costs fit in

Rounding only touches cash. Your card totals, and what you pay to accept cards, stay exactly as they were. If you are reviewing your point of sale settings anyway, it is a good moment to look at the fees on your card statement as well. Our free statement analysis shows your effective rate line by line.