Fairfax County, Virginia, leaders this week approved a plan to round cash transaction totals up or down to the nearest nickel, a step that comes in response to the lack of new penny coins being produced.
As part of the shift, anyone who pays a tax bill or fee in person with cash will have the transaction totals rounded.
The change comes after the U.S. Mint stopped making new pennies last November. During the last Virginia General Assembly session, lawmakers gave local jurisdictions the authority to pass a temporary ordinance to adjust bills and account balances for taxes and other services.
鈥淭he lack of new coins, coupled with the underutilization and circulation of existing coins, has already led to shortages that are impacting the ability of businesses and governments to obtain pennies for cash transactions,鈥� said Christopher Hartl, chief of the Banking and Investments Division for Fairfax County鈥檚 finance department.
It鈥檚 unclear exactly how many people pay county balances with cash, but according to county documents, there have been recent instances in which pennies haven鈥檛 been available at certain locations. As a result, residents have intentionally been given the incorrect change.
Under the plan, if the total transaction amount ends with a one, two, six or seven as the last digit for the number of cents, the price will be rounded down to the closest number of cents divisible by five.
If the amount ends with a three, four, eight or nine as the last digit for the number of cents, the total will be rounded up to the nearest number of cents divisible by five.
The impact of the change on total amounts is expected to be 鈥渋mmaterial,鈥� according to county documents, because the adjustments wouldn鈥檛 be more than 2 cents higher or lower.
Hartl told the Board of Supervisors this week that the change will give county departments 鈥渢he ability to address this rising issue.鈥�
Anyone paying with a check or credit card isn鈥檛 expected to be impacted.
No members of the public spoke during a hearing on the proposed change Tuesday afternoon.
Fairfax鈥檚 legislation is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2027.
Lawmakers in Richmond are expected to be briefed by the Department of Taxation on a long-term solution before the 2027 General Assembly session.
In Fairfax County, cash is accepted at community centers and for taxes, fees and sales of goods and services.
In a social media video explaining the change, Supervisor Walter Alcorn said the county鈥檚 鈥渒ind of not making change anymore because there are no more pennies being produced in this country.鈥�
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