'Legal tender has a very narrow and technical meaning, which relates to settling debts. Legal tender has a strict definition. £50 notes as a standard policy. The concept of “legal tender” only applies when there is a pre-existing debt. Angus Kidman Updated Jul 22, 2020. In short, what they choose to accept as payment is down to their discretion. You're handed some change in a store and the note is torn but stuck back together with ... you should refuse to accept the note on the grounds that ... Torn notes and the rules of legal tender This can be a touchy situation. "all United States money as identified above are a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor. It means that a creditor must accept federal reserve notes in satisfaction of a debt. “That means if a court has awarded you a debt, if someone tries to settle and pays in legal tender, you can’t refuse it. These posts come at a time when some businesses are refusing cash payments due to concerns about coronavirus transmission. Martin said: “The legal tender is interesting. In order to comply with the very strict rules governing an actual legal tender transaction it is necessary, for example, to offer the exact amount due because no change can be demanded. Ask Finder: Can businesses legally refuse to accept cash? There is some strange law in place that a place of business doesn't have to accept anymore then $2.00 in loose change here in Canada. In the UK, legal tender is only for the payment of a debt- so shops are under no obligation to accept and can refuse e.g. While cash and coins are legal tender for all debts, there is no federal law that requires businesses to accept them in exchange for goods and services, according to the Federal Reserve’s website. “Legal tender has a strict definition. If you get to the checkout line at the local Piggly Wiggly and the cashier demands payment in rubles or pesos you have every right to say “Sorry buddy, but I’ve got some Federal Reserve notes burning a hole in my pocket.” “That means if a court has awarded you a debt, if someone tries to settle and pays in legal tender, you can’t refuse it. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything which when offered ("tendered") in payment of a debt extinguishes the debt. You can … What does legal tender mean? It's legal tender and must accept it IF it is a small denomination; e.g., they could refuse to accept a large bill such as $1,000. Details in this link. You don't owe them anything. Legal tender is currency that a creditor must accept from a debtor as settlement of a debt; it has no other meaning aside from in this specific context. Imprinted on each bill is this notice: “THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE” Observe the word, “debt.” Which facially means you owe somebody money, but there is more to it, than that. If you walk into a shop, they can accept or refuse whatever they like. On the drive back home, about an hour and a half each way I might add, I vaguely remember learning something in school about it being against the law to refuse legal tender (cash) as payment but that was before credit cards and computers. The pertinent portion of law that applies to your question is the Coinage Act of 1965, specifically Section 31 U.S.C. Legal tender describes any official medium of payment recognized by law that can be used to extinguish a public or private debt or meet a financial obligation. Federal law makes U.S. currency a legal tender for paying debts. Now we have a Mexican standoff. However, it doesn’t mean it has to be paper dollars. Coins are legal tender throughout the United Kingdom for the following amount: £100 - for any amount. If cash is king, how can stores refuse to take your dollars? Yes; until such point that there is a debt, it's legal for stores to refuse legal tender. You might have heard someone in a shop say: “But it’s legal tender!”. And as a small business owner, you must accept dollars for your products or services. 5103, entitled "Legal tender," which states: "United States coins and currency (including Federal reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal reserve banks and national banks) are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues." A shop owner can choose what payment they accept. There is a widespread belief that if you give a business "legal tender" — official Australian coins or banknotes — they must accept it as payment. Is it legal for a business in the United States to refuse cash as a form of payment? £50 - for any amount. “And that’s all it means. Let's assume for a moment that you the customer only have $2.00 bills and the store rep. refuses to accept it. 30 replies 28.9K views isasmurf Forumite. 23 May 2005 at 8:15PM edited 30 November -1 at 12:00AM in I wanna buy-it or do-it. Legal tender is a form of money that courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment for any monetary debt. But that’s not the case. August 4, 2016 7.48pm EDT. I went to the store to purchase an item and gave them my last bill, which was torn slightly off the end, and they refused it as payment. 'Refusal to accept payment in legal tender banknotes and coins is not unlawful,' it states. They can demand payment in shiny beads if they want to, it's completely up to them. However, as one answered above, they would be stupid not to accept it. If you owe someone some money, they are obliged to accept legal tender for payment of that debt. A number of viral Facebook posts (including one from Mississippi State Sen. Chad McMahan) claim that it is illegal for businesses not to accept cash payments for goods or services. Yes. It is illegal to refuse legal tender for a debt. Claim: U.S. Treasury Law Says It Is Unlawful For Businesses To Refuse TO Take Cash Jay L ... “This note is legal tender for all debts public and private.” If legal currency was refused, a judge can (and most likely will) wipe the dept clean. "if they refuse ur cash than (sic) the debt is cleared and take ur items and leave stores refusing u.s. legal tender can not persicuit (sic) a person if they refused to take cash!" There is no federal statute mandating that a private business, a person, or an organization must accept currency or coins as payment for goods or services. Telephone bills can also be paid at New Zealand Post Shops where cash and cards can be used. With U.S. paper money imprinted with the declaration, "this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private", when can a business or government office refuse to accept cash payments. Most people think it means the shop has to accept the payment form. If they didn't wish to accept an old style pound today they're within their rights to do so. While there isn't sufficient evidence to show that cash is riskier than card, it's prompted many Australians to argue that because cash is legal tender businesses must accept it under law. Even though it is legal currency, ... they can all be tracked. – user6204 Jul 11 '12 at 15:39 | Neither is legal tender but shops are happy to accept them as payment for goods or services. Does "legal tender" mean you can always pay with notes and coins? However, that is not what the law says. ” He pointed out that in some parts of the country the only thing that is legal tender is, in … “Legal tender” is what makes an official currency official. They can choose to refuse your note because a display of priced goods is merely an "offer to treat" ... for a taxi ride, a meal in a restaurant etc) then it is illegal to refuse legal tender. Typically in a store there never a situation where there is a debt owed to the store by the customer. The posts further claim that when cash is turned down, the debt is legally recognized as paid. Can you refuse legal tender? Fact checked. A business can refuse cash (paper currency) payment pretty much in all cases provided it's a reasonable policy and/or notified during/in advance of contracting. It also means that cash is a legal tender for all public and private debts. >> I think it is important to call out that refusing currency for a debt is not illegal in the sense that you will be fined or imprisoned. My question is more of one of interest, I'm not likely to go back and harass them for 20 bucks. “And that’s all it means. 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