Free Subtraction Worksheets Generator with or without borrowing, plus answer keys
These subtraction worksheets are made fresh every time you press New problems. Pick a level from subtraction within 10 to 4-digit and decimal subtraction, decide whether problems need borrowing (regrouping), and print up to 30 different sheets with matching answer keys on US Letter or A4.
Make your subtraction worksheets: pick a level and print
The page opens with 20 stacked two-digit problems that need borrowing. Choose another level, change the number ranges and press New problems for a different set. The preview is exactly what the PDF, PNG and printout contain.
Grade presetsCurrent setup: 2-digit subtraction with regrouping (Grade 2 / Year 2–3)Start from a grade level, then change anything.
Operations
Select one or more. With several operations the problems are mixed.
Number ranges
Layout and size
Each worksheet has new problems. Use the numbered buttons above the preview to look at each one.
Paper, color and symbolsUS Letter - Blue - × ÷
Print or download
Print at 100% (actual size) on plain paper. Use the black and white color to save ink.
Worksheet
Answer key
Subtraction worksheets: quick facts
Short answers for parents and teachers comparing free subtraction worksheet makers.
- Price
- Free, with no paid tier or download fee
- Account
- Not required
- Watermark
- None
- Export formats
- PDF (all sheets and answer keys in one file), PNG and direct print
- Paper sizes
- US Letter and A4
- Supported sizes
- 6 to 60 problems per page; vertical or horizontal; up to 30 different sheets per export
- Privacy
- Runs in your browser; nothing you type is uploaded
- Languages
- 8 languages: English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese, Korean
- Levels
- 10 presets: within 10 and 20, across a ten, 2-digit with and without borrowing, 3-digit, 4-digit, decimals, missing number and a 50-problem drill
- Borrowing (regrouping)
- Problems that always borrow, never borrow, or either
- Number ranges
- Any range from 0 to 999,999, or decimals to hundredths; the bigger number always comes first, so no negative answers
- Answer keys
- Worked out from the same problems, after each sheet or all at the end
- Grade names
- Presets are labelled with US Grade and UK Year names
- Last updated
- October 18, 2026
Best for
- Parents and homeschoolers who need fresh daily subtraction practice at the right level
- Teachers who want several versions of the same quiz, each with an answer key
- Tutors targeting one skill, such as borrowing in the tens column
Not the best fit for
- Word problems or subtraction with pictures to cross out
- Adaptive online practice that tracks a child's scores
How it compares
- Math-Drills
- Large free library with no, some and all regrouping, but fixed sheets rather than a generator with your own ranges, missing numbers and keys on demand.
- K5 Learning and Super Teacher Worksheets
- Good content, though much of it sits behind a sign-up or a paid membership; here nothing needs an account.
- Asking ChatGPT
- Quick for word problems, but the differences can be wrong and the layout is hard to print; this generator calculates every answer exactly.
Why these subtraction worksheets fit the skill you are teaching
Three things fixed PDFs cannot do.
Borrowing or no borrowing, you decide
Children usually meet two-digit subtraction without regrouping first, then problems where a ten must be traded for ones. Choose problems that never borrow, always borrow or either, so one sheet practises exactly one step. The 3-digit and 4-digit levels work the same way.
A ladder from within 10 to decimals
Ten presets follow the order schools teach subtraction: facts within 10 and 20, subtracting across a ten, two-digit, three-digit and four-digit subtraction, then decimals to hundredths. Each preset sets the ranges and layout, and you can still change any number.
Answer keys and a new sheet every time
Every sheet comes with a key that is calculated from the same problems, placed after each sheet or at the end of the PDF. Make up to 30 different sheets at once for a class, a week of practice or a retake.
What the free subtraction worksheets generator includes
Everything runs in your browser, with nothing to install.
PDF, PNG or print
One PDF with every sheet and key, a PNG for tablets, or print straight from the page. No watermark.
Column or horizontal
Stacked column subtraction with a line for the answer, or 15 − 7 = ___ in a row.
Missing number
Fill-in problems such as 15 − ☐ = 8 build the idea of the equals sign and the link between subtraction and addition.
Decimals
Subtract decimals to hundredths, lined up in vertical form for Grade 5 and Year 5 practice.
