Subtraction Worksheets

Print free subtraction worksheets with answer keys, from facts within 20 to 2-digit, 3-digit and 4-digit subtraction with or without borrowing, including borrowing across zeros. Choose the digits, borrowing, vertical, horizontal or missing-number problems and 10 to 100 problems per page, then download a PDF for US Letter or A4. Answers are never negative.

Quick answer: Subtraction worksheets practice taking one number away from another, from simple facts within 10 to borrowing across zeros. This page has free printable subtraction worksheets with answer keys for kindergarten to grade 4: within 10 and 20, 2-digit subtraction with and without regrouping, and word problems. Updated October 2026.

Printable subtraction worksheets to print (PDF)

These printable subtraction worksheets show what the generator prints: 3-digit subtraction with borrowing, a timed drill of 30 facts within 20, 4-digit subtraction and the answer key. Click a picture for the PDF, or use the generator above to choose the digits, the borrowing and the number of problems.

New: practice subtraction on a number line: hop back from the first number, with answer keys that show every hop.

Subtraction worksheets grade 2 and every other grade

Grades follow the Common Core math standards (1.OA.C.6, 2.NBT.B.5, 3.NBT.A.2 and 4.NBT.B.4). Each link opens the maker on this page with those settings.

Subtraction with borrowing worksheets (regrouping)

You borrow when the top digit in a column is smaller than the bottom digit. Borrowing across a zero is the step most children find hardest. Take 402 − 157:

1. Ones: 2 is smaller than 7, and the tens digit is 0, so there is nothing to borrow from there.
2. Borrow 1 hundred: the 4 hundreds become 3 and the 0 tens become 10 tens.
3. Now borrow 1 ten: the 10 tens become 9 and the 2 ones become 12.
4. Subtract: 12 − 7 = 5, 9 − 5 = 4, 3 − 1 = 2. The answer is 245.

Check any subtraction by adding the answer to the number you took away: 245 + 157 = 402.

Subtraction with borrowing worksheets: how many problems borrow?

The “Borrowing” setting decides how many problems need regrouping. If you choose “Mixed”, the generator picks two numbers at random and puts the larger one on top, so the share of problems that borrow depends on the size of the numbers. The table is counted from every possible problem, using the rule that a problem borrows when a digit on top is smaller than the digit below it:

So with 2-digit numbers, 40% of the problems on the “Mixed” setting need borrowing, with 3-digit numbers 66%, and with 4-digit numbers 82%. That is why subtraction worksheets with “No borrowing” are a good first step for children who are still learning place value, and why “Every problem needs it” is the setting for extra practice with subtraction worksheets.

Subtraction across zeros worksheets: the hardest problems

Subtraction across zeros worksheets contain the problems that children find hardest, such as 402 − 157, where the tens digit is 0 and there is nothing to borrow from. Of the 405,450 possible 3-digit problems, 16,200 (4.0%) borrow across a zero. These problems change more than one digit, so they are worth practicing on their own:

When there is a zero, borrow from the first non-zero digit, and every zero you pass turns into a 9. For example, in 500 − 123, the 5 hundreds become 4 hundreds, the tens zero becomes 9 and the ones zero becomes 10, and the answer is 377.

How many subtraction facts are there to learn?

Subtraction worksheets for grades 1 and 2 begin with subtraction facts. The table counts how many facts there are, and which are the hardest:

Subtraction is not commutative, which means that 8 − 3 and 3 − 8 are different, so there are not as few facts as in addition. Children learn them best as fact families, because every addition fact gives two subtraction facts (see the commutative property for why addition is easier):

Printable subtraction worksheets: counting up instead of taking away

Printable subtraction worksheets often include an answer key that shows the count-up method. Instead of taking away, children count up from the smaller number to the larger one, and add the jumps. This is the way that a shop assistant gives change, and it is easier than borrowing for many problems:

Every one of these subtraction worksheets can be printed with a count-up answer key. Wikipedia’s article on subtraction describes the different ways to think about the operation, and the number line tool prints a number line for counting up.

Common subtraction mistakes, with the wrong answers they give

The wrong answers in subtraction have a pattern, and the pattern shows what a child has misunderstood. This table shows the two most common mistakes for five problems:

A child who writes 26 for 52 − 38 has subtracted the smaller digit from the larger in each column, so the work should go back to the blocks. A child who writes 24 has borrowed correctly but forgot to reduce the tens digit.

Subtraction worksheets: word problems with answers

These four word problems for subtraction worksheets use the numbers from the tables above. Ask children to write a number sentence first, and to say what the answer counts:

Subtraction worksheets: a five-day plan

This plan for subtraction worksheets takes about a week, with 10 to 20 minutes a day, and moves from facts to borrowing across zeros. All the subtraction worksheets on this page are free to print:

Types of subtraction worksheets you can print

• Subtraction facts within 10 and 20, with an optional timed drill box.
• Double-digit subtraction with or without borrowing.
• 3-digit and 4-digit subtraction, where borrowing across zeros turns up naturally.
• Horizontal subtraction for mental math.
• Missing number (84 − ☐ = 47) to link subtraction and addition.
• Mixed addition and subtraction so children read the sign.

Tips for teaching subtraction

• Teach subtraction as “how many more” as well as “take away”; counting up from the smaller number is often easier.
• Always do the ones column first, and ask “Is the top digit big enough?” before subtracting.
• Use base-ten blocks to show that borrowing swaps 1 ten for 10 ones.
• Practice borrowing across zeros on its own before mixing it in.
• Get children to check each answer by adding.

Common subtraction mistakes

• Subtracting the smaller digit from the bigger one in every column: for 52 − 38, writing 26 instead of 14. Ask “Is the top digit big enough?” before each column.
• Forgetting to reduce the digit you borrowed from: the tens digit must go down by 1 after borrowing.
• Trouble with zeros: in 400 − 123, both zeros change. Practice a few across-zero problems on their own first.
• Lining up the wrong places: keep ones under ones. These subtraction worksheets draw every digit in its own column to help.

Subtraction worksheet pages for every level

People ask for the same collection in many forms: a subtraction worksheet, subtraction sheets, subtracting worksheets, subtraction practice worksheets, subtraction practice pages and just subtraction practice. Use the table to pick the level that fits: easy subtraction worksheets and simple subtraction worksheets for the early years, and basic subtraction worksheets for two-digit numbers.

All of these are free subtraction worksheets, with no sign-up. Free subtraction sheets and simple subtraction sheets print on US Letter or A4, and easy subtraction sheets are best in short sessions of ten minutes.

Practice it as a game

Free online games for the same skill: balloon pop, memory match, races and more. No sign-up.

Subtraction Within 10 GameSubtraction Within 20 GameTwo-Digit Subtraction GameNumber Bonds to 10 Game

More math worksheets

• Addition worksheets with regrouping.
• Multiplication worksheets.
• Math worksheet generator for every operation.