State Requirement Profile

    New Mexico cash rounding law

    HB 291 / Ch. 31. Enacted Mar 4, 2026; applies Jul 1, 2026. Obligation: Delegation. Scope: Tax administration; MVD fees.

    Verified against enacted text: September 2, 2026. Primary source.

    Federal baseline

    H.R. 10167 has passed congress. It is not yet law, and it does not by itself change New Mexico's enacted requirements below. Section 4 of the bill is a safe harbor for adherence to the federal rounding conduct it describes, not a blanket preemption of state law. See the Federal Cash-Rounding Standard for the pending federal framework and its current status.

    Review status

    Status: Monitoring. Verified against enacted text: September 2, 2026.

    No specific guidance identified beyond what is cited on this page as of September 29, 2026. Monitoring for updates.

    What a merchant must do

    New Mexico does not regulate private retail rounding. The act authorizes the Secretary of Taxation and Revenue, by regulation or instruction, to permit or require rounding to the nearest five cents of amounts due under taxes administered by the department, other than income and corporate franchise taxes, which may be rounded to the nearest whole dollar. A parallel provision permits or requires rounding to the nearest five cents of any amount due under the Motor Vehicle Code. The scope is state tax and fee administration.

    Tax base treatment

    The rounding authority is itself a tax administration rule. Whether the rounded amount or the exact computed amount constitutes the liability remitted is left to department regulation or instruction under NMSA 7-1-15.1 as amended; the enacted text does not specify further.

    Mixed tender treatment

    Not addressed by the enacted text. The act concerns amounts due to the state and does not describe private transactions or split tender.

    Liability protection

    Not addressed by the enacted text. The act creates administrative authority only and includes no safe harbor or immunity provision.

    Related references

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