House Bill 545 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Norman CrowRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Legal tender; authorizing the rounding of in-person cash transactions to the nearest five cents

Summary

HB545 would authorize rounding in-person cash transactions to the nearest five cents in Alabama.

What This Bill Does

The bill lets cash payments be rounded to the nearest five cents using a specific digit-based scheme. It does not change the sale price, tax, or surcharges, and the rounding applies only to the cash portion of a payment (or to the cash portion of a mixed payment). If a transaction uses both cash and another payment method, the rounding affects only the cash portion. The Department of Revenue would post a notice about the authorization, and the measure takes effect immediately.

Who It Affects

• Cash-paying customers: the amount due or change received may be adjusted to reach a nearest five-cent total.
• Businesses handling cash: must apply the rounding rules to cash transactions (or the cash portion of a mixed payment).
• Non-cash payers: payments made by methods other than cash are not affected by these rounding rules.
• Alabama Department of Revenue: must post a website notice announcing the rounding authorization.

Key Provisions

• Allows rounding of the total amount of in-person cash transactions to the nearest five cents using rules based on the final digit: 1-2 round down to 0, 3-4 round up to 5, 6-7 round down to 5, 8-9 round up to 0, and 0 or 5 leave it unchanged.
• Rounding does not alter the sales price, tax collected, or any surcharges/fees.
• Rounding can apply to the transaction total or to the change tendered to the purchaser; applies only to cash payments; not to non-cash transactions.
• If a transaction uses both cash and another payment form, rounding applies only to the cash portion.
• The Department of Revenue must post a notice on its website about the authorization to begin rounding.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07 on Mar 3, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Consumer Protection