Adding and Subtracting Decimals Worksheets

Quick answer: Adding and subtracting decimals works like whole numbers, with one rule: line up the decimal points so tenths sit under tenths and hundredths under hundredths, and add zeros as placeholders. This page has 5 free printable worksheets with answer keys for grades 4 and 5. Updated October 2026.

Line up the decimal points

When adding or subtracting decimals, line up the decimal points so each place is in its own column. If one number has fewer decimal places, you can add zeros so both have the same: 7.2 − 1.35 becomes 7.20 − 1.35. Then work right to left as usual and bring the point straight down.

Adding and subtracting decimals worksheets: what is in the set

There are 5 adding and subtracting decimals worksheets on this page, and every one has an answer key except for any cut-out games. The first two sets practice adding and subtracting tenths and hundredths, and the last three use tenths only or a mix of both.

Adding decimals worksheets: line up the points

The one rule for adding decimals worksheets is to line up the decimal points, so that each place is in its own column. Then add from the right, carry as with whole numbers, and bring the point straight down into the answer. If the numbers have different numbers of places, write zeros at the end so that they match. The standard is 5.NBT.B.7, which asks grade 5 children to add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals to hundredths. The Common Core standards for grade 5 number and operations in base ten describe it. This table shows six problems with equal places and the answers:

Decimal addition grade 5: how often do you carry?

Decimal addition grade 5 problems carry more often than most children expect. When two numbers with a ones digit, a tenths digit and a hundredths digit are added, the number of carries is:

Only 17% of the pairs have no carries, so a worksheet of random decimals needs carrying almost every time. In 50% of them the sum is 10 or more, which means that the answer has an extra digit on the left. The worksheets on this page include problems with and without carrying.

Subtracting decimals worksheets: borrowing and zeros

Subtracting decimals worksheets add one more step, which is borrowing. Among the 500,500 pairs of numbers with a ones digit, a tenths digit and a hundredths digit, where the first is at least as big as the second, the numbers that need borrowing are:

Two thirds of subtraction problems need borrowing, so it is the normal case. A special case is a whole number minus a decimal, such as 5 − 2.37. Write 5 as 5.00, and borrow across the zeros: the answer is 2.63. The standard method is the same as for the whole-number subtraction on the subtraction worksheets page.

Adding and subtracting decimals: three ways to estimate

An estimate catches the most common mistakes, such as dropping the decimal point or lining up the wrong digits. Round each number to the nearest whole number and add or subtract. The estimate should be close to the exact answer, with a difference of at most 1 for two numbers:

Mental math with decimals: round, then adjust

When one decimal is close to a whole number, children can round it, add or subtract, and adjust. This turns many problems into easy ones. Here are five examples:

Mental math with decimals gets faster with practice, and the worksheets give children plenty of problems for it. A good habit is to say the estimate before the exact answer, so that the child always knows roughly what to expect. This habit catches most mistakes with the decimal point, and it makes the written method feel more meaningful.

Decimal column addition and money

Decimal column addition is the same as adding money. Dollars are the whole part, and cents are the hundredths. A child who can add $4.50 and $2.75 can add 4.50 and 2.75. The page on money worksheets has more practice, and the diagram above shows the same problem with coins. The answer is $7.25, which is 7 dollars and a quarter.

Adding three decimals: the same method with one more row

The method for adding and subtracting decimals extends to three numbers. Line up all three decimal points, add the hundredths first, and carry as many as 2 into the next column. Shopping lists and measurements often have three or more numbers. Here are four examples with the working:

Notice that the carry can be 2 when three numbers are added, just as in the adding three numbers page. The sums are 4.40, 8.15, 1.10 and 10.60, and a final zero is kept when the numbers are money.

How to teach adding and subtracting decimals: from money to columns

A good way to teach adding and subtracting decimals is to start with money. Children already know that $4.50 + $2.75 is $7.25, because they can add the dollars and the cents. Then show the same problem in columns, with the decimal points lined up and the dollar sign taken away. Finally, change the units: the numbers are now lengths or weights, and the method is the same. This order, from money to columns to other units, makes the rule feel like something the child already knew, and it reduces the mistake of lining up the wrong digits.

