Soon, there could be a new law in New York State that will affect each and every shopper in the state. Soon, businesses across the state will have to round the final total of your bill.
“Round Up” Law Coming To New York State
Some states have already passed “Round Up” laws where businesses have to round your final bill either up or down to the nearest denomination of 5. For example, if your final total is $10.02, it would be rounded down to $10.even. If your total were $10.03, your total would be rounded up to $10.05.
Right now, there is no law in New York State that mandates rounding up or down, but that could change soon. A new bill in committee would call for all businesses to require merchants to round cash purchases to the nearest five-cent denomination in order to encourage the reduction of the circulation of pennies within New York state.
Why Does New York State Need A “Round Up” Law?
In 2025, the US Treasury announced it would end the production of the penny, so after all the pennies are taken out of circulation, there will not be a way to make change that is not in a five-cent denomination.
READ MORE: NEW LAWS THAT STARTED IN NEW YORK STATE IN 2026
There is no timetable for when all the remaining 114 billion pennies will be out of circulation in the US. The US Treasury said they would continue to use the current pennies for as long as they can.
Do you think businesses in New York should be “rounding” now, even if pennies are still available? Let me know using our FREE App.
New Laws In New York State In 2026