A national scorecard from State Affairs, published by the Arizona Capitol Times, tallies the post-penny landscape: as of early July 2026, 19 states had enacted rounding laws, two more had bills awaiting a governor's signature, and several others were still weighing legislation. Most leave rounding to the retailer's discretion; Arizona remains the only state to mandate the symmetric 'Canadian' system. (Days later, Missouri signed on as the 20th state.)
With no federal law on the books, the response to the end of penny production has played out almost entirely in state capitals — and a State Affairs scorecard published by the Arizona Capitol Times on July 9, 2026 put a number on it: nineteen states had enacted cash-rounding laws since the last circulating penny was struck in November 2025, with more bills still moving.
What the Scorecard Found
- 19 states enacted rounding laws as of early July 2026.
- Two more — Missouri and New York — had passed bills awaiting a governor's decision.
- Several additional states were still weighing legislation.
- The overwhelming majority make rounding permissive: a retailer may round cash totals to the nearest five cents, but is not required to.
- Arizona stands alone in mandating the symmetric "Canadian-style" rounding system, complete with required signage.
A State-by-State Patchwork
The scorecard captured what state trackers had documented through the spring and summer of 2026: a fast-moving, state-by-state response filling the vacuum left by a stalled federal bill. Rounding applies only to cash transactions; card, check, and digital payments are charged the exact amount everywhere.
What happened next: Days after this scorecard published, Missouri became the 20th state to enact a rounding law when Gov. Mike Kehoe signed HB 2819 on July 13, 2026 (effective August 28). The federal Common Cents Act (H.R. 3074) then passed the U.S. House on July 14 and moved to the Senate.