North Dakota penny rounding law

With no North Dakota 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.

North Dakota law and bills

North Dakota’s Legislature holds regular sessions in odd-numbered years, and the 2025 session ended before the Mint stopped making pennies. The Governor called two special sessions in 2026, on January 21–23 (Rural Health Transformation Program funding) and September 2–4 (regulating kratom); neither took up rounding. The 70th Legislative Assembly is set to convene on January 5, 2027. We found no Tax Commissioner or Attorney General guidance on rounding.

Can a North Dakota store round cash totals?

As store policy, yes. North Dakota’s consumer fraud law bars deceptive sales practices, so a store that rounds should post the policy and round both ways. Minnesota next door has no retail statute either, but its Department of Revenue lets businesses round to the nearest, next lower or next higher nickel.

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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota Attorney General, Consumer Protection ((701) 328-3404; 1-800-472-2600 in North Dakota). See also is it legal for a store to round up?

Sales tax

North Dakota’s general sales tax rate is 5% (7% on alcoholic beverages and 3% on new farm machinery), and cities and counties add local sales taxes. 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 North Dakota 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.

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.