The Common Cents Act
The bipartisan bill to codify the end of penny production — passed by Congress on September 28, 2026 with cash rounding as an opt-in option, and now awaiting the President's signature
About
Current Status — October 2026
Production: Ended November 12, 2025 via Treasury executive action [Source]
Legislation: The House passed H.R.3074 on July 14, 2026 and the Senate passed S.1525 on August 7 — two different bill numbers. To finish the job, both chambers passed the consolidated H.R.10167: the House by voice vote on September 14 and the Senate, without amendment, by unanimous consent on September 28, 2026.
Legal Status: Not yet law — H.R.10167 awaits the President's signature. Even once signed, it permits rather than requires rounding, so state rules still matter: 22 states have enacted rounding laws so far. See the State Tracker.
What is the Common Cents Act?
The Common Cents Act is bipartisan federal legislation first introduced in April 2025 (H.R.3074 and S.1525) and passed by Congress in September 2026 as H.R.10167. As introduced, it would have ended penny production and established formal rounding rules for cash transactions — before the Treasury Department stopped minting pennies on its own in November 2025. The version the House committee approved in July 2025 removed the rounding provisions, but the substitute the House passed on July 14, 2026 restores rounding as a permissive, opt-in scheme — changing the bill's title from “require” to “permit” — and adds Federal Reserve reporting requirements on penny supply. The Senate passed its version (S.1525) on August 7, 2026, and both chambers then passed the identical consolidated bill, H.R.10167 — the House on September 14 and the Senate on September 28, 2026. It next goes to the President.
Learn more about why this legislation matters, including the economic and environmental case for eliminating penny production.
Key Provisions
What the bill covers — and how it changed on the way through Congress
This bill has moved through several versions. As introduced (April 2025), the Act required cash rounding. The version the House committee approved in July 2025 kept the penny-elimination provisions but removed the cash-rounding rules (and added authority over 5-cent coin composition). The substitute the House passed on July 14, 2026 restores rounding — but as a permissive, opt-in scheme, retitling the bill from “require” to “permit” and adding Federal Reserve reporting requirements. The final bill, H.R.10167, carries the Senate's S.1525 text: the same permissive rounding, plus a legal safe harbor for businesses that round, a lower-cost zinc-core nickel option, and a rule that Treasury must give Congress 60 days' notice before discontinuing any other coin. (Unlike the House's July substitute, its long title reverts to “require,” but the operative text says businesses “may” round and that nothing in the Act requires anyone to.) Congress cleared it on September 28, 2026. Track state rounding laws →
Codify Production Cessation
Formally authorize the Treasury Department's decision to stop minting pennies for general circulation (already implemented November 2025)
Cash Rounding
As introduced: require cash transactions to round to the nearest 5¢ using symmetric rules. Removed by the House committee, then restored as an opt-in option — not a mandate — in the version Congress passed. Rounding is governed by state law and non-binding Treasury guidance; the Act would make it optional nationwide
Legal Tender Status
Confirm that existing pennies remain legal tender indefinitely—over 100 billion pennies stay in circulation
Digital Transactions Exempt
Electronic payments (cards, apps, checks, gift cards) keep exact cent amounts — only cash would round. This matches how every state rounding law works today
Collector Exception
Allow the U.S. Mint to continue producing pennies for sale as numismatic (collector) items
How Rounding Works
The symmetric system in the Common Cents Act — optional for businesses, and the one most state laws use. See the rounding rules
Learn More
Dive deeper into the legislation and its potential impact