Addition and subtractionGrade 2
2-digit subtraction worksheets
A set of two-digit subtraction problems printed in columns, with a setting that lets you require borrowing, forbid it or mix both. Every difference is positive. Choose layout and count, then print with an answer key.
- Fresh problems every time
- Answer key on its own page
- Print or PDF, Letter or A4
- Free, no sign-up
On this page
Where borrowing begins
Subtraction is harder than addition because order matters and because the digits on top are not always big enough. In 52 − 17, the 2 in the ones place cannot give up 7, so a ten must be broken. That move is called borrowing, regrouping or trading, and it is the main hurdle of grade 2 arithmetic.
This generator prints stacked two-digit subtraction problems and lets you control when borrowing appears. The top number is always the larger, so no problem asks for a negative answer. It is aimed at grade 2, though a child in grade 3 who needs a refresher can use it too.
Matching the setting to the child
- Regrouping (carrying and borrowing). The preset here is "Mixed", which means some problems borrow and some do not, so the student must decide each time. Choose "No regrouping" for a first week, where each top digit is at least as large as the one below. Choose "Always regroup" when borrowing is the thing you want to drill.
- Digits in the first and second number. Both are 2. Setting the second number to 1 gives problems like 63 − 8, where the subtrahend is a single digit. They are a classic trouble spot, because the child must remember the tens digit has nothing under it.
- Layout. Stacked is the preset. Horizontal asks the child to line up the numbers themselves.
- Number of problems. 6 to 40.
- Include the answer key, and choose US Letter or A4 paper.
The sheet's instruction line reminds children to start with the ones column. Say it aloud once to a child who is tempted to begin on the left.
Worked example: 52 − 17
- Ones. 2 − 7 cannot be done with only 2 ones, so borrow from the tens.
- Cross out the 5 and write 4 above it. The 2 becomes 12 ones.
- 12 − 7 = 5. Write 5 in the ones place.
- Tens. 4 − 1 = 3. Write 3.
- The answer is 35.
- Check by adding: 35 + 17 = 52. The ones make 12, so carry one ten, and 3 + 1 + 1 = 5 tens. It matches.
Checking by addition is a habit worth building early, because it catches nearly every slip.
Typical mistakes
- Subtracting the smaller digit from the larger. The child turns 2 − 7 into 7 − 2 = 5, which gives 45 instead of 35. Look for answers that are too big, then ask, "Is 52 − 17 more than 40?"
- Borrowing but forgetting to reduce the tens. The child writes 12 − 7 = 5, then 5 − 1 = 4 and gets 45. The key will show the tens digit one too large.
- Borrowing when it is not needed. On a mixed sheet, some children trade every time. Teach them to compare the digits first.
- Zeros. These come up in numbers like 60 − 24, where the ones digit is zero. Here the child must still borrow.
Use the no-borrowing version to rebuild confidence, then go back to mixed. Once two-digit work is secure, three-digit subtraction with no borrowing extends the same column habit by one place.