Cash Rounding in Odoo 18 Point of Sale
By Braincuber Team
Published on January 13, 2026
Your convenience store in Australia stopped using 1-cent and 2-cent coins back in 1992. When a customer's total comes to $14.97, you can't give them 3 cents in change—those coins don't exist anymore. You round the total to $14.95 for cash payments. But doing this manually for every transaction wastes time, creates errors, and confuses your staff. You need the POS to handle rounding automatically.
Odoo 18 Point of Sale includes Cash Rounding, a feature that automatically adjusts transaction totals to the nearest denomination you specify. Set your rounding precision (5 cents, 10 cents, 50 cents—whatever matches your local currency), choose whether to round up, down, or to the nearest value, and the system handles everything. Every cash transaction gets rounded correctly, the difference is tracked in a separate account, and your receipts show customers exactly how the rounding was applied.
What is Cash Rounding? Automatic adjustment of transaction totals to align with the smallest physical currency denomination in circulation. Essential in countries that have phased out low-value coins. Reduces cash handling complexity and minimizes discrepancies at the register.
Why Use Cash Rounding?
Currency Compliance
Many countries have eliminated small coins. Australia has no 1-2 cent coins, Canada removed pennies, Netherlands rounds to 5 cents. Cash rounding keeps you compliant.
Faster Transactions
No more counting small change or searching for pennies. Round to 5 cents or 10 cents and complete cash transactions quickly.
Accurate Accounting
Rounding differences are tracked in a dedicated account. Your books stay accurate, and you can report on total rounding adjustments.
Clear Receipts
Receipts show the original total, the rounding adjustment, and the rounded amount. Customers understand exactly what they're paying.
Cash Rounding Strategies
CASH ROUNDING STRATEGIES IN ODOO 18 POS ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ STRATEGY 1: UP (Round Toward Positive Infinity) ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Always rounds to the next higher denomination. Business keeps the difference. Examples (Precision: $0.05): $14.92 → $14.95 (customer pays +$0.03) $14.96 → $15.00 (customer pays +$0.04) $14.95 → $14.95 (no change - already aligned) Examples (Precision: $0.10): $14.92 → $15.00 (customer pays +$0.08) $14.95 → $15.00 (customer pays +$0.05) $14.90 → $14.90 (no change - already aligned) Best For: Businesses wanting to avoid losses on rounding STRATEGY 2: DOWN (Round Toward Negative Infinity) ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Always rounds to the next lower denomination. Customer gets the benefit. Examples (Precision: $0.05): $14.92 → $14.90 (customer saves $0.02) $14.98 → $14.95 (customer saves $0.03) $14.95 → $14.95 (no change - already aligned) Examples (Precision: $0.10): $14.92 → $14.90 (customer saves $0.02) $14.99 → $14.90 (customer saves $0.09) $14.90 → $14.90 (no change - already aligned) Best For: Customer-friendly policies, promotional pricing STRATEGY 3: NEAREST (Mathematical Rounding) ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Rounds to the closest denomination. Standard rounding rules apply (0.5+ rounds up). Examples (Precision: $0.05): $14.92 → $14.90 (0.02 < half of 0.05, round down) $14.93 → $14.95 (0.03 > half of 0.05, round up) $14.97 → $14.95 (0.02 from 0.95, closer than 0.03 to 1.00) $14.98 → $15.00 (0.02 to 1.00, closer than 0.03 to 0.95) Examples (Precision: $0.10): $14.92 → $14.90 (0.02 < half of 0.10) $14.95 → $15.00 (0.05 = half, rounds up) $14.94 → $14.90 (0.04 < 0.05, round down) Best For: Fair, balanced approach (most common choice) COMPARISON SUMMARY ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Original: $14.97 | Precision: $0.05 Strategy | Result | Difference | Who Benefits ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── UP | $15.00 | +$0.03 | Business DOWN | $14.95 | -$0.02 | Customer NEAREST | $14.95 | -$0.02 | Fair (closer)
Enable Cash Rounding
Access POS Settings
- Navigate to Point of Sale → Configuration → Settings
- Or access from Point of Sale → Configuration → Point of Sale and select your POS
Enable Cash Rounding Feature
- Find the Cash Rounding option in Settings
- Check the box to enable it
- A field appears to select the Rounding Method
Configure or Create Rounding Method
- Click the Cash Rounding link to view existing methods
- Select an existing method or click New to create one
- Configure: Name, Rounding Precision, and Rounding Strategy
Save and Test
- Save your settings
- Open a POS session
- Add products and proceed to payment
- Verify rounding is applied correctly on the receipt
Creating a Cash Rounding Method
CREATING A CASH ROUNDING METHOD
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
LOCATION: Point of Sale → Configuration → Cash Rounding
ACTION: Click "New" to create a new method
CONFIGURATION FIELDS
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Name:
A descriptive name for this rounding method.
