The currency of USA
US
DollarUSD
The currency of the USA is the US dollar (USD), divided into 100 cents. The Federal Reserve issues the notes and the US Mint makes the coins, and one dollar costs ₹97.22 at our selling rate right now.
- Code
- USD
- Symbol
- $US$
- Subunit
- 100 cents
- In use since
- 1785
What is the currency of the USA?
The currency of the USA is the US dollar, code USD, written $ and also called the American dollar. One dollar is divided into 100 cents. The Federal Reserve issues the notes and the US Mint makes the coins. The Continental Congress adopted the dollar as the money unit of the United States on 6 July 1785, and today it floats freely, with the market setting its rate. Australia, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Taiwan each have a dollar of their own, but the US dollar is the one people mean when they say just dollar. On 5 Oct 2026, one dollar was worth about ₹97.22 at our selling rate.
US Dollar at a glance
- Currency
- US dollarAlso called the American dollar
- Code
- USDNumeric code 840
- Symbol
- $Written before the amount, as in $100; the cent sign is ¢
- Subunit
- One dollar = 100 cents
- Issuer
- Federal Reserve (notes)The US Mint makes the coins
- Introduced
- 6 July 1785Adopted by Congress; defined in law on 2 April 1792
- Exchange rate
- FloatingThe market sets it; the gold link ended in 1971
- Used in
- The USA and several other countriesEcuador, El Salvador and Panama also use it as official money
- Banknotes
- $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100All the same size; every note issued since 1861 is still valid
- Coins
- 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents, and $1The penny is no longer made for circulation
American currency notes and coins
American money comes as seven banknotes and six coins. Every note is the same size, so read the number in the corner and look at the tint, which starts at the $5. Each note is shown with what it costs in rupees at our selling rate today.
- Federal ReserveOne dollar$1
One dollar $1
≈ ₹97.22 today- Colour
- No tint, green seal
- Front
- George Washington
- Back
- The Great Seal of the United States
- Federal ReserveTwo dollars$2
Two dollars $2
≈ ₹194.43 today- Colour
- No tint
- Front
- Thomas Jefferson
- Back
- John Trumbull's painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence
- Federal ReserveFive dollars$5
Five dollars $5
≈ ₹486.08 today- Colour
- Light purple fading to grey
- Front
- Abraham Lincoln
- Back
- The Lincoln Memorial
- Federal ReserveTen dollars$10
Ten dollars $10
≈ ₹972.15 today- Colour
- Orange, yellow and red
- Front
- Alexander Hamilton
- Back
- The United States Treasury Building
- Federal ReserveTwenty dollars$20
Twenty dollars $20
≈ ₹1,944.30 today- Colour
- Green and peach
- Front
- Andrew Jackson
- Back
- The White House
- Federal ReserveFifty dollars$50
Fifty dollars $50
≈ ₹4,860.75 today- Colour
- Blue and red
- Front
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Back
- The United States Capitol
- Federal ReserveOne hundred dollars$100
One hundred dollars $100
≈ ₹9,721.50 today- Colour
- Blue 3-D ribbon
- Front
- Benjamin Franklin
- Back
- Independence Hall
Coins, in cents
The coins are the penny (1 cent), nickel (5), dime (10), quarter (25) and half dollar (50), plus the $1 coin. Most change is in quarters, dimes and nickels: the penny is no longer made for circulation, though the ones already out there are still legal tender, and the half dollar and $1 coin are uncommon.
- 11 cent
≈ ₹0.97 - 55 cents
≈ ₹4.86 - 1010 cents
≈ ₹9.72 - 2525 cents
≈ ₹24.30 - 5050 cents
≈ ₹48.61 - 11 dollar
≈ ₹97.22
Sources: US Currency Education Program, denominations; usa.gov; colours as printed. Rupee values at our selling rate, 10:25 AM IST, 5 Oct 2026.
Old dollars never expire
Every US banknote issued since 1861 is still legal tender at full face value, whatever its age or design. For anyone with old dollars put away at home, that matters: age alone does not make a US note worthless. The one thing that has stopped is the penny.
Federal notes begin
Congress authorises Demand Notes, the first federal notes of the Union era, issued from August 1861 to April 1862. Every US note issued since 1861 remains valid at full face value.
The greenbacks
The Legal Tender Act authorises $150 million in United States Notes. Like every note issued since 1861, they remain valid and redeemable at full face value.
The first big redesign in decades
The notes get their first significant design change since the 1920s, with new counterfeit deterrents. Later designs follow one note at a time, the $100 on 8 October 2013, and every older design stays legal tender.
The one thing that stopped
The last penny for circulation is struck at the Philadelphia Mint, after the President told the Treasury in February 2025 to stop making them. Pennies already out there remain legal tender.
