Illinois penny rounding law

With no Illinois 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.

Illinois law and bills

We found no Illinois statute on cash rounding as of October 31, 2026, and no rounding notice from the Department of Revenue. Bills in the 104th General Assembly stay alive until the new General Assembly is seated in January 2027, so a rounding bill could still move in the fall veto session. We could not reach the General Assembly’s website to confirm whether any rounding bill is pending; check ilga.gov for the latest.

Can a Illinois store round cash totals?

Yes, as store policy. Rounding down is a discount. Rounding up is not banned by any Illinois rounding law, but the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act (815 ILCS 505) bars deceptive practices, so a store should post its policy and round both ways. Chains with Illinois stores have taken different approaches: Casey’s rounds cash totals down when it cannot make exact change, and Kwik Trip rounds cash purchases down.

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 Illinois 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. We found no Illinois law that changes that, so a store sets its own payment policy. 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 Illinois Attorney General, Consumer Protection (Chicago 1-800-386-5438; Springfield 1-800-243-0618). See also is it legal for a store to round up?

Sales tax

Illinois’s state sales tax (the Retailers’ Occupation Tax) is 6.25% on general merchandise, and home-rule, transit and other local taxes are added. The state’s 1% tax on groceries ended January 1, 2026, and local governments may impose their own grocery tax. 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

SNAP and WIC benefits are paid electronically, so the EBT part of any purchase in Illinois 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 Illinois

The Chicago Sun-Times reported in December 2025 that Chicago businesses were struggling to get pennies after production ended, with some rounding and others asking for exact change.

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.