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Year 6 · Mathematics · Number

Decimals and money

Read, order and compare decimals to hundredths, and add and subtract amounts of money in dollars and cents, including working out change.

Awaiting educator review. This material was drafted by our content team with AI assistance and is waiting for review by a qualified educator. Please check it suits your child before using it. Created 10 October 2026. How we review

These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to UK year groups by age (Year 1 is the year a child turns 6 in England). They are not mapped to the National Curriculum in England or the curricula of Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, so check them against your own plans.

Learning goals

Learners will

  • Read decimals to hundredths and explain the value of each digit.
  • Compare and order decimals with up to two decimal places.
  • Add and subtract amounts of money and work out change.

Success looks like

  • I can say what each digit in a number like 4.38 is worth.
  • I can put decimals such as 0.4, 0.35 and 0.8 in order from smallest to largest.
  • I can add prices together and work out the change from a note by counting up.

The big idea

Decimals let us show parts of a whole. In the number 4.38, the 4 is in the ones place, the 3 is in the tenths place (worth 0.3, or 310) and the 8 is in the hundredths place (worth 0.08, or 8100).

Money is a great way to understand decimals. A dollar is split into 100 cents, so one cent is one hundredth of a dollar. In $4.38 there are 4 whole dollars, 3 tens of cents (30 cents) and 8 cents.

To compare decimals, line up the decimal points and compare the digits from the left, just like whole numbers. Compare the ones first, then the tenths, then the hundredths.

A useful trick is to give every decimal the same number of decimal places by adding a zero at the end. Adding a zero to the end of a decimal does not change its value: 0.4 is the same as 0.40. Now it is easy to see that 0.40 is larger than 0.35, because 40 hundredths is more than 35 hundredths.

To add or subtract money, line up the decimal points and work in columns, or add the dollars and the cents separately. Remember that 100 cents makes 1 dollar, so 75 cents + 50 cents = 125 cents = $1.25.

To work out change, count up from the price to the amount paid, using easy jumps. This is how many shop assistants do it in their heads. Jump to the next 10 cents, then to the next dollar, then to the amount paid, and add up the jumps.

  • Line up the decimal points.
  • Fill empty places with zeros if it helps.
  • Estimate first: $4.75 + $3.50 is about $5 + $4 = $9.

Worked examples

Ordering decimals

Put these decimals in order from smallest to largest: 0.4, 0.37, 0.09, 0.5.

  1. Write each with two decimal places: 0.40, 0.37, 0.09, 0.50.
  2. Now compare them as hundredths: 40, 37, 9 and 50.
  3. From smallest to largest: 9, 37, 40, 50 hundredths.

Answer: 0.09, 0.37, 0.4, 0.5

Adding prices

A drink costs $4.75 and a sandwich costs $3.50. What is the total cost?

  1. Estimate: about $5 + $4 = $9.
  2. Add the dollars: $4 + $3 = $7.
  3. Add the cents: 75c + 50c = 125c, which is $1.25.
  4. Add: $7 + $1.25 = $8.25. This is close to the estimate.

Answer: The total cost is $8.25.

Working out change

A toy costs $13.45. You pay with a $20 note. How much change should you get?

  1. Count up from $13.45 to $13.50: that is 5 cents.
  2. Count up from $13.50 to $14.00: that is 50 cents.
  3. Count up from $14.00 to $20.00: that is $6.
  4. Add the jumps: $6 + 50c + 5c = $6.55.
  5. Check: $13.45 + $6.55 = $20.00.

Answer: The change is $6.55.

Practice check

Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.

  1. 1.Which decimal is the largest?
  2. 2.What is the value of the 3 in 4.38?
  3. 3.Which list is in order from smallest to largest?
  4. 4.What is $4.75 + $3.50?
  5. 5.You pay for a $6.40 lunch with a $10 note. How many dollars change should you get?
  6. 6.Write 2 dollars and 5 cents using a dollar sign and a decimal point.
  7. 7.A book costs $12.95 and a pen costs $3.20. You pay with a $20 note. How much change do you get?
  8. 8.Which is greater, 0.6 or 0.58?
Answer guide for parents

  1. Which decimal is the largest?

    0.7 — Write them as hundredths: 0.70, 0.65, 0.09 and 0.59. 70 hundredths is the largest, so 0.7 is the largest.

  2. What is the value of the 3 in 4.38?

    3 tenths — The 3 is in the first place after the decimal point, which is the tenths place. It is worth 0.3.

  3. Which list is in order from smallest to largest?

    0.35, 0.4, 0.8 — As hundredths these are 35, 40 and 80, so the order is 0.35, 0.4, 0.8.

  4. What is $4.75 + $3.50?

    $8.25 — $4 + $3 = $7 and 75c + 50c = $1.25. $7 + $1.25 = $8.25.

  5. You pay for a $6.40 lunch with a $10 note. How many dollars change should you get?

    $3.60 — Count up: $6.40 to $7 is 60 cents, and $7 to $10 is $3. The change is $3.60.

  6. Write 2 dollars and 5 cents using a dollar sign and a decimal point.

    $2.05 — 5 cents is 5 hundredths of a dollar, so it goes in the hundredths place with a zero in the tenths place: $2.05.

  7. A book costs $12.95 and a pen costs $3.20. You pay with a $20 note. How much change do you get?

    $3.85 — Total: $12.95 + $3.20 = $16.15. Count up from $16.15: 85 cents to $17, then $3 to $20. The change is $3.85.

  8. Which is greater, 0.6 or 0.58?

    0.6 — 0.6 = 0.60, which is 60 hundredths. 60 hundredths is more than 58 hundredths, so 0.6 is greater.

Watch out for

  • Thinking a decimal with more digits is larger, such as believing 0.58 is greater than 0.6 because 58 is more than 6. Add a zero (0.60) or shade both on a hundredths grid to compare.
  • Writing 5 cents as $2.5 instead of $2.05. Remind the learner that $2.5 means $2.50, which is 2 dollars and 50 cents.
  • Forgetting to carry when the cents add to more than 100, for example writing $4.75 + $3.50 = $7.125. Point out that 125 cents is 1 dollar and 25 cents.

Tips for parents

  • Let the learner handle real money: paying at a shop, checking the change and adding up a small shopping list.
  • Before you get to the checkout, ask the learner to estimate the total by rounding each price to the nearest dollar.
  • Model counting up to give change, using real coins and notes, until the learner can do it in their head.

Go further

  • Plan a meal for the family with a budget of $30 using a catalogue or online prices. List each item and check that the total stays under budget.
  • Run a pretend café: write a menu with prices, take orders, add up the bills and give change.
  • Find decimals in the world around you, such as heights, race times or rainfall measurements, and put five of them in order.

About 45 minutes

Make a lesson planAssign to my child

You'll need

  • Play money or real coins and notes
  • A shopping catalogue, menu or receipt with prices
  • Paper and pencil
  • A place value chart with Ones, Tenths and Hundredths columns

Key words

Decimal
A number that uses a decimal point to show parts of a whole, such as 3.25.
Decimal point
The dot that separates the whole number part from the parts of a whole.
Tenths
The first place after the decimal point. Each tenth is one of 10 equal parts of a whole.
Hundredths
The second place after the decimal point. Each hundredth is one of 100 equal parts of a whole.
Change
The money you get back when you pay more than the price.
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