Column Addition and Subtraction Worksheets

Printable Column Addition and Subtraction Worksheets

Each button opens a ready-made worksheet with an answer page. On the worksheet page you can make a new set of numbers, change the font, or hide the answers before you print.

What each type of sheet gives you

• Addition, no carrying: no column adds up to 10 or more, so children can practise lining up the digits first. To avoid carries the generator sometimes lowers a digit, so the odd number has fewer digits (for example 4 + 985 on a 3-digit sheet).
• Addition with carrying: the numbers are random, so most questions need at least one carry (about 3 in 4 on 2-digit sheets, and more on 3 and 4-digit sheets), and a few do not.
• Subtraction, no exchanging: no column needs an exchange (missing digits on a shorter bottom number are treated as 0), so children can practise lining up the digits first. To avoid exchanging the generator sometimes lowers a digit, so the odd number being taken away has fewer digits.
• Subtraction with exchanging: the numbers are random, so roughly 4 in 10 questions on a 2-digit sheet need an exchange, about 7 in 10 on a 3-digit sheet and about 8 in 10 on a 4-digit sheet. Answers are never negative.

Need a different mix? Use the addition worksheet generator or the subtraction worksheet generator to set your own number range, number of questions, and how many numbers to add.

How to Do Column Addition (with Carrying)

1. Write the numbers one under the other, lining up the ones, tens and hundreds.
2. Add the ones column first. If the total is 9 or less, write it under the line.
3. If the total is 10 or more, write the ones digit under the line and carry the ten: write a small 1 under the line in the tens column.
4. Add the next column to the left, including any carried digit, and repeat until every column is done.

Example: 476 + 258

  476
+ 258
-----
  734
  11

• Ones: 6 + 8 = 14. Write 4, carry 1 ten.
• Tens: 7 + 5 + 1 (carried) = 13. Write 3, carry 1 hundred.
• Hundreds: 4 + 2 + 1 (carried) = 7. Write 7. The answer is 734.

How to Do Column Subtraction (with Exchanging)

1. Write the larger number on top and line up the digits in their columns.
2. Start with the ones column. If the top digit is the same as or larger than the bottom digit, subtract and write the answer.
3. If the top digit is smaller, exchange: take 1 from the next column to the left (cross it out and write one less) and add 10 to the column you are working on.
4. Subtract, then move one column to the left and repeat.

Example: 532 − 278

• Ones: 2 is smaller than 8, so exchange 1 ten for 10 ones. The tens digit becomes 2 and the ones become 12. 12 − 8 = 4.
• Tens: 2 is smaller than 7, so exchange 1 hundred for 10 tens. The hundreds digit becomes 4 and the tens become 12. 12 − 7 = 5.
• Hundreds: 4 − 2 = 2. The answer is 254.

Exchanging across a zero: 403 − 157. The ones need an exchange, but there are no tens to take. Exchange 1 hundred for 10 tens first (4 hundreds becomes 3, the tens become 10), then exchange 1 of those tens for 10 ones (the tens become 9, the ones become 13). Now 13 − 7 = 6, 9 − 5 = 4 and 3 − 1 = 2, so the answer is 246.

Check it: add the answer to the number you took away. 254 + 278 = 532 and 246 + 157 = 403, so both answers are right. This is a good way to use the addition sheets and subtraction sheets together.

Tips for Teaching the Column Method

• Start with sheets that need no carrying or exchanging, so the focus is on lining up the digits and working from the right.
• Use place value counters or base 10 blocks alongside the written method: carrying is ten ones being swapped for one ten, and exchanging is the same swap the other way.
• Squared paper helps children keep each digit in its own column.
• Ask children to estimate first (476 + 258 is about 480 + 260 = 740), then compare the estimate with the written answer.

Column Addition and Subtraction FAQ

What is column addition?

Column addition is the formal written method for adding: the numbers are written one under the other with the digits lined up in place value columns (ones under ones, tens under tens), and you add each column starting from the ones. If a column adds up to 10 or more, you write the ones digit and carry the ten into the next column on the left.

What is exchanging in column subtraction?

Exchanging is what you do when the top digit in a column is smaller than the digit below it. You take one from the next column on the left and exchange it for ten in the column you are working on, so 1 ten becomes 10 ones or 1 hundred becomes 10 tens. It is also called borrowing or regrouping.

Which year group learns column addition and subtraction?

In the national curriculum for England, pupils start using the formal written methods of columnar addition and subtraction with numbers up to three digits in Year 3, and with numbers up to four digits in Year 4. In Years 5 and 6 they use the same methods with larger numbers.

Do the worksheets come with answers?

Yes. Every sheet is generated with its own answer page, which prints after the questions. On the worksheet page you can hide the answer page before printing, change the font, and make a new sheet with different numbers.

Can I choose my own numbers or number of questions?

Yes. Use the addition or subtraction worksheet generator to set the number range, the number of questions, how many numbers are added, and whether carrying or exchanging is allowed.

More Addition and Subtraction Worksheets

• Addition worksheets: number bonds, counting on, place value and more vertical addition
• Subtraction worksheets: subtraction to 10, 20 and 100, counting back and more vertical subtraction
• First addition and subtraction for early learners
• Addition squares
• Addition worksheet generator and subtraction worksheet generator

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