Congress moves to round all transactions to nearest 5-cent interval as Mint stops producing pennies

Published September 14, 2026 10:06am ET | Updated September 14, 2026 10:06am ET



The House will vote on legislation Monday to establish a national cash-rounding standard to the nearest 5-cent interval, nearly a year after the United States stopped minting pennies.

The bipartisan Common Cents Act would allow businesses to round the final total of a cash purchase up or down to the nearest nickel when exact change cannot be provided. Transactions ending in 1, 2, 6, or 7 cents could be rounded down, while those ending in 3, 4, 8, or 9 cents could be rounded up.

Already a print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account

Trusted reporting.Unlimited access.

Subscribe for full access to Washington Examiner coverage, expert political analysis, and subscriber-only journalism.

Get Unlimited Access

Already a member? Log in

Cancel anytime.