50-problem drills
A single-digit drill in five columns for beating your own time, with answers to check.
Private by design
Problems are made on your device. No account, no student names stored, nothing uploaded.
How to make subtraction worksheets in four steps
From a blank page to printed sheets with an answer key in about two minutes.
Choose the subtraction level
Open the subtraction presets and pick the step your child or class is on. In the US Common Core, children subtract within 20 in Grade 1, within 100 in Grade 2 (standard 2.NBT.B.5), within 1,000 in Grade 3 and use the standard algorithm for multi-digit numbers in Grade 4, then decimals to hundredths in Grade 5. England's national curriculum asks for formal column subtraction with up to 3 digits in Year 3 and up to 4 digits in Year 4.
- Not sure of the level? Print one sheet and see how many problems your child finishes comfortably.
- Facts within 10 and 20 should feel easy before you move on to borrowing.
Set borrowing and the number ranges
Switch borrowing to Never for a first sheet, then Always when the child is ready to regroup, and Either for mixed practice. You can type any smallest and largest number for the two numbers, or turn on decimals. The first number is never smaller than the second, so every answer is zero or more.
- One sheet, one skill: separate no-borrowing and borrowing sheets.
- Widen the range if the warning says problems will repeat.
Pick layout, problems per page and sheets
Use vertical for column subtraction or horizontal for number sentences and missing number problems. Fewer, bigger problems suit new skills, and more, easier ones suit fluency practice. Choose how many different sheets you need and add the name, date and score line.
- Choose Automatic columns first, then adjust if you want more writing space.
- For a timed drill, use the 50-problem preset and let the child beat their own time.
Print with the answer key
Press Print or download a PDF. Print at 100% (actual size) on US Letter or A4 and choose black and white to save ink. Keep the key for yourself or hand it out for self-checking, and show children how to check an answer by adding the difference back to the smaller number.
- Check that the print dialog says 100% or actual size, not fit to page.
- Press New problems to make a different version any time.
Subtraction worksheets FAQ
Answers about levels, borrowing, answer keys and printing.
Yes. There is no paid tier, no account and no watermark on the PDF, PNG or print. The problems are generated in your browser, so nothing you enter is uploaded.
Choose the 2-digit subtraction with regrouping preset, or set borrowing to Always. Every problem will then need at least one exchange. Use Either to mix problems that borrow with problems that do not.
Yes. Set borrowing to Never, or use the 2-digit subtraction without regrouping preset. This is the usual first step before problems that borrow, and the sheets work for 3-digit and 4-digit numbers too.
Grade 1 (Year 1–2): the facts within 20 and across-a-ten presets. Grade 2 (Year 2–3): 2-digit subtraction without and then with regrouping, then 3-digit. Grade 3 (Year 3–4): 3-digit and 4-digit subtraction. Schools differ, so treat these as a guide, not a rule.
Yes. Choose an answer key after each worksheet or all at the end. The key is calculated from the same problems, so it always matches the sheet you printed.
Yes. Borrowing, regrouping and exchanging all mean trading one ten for ten ones when the top digit is too small, as in 52 − 27. The US Common Core calls it composing or decomposing a ten, and England's schools say column subtraction with exchange.
There is no official number. Many teachers use 10 to 12 problems for a new skill and 20 or more for fluency practice, so pick from 6 to 60 per page. Short, regular practice usually works better than one long sheet.
A zero cannot lend, so you borrow from the next digit that can. In 400 − 167, take one hundred, turn it into 10 tens, lend one ten to the ones place and keep 9 tens. It is the hardest case, so practise it after ordinary borrowing.
In 15 − 8 = 7, the minuend is 15 (the number you start with), the subtrahend is 8 (the number taken away) and the difference is 7. UK teachers often say first number, second number and answer.
Choose the missing number preset or switch to horizontal layout and set the blank to a missing number. Children then solve problems like 15 − ☐ = 8, which links subtraction to addition and builds on the unknown-number work in Grade 1.
Make your subtraction worksheets with the free generator now
Choose a level, press print and hand out fresh sheets with matching answer keys in two minutes.
Free, no sign-up, no watermark, and nothing leaves your device.
Tip: print the answer key on colored paper so it never gets mixed up with the worksheets.