Illinois will require retailers to accept certain cash payments, beginning Jan. 1, 2028. This state law results from the Friday (July 31) signing of the Retail Cash Payment Act (HB 4592) by Gov. The law “prohibits retailers from refusing to accept cash payments up to $500, or posting signage that cash is not accepted, with reasonable exceptions,” the release said. When surveying similar laws across several states in 2019, PYMNTS reported that backers of legislation that would force retailers and restaurants to accept cash as a payment method said that businesses that don’t accept cash are discriminating against people who are unbanked. New York implemented a law in March that requires stores throughout the state to allow customers to pay in cash.