Sources: US Currency Education Program (uscurrency.gov), history and denominations pages; Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco; usa.gov; Bureau of Engraving and Printing FAQs; Wikipedia, "Legal Tender Act of 1862" and "Penny (United States coin)"; Daily Record News, 19 March 2026.
Many dollars, one that leads
Australia, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Taiwan each have a dollar of their own, worth a different amount in rupees. The US dollar is the one people mean when they say just dollar, and three facts show why.
On one side of 89 percent of trades
The Bank for International Settlements found the dollar on one side of 89 percent of all currency trades in April 2025, up from about 88 percent three years earlier.
Central banks hold it in reserve
About 57 percent of the foreign-exchange reserves that central banks report are in dollars: 57.13 percent in the first quarter of 2026 according to the IMF, and about 57 percent in the third quarter of 2025 according to the St. Louis Fed.
It anchored the system in 1944
At Bretton Woods in July 1944 the dollar was fixed to gold at $35 an ounce and other currencies were fixed to the dollar. President Nixon closed the gold window on 15 August 1971, and the dollar has floated since, but its role stayed.
One unit in rupees · our selling rate, 5 Oct 2026
The US dollar since 1785
The dollar was chosen as the money unit of the United States in 1785, long before the Federal Reserve or the gold window. Its history in eight entries.
- EntryUSA
The dollar is chosen
On 6 July the Continental Congress adopts the dollar as the money unit of the United States, with a decimal ratio for its coins.
Launch - EntryUSA
The Mint and the Coinage Act
The Coinage Act, signed on 2 April, creates the US Mint and defines the dollar in both silver and gold.
- EntryUSA
Federal notes appear
Congress authorises Demand Notes, the first federal notes of the Union era, and the greenbacks follow in 1862. Every note issued since 1861 is still valid.
Still valid - EntryUSA
The Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve Act is signed on 23 December, and the twelve Reserve Banks open on 16 November 1914. Federal Reserve notes, the dollars in a wallet today, come from this Act.
- EntryUSA
Bretton Woods
In July the dollar is fixed to gold at $35 an ounce, and other currencies are fixed to the dollar.
- EntryUSA
The gold window closes
On 15 August President Nixon announces that foreign governments can no longer swap dollars for gold. The fixed-rate system ends soon after and the dollar floats.
- EntryUSA
A new look for the notes
The first significant redesign since the 1920s adds new counterfeit deterrents. The $20, $50, $10 and $100 follow, the last on 8 October 2013.
- EntryUSA
The last penny
On 12 November the last penny for circulation is struck at the Philadelphia Mint. Pennies already in circulation remain legal tender.
Coin ends
Sources: Federal Reserve History (Federal Reserve Act, Reserve Banks, Bretton Woods, end of gold convertibility); US Currency Education Program; Wikipedia, "History of the United States dollar", "Coinage Act of 1792" and "Legal Tender Act of 1862"; Library of Congress; usa.gov; Daily Record News, 19 March 2026.
Dollars and rupees side by side
Worked out at our selling rate at 10:25 AM IST on 5 Oct 2026. For the live rate on any amount, use the USD to INR or INR to USD converter.
| You pay | You get |
|---|---|
| ₹10,000 | $ 102.86 |
| ₹25,000 | $ 257.16 |
| ₹50,000 | $ 514.32 |
| ₹1,00,000 | $ 1,028.65 |
| ₹2,00,000 | $ 2,057.30 |
| ₹5,00,000 | $ 5,143.24 |
| You buy | It costs |
|---|---|
| $ 10 | ₹972.15 |
| $ 100 | ₹9,721.50 |
| $ 500 | ₹48,607.50 |
| $ 1,000 | ₹97,215.00 |
| $ 3,000 | ₹2,91,645.00 |
| $ 5,000 | ₹4,86,075.00 |
Spending dollars in the United States
Three things about money in the USA that help on the first day.
Prices carry two decimals
A dollar is 100 cents, so prices carry two decimals after the $ sign: $12.50 is twelve dollars and fifty cents, about ₹1,215.19. Small amounts can use the cent sign after the number, as in 25¢.
$12.50 = 12 dollars + 50 centsSales tax changes by state
There is no national sales tax: states and localities set their own, and Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have none at state level. In mid-2026 Louisiana had the highest average combined rate, 10.13 percent.
Louisiana: 10.13% on averageTips are part of the bill
In a sit-down restaurant, 15 to 20 percent of the bill before tax is the usual tip, and 92 percent of US adults who eat at them say they always or often tip, according to a 2023 Pew survey. The federal minimum cash wage for tipped staff is just $2.13 an hour.
15 to 20% of the pre-tax billTaking US dollars from India
The Reserve Bank of India's rules apply to every currency, and the dollar is no exception.
Up to USD 3,000 per trip can leave India as US dollar notes. The rest goes on a forex card or as a bank transfer.
Every resident can send up to USD 250,000 abroad each financial year under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, travel included.
