Subtracting Money
Free printable subtracting money worksheets: dollar-and-cent amounts under $10 in columns, larger amount on top, with an answer key.
Twenty subtraction problems a sheet, each a pair of dollar-and-cent amounts under $10 with the larger on top, such as $8.04 - $5.39. When the top amount has fewer cents, as it does there, a dollar is broken into 100 cents, and that happens on a little under half the problems.
An amount that is a whole number of dollars, like $4.00, is rare on this sheet: about one in a hundred. For taking a price away from a $5 or $10 note, the Making Change page is built for it. This page is for taking one price from another.
What this worksheet covers
- Subtract dollar-and-cent amounts with the decimal points aligned
- Borrow a dollar as 100 cents when the top amount has fewer cents
Common Core standards
- 4.MD.A.2 Solve word problems about distance, time, volume, mass and money, including decimals.
- 5.NBT.B.7 Add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals to hundredths.
Frequently asked questions
How do you subtract money?
Align the decimal points, subtract the cents, borrowing a dollar as 100 cents if you need to, then subtract the dollars. A whole-dollar amount on top means borrowing through two columns.
How do you subtract from a whole-dollar amount?
Borrow through both zeros. For $4.00 - $1.35, take one dollar and turn it into 10 dimes, then take one dime and turn it into 10 cents. That leaves 3 dollars, 9 dimes and 10 cents to subtract from, and the answer is $2.65.
How can a student check the answer?
Add it back. The answer plus the smaller amount should give the top amount: $2.65 + $5.39 = $8.04. It is the same check a cashier makes when counting change back.
Can I keep it to cents only?
Yes. Choose Under $1 under Amounts and every problem stays in cents, which suits a student still learning to borrow. Under $100 adds a tens-of-dollars column.
Is this the same as making change?
It is the arithmetic behind it. Making change from a note is a subtraction of exactly this kind, written the same way.