Examples:
• "Round to 5 Cents"
• "Australia Cash Rounding"
• "EUR 10 Cent Rounding"
Rounding Precision:
The smallest cash denomination to round to.
Enter the decimal value:
• 0.05 → Round to 5 cents
• 0.10 → Round to 10 cents
• 0.50 → Round to 50 cents
• 1.00 → Round to whole dollars
Rounding Strategy:
How to handle values between denominations:
• UP → Always round to higher value
• DOWN → Always round to lower value
• NEAREST → Round to closest value
EXAMPLE CONFIGURATIONS
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
AUSTRALIA (No 1-2 cent coins)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Name: Australia 5c Rounding
Rounding Precision: 0.05
Rounding Strategy: NEAREST
CANADA (No pennies since 2013)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Name: Canada Penny Rounding
Rounding Precision: 0.05
Rounding Strategy: NEAREST
SWITZERLAND (5 rappen minimum)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Name: CHF 5 Rappen
Rounding Precision: 0.05
Rounding Strategy: NEAREST
CUSTOM - High Volume Retail
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Name: Quick Change (10 cents)
Rounding Precision: 0.10
Rounding Strategy: NEAREST
CUSTOMER-FRIENDLY Promotion
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Name: Always Round Down
Rounding Precision: 0.05
Rounding Strategy: DOWN
Real Example: Retail Transaction
RETAIL TRANSACTION WITH CASH ROUNDING
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
STORE: Quick Stop Convenience
ROUNDING: 5 Cent Nearest
DATE: January 13, 2026
TRANSACTION
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Product | Qty | Price | Subtotal
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Coffee - Large | 1 | $4.50 | $4.50
Croissant | 1 | $3.75 | $3.75
Newspaper | 1 | $2.50 | $2.50
Chocolate Bar | 2 | $1.99 | $3.98
Bottled Water | 1 | $2.25 | $2.25
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Subtotal | $16.98
Tax (10%) | $1.70
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TOTAL BEFORE ROUNDING | $18.68
ROUNDING CALCULATION (Nearest $0.05)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Original Total: $18.68
Target Precision: $0.05
Distance to $18.65: $0.03 (round down)
Distance to $18.70: $0.02 (round up) ← CLOSER
Result: $18.70 (rounded UP by $0.02)
RECEIPT OUTPUT
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
QUICK STOP CONVENIENCE
123 Main Street
(555) 123-4567
Date: 01/13/2026 Time: 08:45 AM
Cashier: Sarah M. Register: POS-01
───────────────────────────────────────
Coffee - Large 1 x $4.50 $4.50
Croissant 1 x $3.75 $3.75
Newspaper 1 x $2.50 $2.50
Chocolate Bar 2 x $1.99 $3.98
Bottled Water 1 x $2.25 $2.25
───────────────────────────────────────
Subtotal $16.98
Tax (10%) $1.70
───────────────────────────────────────
Total $18.68
Rounding +$0.02
───────────────────────────────────────
AMOUNT DUE $18.70
═══════════════════════════════════════
Payment: Cash $20.00
Change $1.30
───────────────────────────────────────
Thank you for shopping!