Tax collected at source applies once your foreign-exchange purchases in a financial year cross ₹10 lakh: nil when an education loan pays, 2% for self-funded education and medical treatment, and 20% for travel and everything else. It is credited against your income tax when you file.
US dollars are on our booking form. Send your amount and the desk confirms your exact rate before anything is booked.
Book US Dollars→US dollar questions
The questions people type about the dollar, answered in full, in three groups.
The basics
8 questionsWhat is the currency of the United States?
The currency of the USA, in full the United States of America, is the US dollar, code USD, divided into 100 cents. The Federal Reserve issues the banknotes and the US Mint makes the coins, and the same dollar is used in the capital, Washington DC, and across the country.
What is the full form of USD?
USD stands for United States Dollar. US is the country code of the United States and D is for dollar, following the ISO 4217 standard, so the USD full form in currency is always United States Dollar. Its numeric code is 840.
What is USD?
USD is the international code for the US dollar, the money of the United States. The USD meaning is simple: the amount is in US dollars and not in another country's dollar, so "USD currency" always points to the American dollar. You will also see it written as $ or US$.
What is the US dollar symbol?
The US dollar symbol is $, written before the amount, as in $100. It is the US currency symbol you will see on every price, and because many dollars share the sign, US$ or the code USD is the clear way to say US dollars. The cent sign is ¢, written after the number, as in 25¢.
What is America's currency called?
America's currency is called the US dollar, in full the United States dollar. The America currency name and the USA currency name are the same thing, and in everyday speech it is often called the American dollar.
Is it US dollar or American dollar?
Both mean the same money. The official name is the United States dollar, shortened to US dollar, and American dollar, USA dollar and Ameriki dollar are everyday ways of saying it. You will also see it called United States currency, American currency or America currency, and dolar is a common misspelling.
Dollar is the currency of which country?
The US dollar is the currency of the USA and its territories, and of several other countries. Ecuador, El Salvador and Panama (next to its own balboa coins) use it as official money too, and our country-by-country guide covers where else US dollars are simply accepted. Australia (AUD), Canada (CAD), Singapore (SGD), New Zealand (NZD), Hong Kong (HKD) and Taiwan (TWD) have dollars of their own, which are separate currencies worth different amounts: see our Australian dollar, Canadian dollar, Singapore dollar and New Zealand dollar pages.
How many cents make one dollar?
One US dollar is 100 cents. The coins are the penny (1 cent), nickel (5), dime (10), quarter (25) and half dollar (50), plus the $1 coin, and the smallest note is the $1 bill. US law also names the mill, a thousandth of a dollar, but it is not coined.
Value and history
6 questionsWho issues the US dollar: the Federal Reserve or the Treasury?
Both play a part. The Federal Reserve issues the banknotes, called Federal Reserve notes, and orders them from the Treasury's Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which prints them. The US Mint, also a Treasury bureau, makes the coins.
Is the US dollar a strong currency?
As a world currency, yes. The dollar is on one side of 89 percent of all currency trades, according to the Bank for International Settlements survey of April 2025, and central banks hold about 57 percent of their foreign-exchange reserves in it, according to the IMF and the St. Louis Fed. It has been the anchor of the system since Bretton Woods in 1944.
Is the US dollar backed by gold?
Not any more. At Bretton Woods in July 1944 the dollar was fixed to gold at $35 an ounce, and on 15 August 1971 President Nixon closed the gold window, so foreign governments could no longer swap dollars for gold. The fixed-rate system ended soon after, and the dollar has floated since.
When did the United States adopt the dollar?
The Continental Congress adopted the dollar as the money unit on 6 July 1785. The Coinage Act of 2 April 1792 then created the US Mint and defined the dollar in both silver and gold, and the Federal Reserve Act of 23 December 1913 brought in the Federal Reserve notes used today.
Are old US dollar notes still valid?
Yes. Every US banknote issued since 1861 is still legal tender at full face value, whatever its date or design, and that includes the $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 notes, which are no longer issued. That is the US rule: whether a shop, bank or dealer takes a very old or damaged note is up to them, so check before you rely on one.
Has the US stopped making pennies?
Yes, for circulation: the last penny was struck at the Philadelphia Mint on 12 November 2025. The President had told the Treasury in February 2025 to stop making them, and pennies already in circulation remain legal tender, so a penny in a pocket still counts as 1 cent.
Buying from India
2 questionsHow many US dollars can I take out of India on a trip?
Up to USD 3,000 per trip in currency notes. Anything above that goes on a forex card or as a bank transfer, all within the USD 250,000 a year Liberalised Remittance Scheme limit.
How do I get US dollars for a trip to the USA?
Order them before you fly. Matrix Forex, an RBI-authorised Category-II dealer, has US dollars on its booking form: send your amount through the booking bar at the top of this page and the desk confirms your exact rate before anything is booked. For the live rate on any amount, see the USD to INR converter.