Is it legal for a store to round up?

Symmetric rounding is the legal standard

State laws allow rounding totals that end in 3, 4, 8 or 9 cents up because totals ending in 1, 2, 6 or 7 cents go down. A store using that rule is following the law in every state with a rounding statute. Check a total with the calculator.

When rounding up is not allowed

• Arizona: sellers may not use any rounding method except symmetric rounding. A store that always rounds up is out of compliance; the Department of Agriculture’s weights and measures division enforces the law.
• California (from July 1, 2027): collecting more than the rounded amount is treated like an overcharge under Business and Professions Code § 12024.2.
• Connecticut (until January 1, 2027): consumer protection guidance says round down only, because the state bars charging cash customers more.
• Georgia: rounding is mandatory and symmetric, and you can always pay the exact amount with pennies.
• Indiana is the exception: its law lets a business choose to always round up.

Your options as a customer

• Pay exact change. Washington law and Georgia law let you pay the unrounded total if you have the coins. Elsewhere most stores will still take pennies.
• Pay by card. Card and app payments are always charged the exact amount.
• Ask for the receipt. It should show the exact total and the rounding adjustment.
• Report a problem to your state attorney general’s consumer protection office, or in Arizona the Department of Agriculture weights and measures division. Vermont’s required notice lists the Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program.

Do stores have to take my pennies?

Pennies are legal tender, but the Federal Reserve notes that private businesses can set their own payment policies unless state law says otherwise. Georgia’s law requires merchants to accept exact payment including pennies; Arizona’s law says it does not require a seller to accept or refuse any particular denomination. Some cities and states have separate laws requiring businesses to accept cash at all.