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Free 5th Grade Subtracting Decimals Worksheets (two places)

Use this page when you want 5th grade subtracting decimals worksheets in the next thirty seconds: choose how many problems you want, press print, and the answer key comes out on its own page behind the worksheet. Two of the problems on the sheet as it stands are 73.48 − 70.48 and 51.98 − 1.25 — answers 3.00 and 50.73 — and a new set is one click away.

📄 5TH GRADE SUBTRACTING DECIMALS WORKSHEETS — A NEW SHEET EVERY TIME YOU PRESS THE BUTTON
🎲 New set of problems

‘New set of problems’ opens the generator in its own tab. There you can change the problem count and turn the answer key on or off. ‘Print or save as PDF’ opens the print dialog — choose Save as PDF in the printer list to keep the file. The sheet fits US Letter and A4, and the answer key prints on its own page.

What the sheet contains

This sheet uses two-place decimals up to 99.95, with two decimal places, which is the form children meet most often in money and measurement — 41.90 − 40.44 is a fair example of it.

Because the numbers regenerate, the alignment has to be handled fresh each time rather than copied from a previous layout.

Adding decimals is column addition with one extra rule: the decimal points line up. Get that right and 73.48 − 70.48 is no harder than the whole-number version; get it wrong and the answer is not remotely 3.00.

Estimation is the check that works best here. Rounding each number in 51.98 − 1.25 to the nearest whole gives a total that 50.73 has to be close to.

These 5th grade subtracting decimals worksheets are commonly aligned with the decimal operations expectations for grade 5, and the skill appears in most curricula somewhere around this point.

What the problems look like

These six come from the sheet loaded on this page. Press the button and the numbers change, but the shape stays the same (two-place decimals up to 99.95).
#ProblemAnswerWhat to check
173.48 − 70.48 =3.00Watch for: treating the two sides of the point as separate numbers
251.98 − 1.25 =50.73Check: regrouping across the decimal point incorrectly
325.36 − 4.00 =21.36Look at: not estimating
440.98 − 20.08 =20.90Ask about: lining the numbers up on the right
541.90 − 40.44 =1.46Watch for: losing the decimal point in the answer
667.64 − 7.05 =60.59Check: forgetting the trailing zero

A worked example from this sheet

Try 25.36 − 4.00 together before letting the child start alone. The answer to 25.36 − 4.00 is 21.36, and talking through how it was reached takes about a minute and saves several minutes of guessing later in the sheet.

Work 40.98 − 20.08 out loud as a demonstration. It gives 20.90. Children who hear 40.98 − 20.08 reasoned through once at the start of a session make noticeably fewer errors in the ten minutes that follow.

Three things that go wrong here

Using this sheet as a daily drill

  1. Use a pencil, not a pen. Children working on subtracting decimals rethink far more often when erasing is allowed, and you get to see exactly where the rethinking happened on an item like 25.36 − 4.00.
  2. If two days in a row come out under 12 minutes with everything correct, that is the signal to move up: either numbers bigger than 73.48 − 70.48 uses, or the next skill in the sequence.
  3. Write the finish time and the score at the top of every sheet. Two weeks of those two numbers tells you more about progress on subtracting decimals than any single test result.
  4. Keep the session to about 12 minutes. A 5th grader who is still counting on fingers will need longer than that on a line like 73.48 − 70.48, and that is fine: the timer is a measurement, never a punishment.
  5. Stop the session at the time limit even if the sheet is unfinished, and note where the child got to. A half sheet done well is better data than a whole sheet rushed.

Marking the sheet

The answer key is generated with the worksheet, not written by hand, so it always matches the sheet in front of you — 73.48 − 70.48 is listed as 3.00, 51.98 − 1.25 as 50.73, and so on down the page.

Answers appear next to their question numbers, so a wrong item like 51.98 − 1.25 can be found in the key in a second and re-worked while it is still fresh.

Printing on US Letter or A4

To save these 5th grade subtracting decimals worksheets instead of printing them, choose 'Save as PDF' in the printer list. You get the worksheet and the answer key as a single PDF, on Letter or A4 depending on your printer settings.

For a class set, print one sheet, press the new-worksheet button and print again. Each child gets different numbers on the same skill, so nobody can copy the answer to 73.48 − 70.48 from a neighbour.

Frequently asked questions

Is money the same as decimals?
Almost — money is decimals with exactly two places and a currency symbol. The money pages linked below use the same skill in a context children recognise.
Is the answer key included?
Yes, on its own page behind the worksheet. For the sheet loaded right now it shows 3.00 for 73.48 − 70.48 and 50.73 for 51.98 − 1.25.
Are these worksheets really free?
Yes, completely. The page is supported by advertising, not by subscriptions, so there is no limit on how many 5th grade subtracting decimals worksheets you print.
Why do the decimal points have to line up?
Because addition adds like places to like places. Lining up the points is just the way to make sure tenths sit under tenths and hundredths under hundredths.

Keep the finished 5th grade subtracting decimals worksheets in date order — the drop in time across ten sheets is the clearest progress report you will get.

More worksheets like this

→ Free 5th Grade Math Worksheets  ·  → Free Decimals Worksheets

Free printable math worksheets from a working math academy director in Korea. Problems come from our own code, not from a published workbook. Every sheet prints on US Letter or A4 with its answer key. All worksheets · Worksheet generator · Korean site
Last updated: 2026-09-13