Dickson County Adopts Cash Rounding Policy Amid Penny Shortage
Charlotte, TN — Dickson County has approved a new policy that will change how cash payments are handled at county offices, adopting a rounding system in response to the ongoing national penny shortage.
The County Commission voted on February 17, 2026 to authorize the immediate rounding of cash transactions when exact change cannot be made due to limited penny availability.
Under the new policy:
Amounts ending in 1 to 4 cents will round down
Amounts ending in 6 to 9 cents will round up
Transactions ending in 5 cents remain unchanged
The change applies only to payments made in cash.
Electronic payments — including debit cards, credit cards, and online transactions — will continue to be processed for the exact amount owed.
Why the Policy Was Adopted
County officials said the measure is intended to standardize how offices handle situations where exact pennies are not available.
The penny shortage has periodically affected financial institutions and government offices nationwide in recent years, largely due to reduced coin circulation and production disruptions. Rather than delay transactions or require exact change from customers, the county opted for a consistent rounding method.
The resolution allows rounding “to the nearest cent” within the established guidelines and takes effect immediately.
What It Means for Residents
The impact on individual transactions will be small — at most a difference of a few cents per payment — but the policy affects anyone paying:
Property taxes
Court fees
Permits
Fines
Other county charges
Residents who prefer to avoid rounding adjustments can do so by using electronic payment methods, which remain unaffected.
Minimal Financial Impact Expected
County officials indicated the overall fiscal impact of rounding is expected to be negligible. Because rounding can move transactions either up or down depending on the final cents, gains and losses typically balance out over time.
The move aligns Dickson County with similar rounding policies adopted by other local governments facing coin circulation issues.
While small in scale, the decision reflects how even minor currency shifts can require practical adjustments in everyday government operations.
For residents paying in cash, the change will be noticeable — but only by a few cents at a time.