Texas penny rounding law

With no Texas 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.

Texas law and bills

Texas has no rounding law, and none could pass in 2026: the Legislature meets in odd-numbered years, and its next regular session begins in January 2027. Bills for that session cannot be prefiled until November 2026, so none was pending as of October 31, 2026.

What Texas agencies say

The Comptroller’s End of Penny Production page, based on a December 2025 policy memo, says:

• Sales tax is calculated on the sales price before any rounding.
• A retailer may then round the total up or down; on a $324.74 total, collecting $324.70 or $324.75 are both acceptable.
• “If this rounding rounds by $0.04 or less, we will not assess any additional tax due from the change in sales price.”
• The Comptroller still accepts pennies while they are legal tender and rounds its own cash receipts down to the nickel if needed.
• Electronic and check payments stay exact.

Can a Texas store round cash totals?

Yes. The Comptroller’s guidance treats rounding either way as acceptable for tax purposes, and no statute restricts the method. The Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act still bars misleading practices, so show the rounding on the receipt and post the policy. In Houston, KPRC reported in October 2025 that a “penny rounding” line had started appearing on grocery receipts, adding or subtracting a few cents. QuikTrip and Love’s, both common in Texas, round cash totals down or 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 Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas Attorney General: file a consumer complaint. See also is it legal for a store to round up?

Sales tax

Texas’s state sales tax rate is 6.25%, and cities, counties, transit and special districts can add up to 2%, for a maximum of 8.25%. Groceries are exempt. Compute tax on the actual price; the Comptroller will not assess extra tax for rounding of 4¢ or less. 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 Texas 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 Texas

KPRC 2 Houston (October 29, 2025) explained the “penny rounding” charge that could add or subtract a few cents on Houston grocery bills paid in cash.

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.