Arkansas penny rounding law

With no Arkansas rule for store sales, the calculator applies the nearest-nickel method used by most state laws and the federal bill, or rounding in the customer’s favor. Choose another state to compare.

Arkansas law and bills

We did not find an Arkansas rounding bill. The 2025 regular session ended before the Mint stopped making pennies, and 2026 was a fiscal session, in which bills other than appropriations need a two-thirds vote just to be introduced. The next regular session begins in January 2027.

What Arkansas agencies say

Attorney General Opinion No. 2025-115 (January 16, 2026), requested by Rep. Matthew K. Brown, looked at a store that rounds cash totals to the nearest nickel while charging cards to the penny. The opinion found:

• Arkansas has no law requiring cash and card sales to be treated identically, and no ban on charging cash customers a different amount, so the practice likely does not by itself violate state law.
• Retailers should still check sales tax law and card-network surcharge rules; whether a rounding difference counts as a “surcharge” is a question of fact.
• Neither state nor federal law specifically bars rounding the cash part of a mixed SNAP purchase if the SNAP part is charged exactly. Rounding every transaction the same way helps satisfy the federal equal-treatment rule.
• No federal or state law requires a private business to accept cash.

An Attorney General opinion is legal advice, not a binding court ruling. We found no Department of Finance and Administration sales tax guidance on rounding.

Can a Arkansas store round cash totals?

Yes. The Attorney General’s opinion is the clearest official word in Arkansas: nickel rounding of cash is likely lawful on its own. It remains a voluntary store policy, so the opinion’s cautions apply: use one rule for every cash customer, round symmetrically or in the customer’s favor, and tell customers before they pay. Deceptive practices are still covered by the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Federal law

There is no federal rounding rule in force either. The Common Cents Act (H.R. 10167) passed Congress on September 28, 2026, but as of October 31, 2026 we found no record of it being signed. If enacted, it would let sellers in Arkansas round cash totals symmetrically to the nearest 5¢ without requiring anyone to round, keep pennies legal tender, and protect sellers that follow its method from conflicting state or local rules. Federal status of the penny.

Your options as a customer

• Pay by card, debit, EBT or app. Those payments are charged the exact amount; rounding only ever touches cash.
• Pay with exact change. Pennies are still legal tender (31 U.S.C. § 5103). The Federal Reserve notes, though, that no federal law makes a private business accept cash or coins. Arkansas has no law requiring private businesses to accept cash either, as the Attorney General’s opinion points out. Federal Reserve FAQ.
• Check the receipt. It should show the exact total and a separate rounding line, so you can see which way it went.
• Report a problem. If a store rounds every cash total up without telling customers, contact the Arkansas Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division (800-482-8982). See also is it legal for a store to round up?

Sales tax

Arkansas’s state sales tax rate is 6.5%, and cities and counties add local taxes. The state rate on food and food ingredients dropped to 0% on January 1, 2026; local taxes can still apply to groceries. Compute every tax on the actual price, then round only the cash total. More on sales tax and cash rounding.

SNAP, EBT and card payments

The SNAP (EBT) part of a purchase is electronic and always charged to the exact cent. Arkansas is one of the few states with an official opinion on the cash part: the Attorney General found no law that specifically bars rounding it, and suggested rounding all transactions the same way so SNAP shoppers are treated like everyone else (7 C.F.R. § 278.2(b)). SNAP/EBT, cards and refunds.

Rules in neighboring states

Shopping across the line? Rounding rules change at the border.

Checked against the sources below as of October 31, 2026. Compare every state in the state-by-state tracker.