USPS (Post Office) penny rounding policy

What USPS (Post Office) does with cash totals

The Postal Service adopted a formal rounding rule, published in the Postal Bulletin and added to the Domestic Mail Manual. The cash portion of the change due to a customer is rounded to the nearest $0.05: change ending in 1, 2, 6 or 7 cents rounds down, and 3, 4, 8 or 9 cents rounds up. USPS says the policy took effect December 12, 2025; the manual revision is dated April 6, 2026.

Two details differ from most store policies. USPS rounds the change, not the total, and only when the clerk does not have enough pennies. And if a whole cash purchase is less than 5 cents, it is rounded up to 5 cents unless you pay with exact change.

Does it vary by state?

The Postal Service is a federal agency and applies one national rule at every Post Office, whatever state it is in. Its rule is the same symmetric method used by most states and by the federal Common Cents Act, which passed Congress in September 2026 but had not been signed as of our last check.

Card vs cash

“The rounding rules do not apply to credit/debit card or check transactions,” USPS says.

Tips for customers

• Paying with exact change, pennies included, avoids rounding entirely.
• Buying a single item under 5¢ in cash? It rounds up to 5¢ unless you pay exactly.
• Card and check payments are always exact.

What the company has said

• “This new policy took effect Dec. 12.” (USPS Link, Dec. 30, 2025)
• “The rounding rules do not apply to credit/debit card or check transactions.” (USPS Link)

Checked against the sources below as of October 31, 2026. Store policies change; if your store does something different, the sign at the register and your receipt are the best guide. Compare other chains on the store policies page, or check a total with the calculator.