District of Columbia penny rounding law
No rounding law or guidance found. D.C. law bars most retailers from refusing cash or charging cash payers more (D.C. Code § 28-5402).
Short answer. The District has no cash rounding law or official guidance. But D.C. is one of the few places where most retailers must accept cash and may not charge cash customers a higher price, which makes rounding cash totals up a risk.
District of Columbia cash rounding calculator
Enter a cash total, or item prices plus your sales tax rate. The result updates as you type.
District of Columbia law and bills
We found no enacted D.C. law and no Office of Tax and Revenue or Attorney General guidance on cash rounding as of October 31, 2026. We could not confirm whether a Council bill on rounding has been introduced; the Council’s Legislative Information Management System is the place to check.
The law that does apply is the Cashless Retailers Prohibition Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Law 23-187, D.C. Code §§ 28-5401 to 28-5404). Since January 1, 2025, a retailer may not refuse cash, post signs saying it does not accept cash, or charge a cash payer a higher price than other customers. A violation is an unlawful trade practice under the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act. Exceptions include remote sales, certain parking facilities, stores with a free cash-to-prepaid-card machine, and some alcohol-licensed establishments that post notice.
Can a District of Columbia store round cash totals?
Rounding a cash total down is a discount and never charges a cash payer more. Rounding up while card customers pay the exact price is harder to square with § 28-5402’s ban on charging cash payers a higher price. No court or agency has ruled on nickel rounding, and symmetric rounding still sometimes adds 1–2¢ to a cash sale. In the District, the cautious choices are to give exact change while pennies last or to round in the customer’s favor.
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 the District 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. The District is an exception: most D.C. retailers must accept cash and may not charge cash payers more (D.C. Code § 28-5402). 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 D.C. Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection (202-442-9828). See also is it legal for a store to round up?
Sales tax
D.C.’s general sales tax rate is 6%, and the Office of Tax and Revenue says it remains 6% through September 30, 2027 after a planned increase was postponed. There is no separate local tax. Compute tax on the actual price, then round only the cash total. More on sales tax and cash rounding.
SNAP, EBT and card payments
SNAP and WIC benefits are paid electronically, so the EBT part of any purchase in the District is always charged to the exact cent. Federal rules require stores to treat SNAP shoppers the same as other customers, so a store that rounds the cash part of a split payment should use the same rule for everyone. SNAP/EBT, cards and refunds.
Stores and local news in the District
Harris Teeter, which has stores in the District, rounds cash totals in the customer’s favor, so a cash shopper never pays more than the exact price. Both neighbors, Maryland and Virginia, have rounding laws; see the table below.
Rules in neighboring states
Shopping across the line? Rounding rules change at the border.
| State | Status | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | Law in effect | Optional symmetric rounding of the price or the change (not both); prices under 5¢ may round up to 5¢. Up to 2¢ of rounding is excluded from taxable price. |
| Virginia | Law in effect | Optional symmetric rounding for cash sales, cash payments and cash wages. Taxes are computed and remitted on the pre-rounding price. |