Base ten blocks and hundred grids can also be used. A flat is one whole, a rod is one tenth and a cube is one hundredth, so adding 0.45 and 0.38 means putting together 4 rods and 5 cubes with 3 rods and 8 cubes. The cubes make 13, which is one rod and three cubes, so the answer has 8 rods and 3 cubes, or 0.83. This is exactly the carrying that the written method uses.

Children who add and subtract decimals well usually have three habits in common. They line up the decimal points before they start, they write zeros so that the numbers have the same number of places, and they check the answer with an estimate. These habits take only a few seconds, and they prevent nearly all of the mistakes in the table below. It is worth praising the habits as well as the answers, so that children keep them when the numbers get longer and the problems get harder in grade 6.

Common mistakes when adding and subtracting decimals

These are the mistakes that teachers see most often, with the wrong answer and the right one:

Adding and subtracting decimals word problems

Word problems use money, length, weight and volume, which are all decimals. Ask children to estimate first, then to line up the points and solve:

Games and activities for adding and subtracting decimals

Children learn adding and subtracting decimals best when they play with it. These games use things that are found at home or in a classroom:

• Shopping spree: give each child $20 and a price list, and let them find the total and the change
• Decimal dominoes: match each problem with its answer on a set of cards
• Race to 10: players add decimals to reach exactly 10 without going over
• Meter stick math: measure two objects and add or subtract the lengths in meters
• Receipt check: add the items on a real receipt and compare with the total
• Make 1: find two decimals with hundredths that add up to 1, such as 0.35 and 0.65

A 20-minute lesson on adding and subtracting decimals

A short lesson is the best way to introduce adding and subtracting decimals. This 20-minute plan can be used in a classroom, at a tutoring session or at home, and it uses the worksheets at the end:

Where adding and subtracting decimals fits across the grades

No skill stands alone. This table shows what children learn before and after adding and subtracting decimals, with the standard that goes with each step:

This page is the main step in grade 5. Children who need review can go back to the page on decimal place value.

Helping at home with adding and subtracting decimals

Parents do not need to be experts to help with adding and subtracting decimals. These suggestions work well, and each takes only a few minutes:

• Let the child add the prices on a receipt, and check against the total.
• Measure ingredients for a recipe in decimals of a liter or kilogram, and add them.
• Ask for the change from $10 when something costs $6.35.
• Ask the child to estimate first, and say how close the answer is.
• Use the answer keys, and look for the mistakes in the table above.

How to check progress in adding and subtracting decimals

A teacher or parent can check progress with the answer key and a few questions. This table shows three common situations, what they mean and what to do next:

A five-day plan for adding and subtracting decimals

Most children need about a week of short sessions for adding and subtracting decimals. This plan follows the order of the worksheets on this page:

When the plan is complete, the child is ready for multiplying decimals. The whole sequence is on the decimals worksheets page.

Adding and subtracting decimals worksheets: six worked examples

Here are six problems with the answer, and the version with zeros added as placeholders so that every number has the same number of decimal places. The zeros do not change the value, but they make the columns line up:

Adding and subtracting decimals worksheet, practice and PDFs

This page is also searched as adding and subtracting decimals worksheets, an adding and subtracting decimals worksheet, adding subtracting decimals worksheet, adding and subtracting with decimals worksheet, decimal addition and subtraction worksheets, addition and subtraction of decimals worksheets, addition and subtraction decimals worksheets and adding with decimals worksheets. All are the free PDFs above, each with an answer key. The pdf versions need no sign-up: open a worksheet, choose US Letter or A4, then print or save. Adding and subtracting decimals worksheets are best used after children can read decimals on a place value chart; for a fun worksheet, try the money word problems, where decimals are everyday amounts.