The idea
Money calculations use decimal notation with 100 pence in one pound.

Follow these steps
- Align pounds and pence by the decimal point.
- Choose the required total, difference, product or unit price.
- Write two digits after the decimal point in a money answer.
See the method in action
Example 1
A notebook costs £2.25. What change is due from £20.00?
- Subtract the price from the payment: 2000 − 225 = 1775p = £17.75.
Example 2
Books cost £2.80 and cards cost £1.30. A customer buys 8 items for £14.90. How many are books?
- If all 8 items were cards, they would cost 1040p.
- Each book adds 150p, so (1490 − 1040) ÷ 150 = 3 books.
A useful shortcut
Write two digits after the decimal point in a money answer.
Watch out for these
Three fresh questions
Ready to check the method? You will get three fresh, validated questions.