The U.S. no longer presses pennies, leaving many stores to set their own rules for how to give out change or handle cash purchases.
Penny production ceased because each penny produced cost 3.7 cents in 2024.
It led to a shortage of pennies last year.
There are still about 114 billion pennies in circulation, but some states are already passing laws on how to deal with the lack of coins.
Bills dealing with penniless cash transactions have passed both chambers and await the governor’s signature in Arizona, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington. Some states are proposing to allow businesses to round cash purchases, while others consider requiring it, the Associated Press reported.
In Indiana, a bill signed into law this month by Republican Gov. Mike Braun requires businesses to round cash purchases for all transactions that do not end in a zero or five. Lawmakers revised that provision in a second bill that makes rounding optional. The bill update will take effect Sunday if Braun signs it into law.
A bill was introduced last year in Congress and passed out of the House financial services committee that would apply symmetrical rounding across the country.
The bill needs to be voted on in the House and move through the U.S. Senate before reaching President Donald Trump’s desk.