Have a great day!
ACCOUNTING ENTRIES
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Debit: Cash $18.70
Credit: Sales Revenue $16.98
Credit: Tax Payable $1.70
Credit: Rounding Adjustment $0.02
Countries with Cash Rounding Requirements
CASH ROUNDING BY COUNTRY ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ AUSTRALIA ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Coins Eliminated: 1c, 2c (1992) Smallest Coin: 5 cents Rounding: Nearest 5 cents (cash only) Note: Card payments use exact amount CANADA ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Coins Eliminated: 1c (2013) Smallest Coin: 5 cents Rounding: Nearest 5 cents (cash only) Note: Called "penny rounding" NETHERLANDS ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Coins Eliminated: 1c, 2c (2004) Smallest Coin: 5 euro cents Rounding: Nearest 5 cents Note: First EU country to implement BELGIUM, FINLAND, IRELAND ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Coins Eliminated: 1c, 2c (various years) Smallest Coin: 5 euro cents Rounding: Nearest 5 cents SWITZERLAND ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Coins Eliminated: 1 rappen, 2 rappen (2007) Smallest Coin: 5 rappen Rounding: Nearest 5 rappen NEW ZEALAND ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Coins Eliminated: 1c, 2c (1990), 5c (2006) Smallest Coin: 10 cents Rounding: Nearest 10 cents SWEDEN ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Coins Eliminated: 50 öre and below Smallest Coin: 1 krona Rounding: Nearest 1 krona BRAZIL ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Coins Eliminated: 1 centavo Smallest Coin: 5 centavos Rounding: Nearest 5 centavos NOTE: ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ In most countries, rounding applies ONLY to cash payments. Card, mobile, and electronic payments use the exact amount. Odoo handles this automatically: Cash payment → Rounding applied Card payment → Exact amount charged
Best Practices
✅ Cash Rounding Best Practices:
- Use NEAREST strategy: Most fair and widely accepted. Customers understand mathematical rounding
- Match local requirements: Set precision to your country's smallest denomination (5c for Australia/Canada)
- Train staff: Ensure cashiers understand that rounding only applies to cash—cards are exact
- Post signage: Display rounding policy at registers to avoid customer confusion
- Track rounding differences: Monitor the rounding account to ensure gains/losses balance over time
- Test before going live: Process test transactions to verify rounding works as expected
- Consider promotions: "Round DOWN" can be a customer goodwill gesture during promotions
- Review periodically: If your country changes coin circulation, update your rounding precision
Common Issues and Solutions
Rounding Not Showing on Receipt
Verify that Cash Rounding is enabled in POS Settings and a rounding method is selected. Check that the transaction is a cash payment—card payments don't use rounding.
Incorrect Rounding Amount
Check your Rounding Precision setting. If you want 5-cent rounding, the precision should be 0.05, not 5 or 0.5. Also verify the strategy (UP/DOWN/NEAREST) matches your expectations.
Rounding Applied to Card Payments
By default, rounding applies only to cash. If card payments are being rounded, check if your payment method configuration is correct. Card payments should process exact amounts.
Conclusion
Cash Rounding in Odoo 18 Point of Sale solves a practical problem that retailers face daily in many countries worldwide. When small-denomination coins are no longer in circulation, you need automated rounding to handle cash transactions smoothly. Configure your rounding precision to match local currency requirements, choose a strategy (NEAREST for fairness, DOWN for customer goodwill, UP to avoid losses), and let Odoo handle the math. Every cash transaction is rounded correctly, tracked in accounting, and clearly displayed on receipts.
🎯 Key Takeaway: Enable Cash Rounding in POS Settings → Create method with precision (0.05 for 5 cents) and strategy (NEAREST) → Cash transactions round automatically → Card payments stay exact. Simple setup, accurate transactions, happy customers.
