Long Subtraction Calculator
Subtract two numbers column-by-column with borrowing steps shown.
About Long Subtraction Calculator
Long subtraction processes each column from right to left. When the top digit is smaller than the bottom digit, borrow 10 from the next column to the left (reducing that column by 1). Continue until all columns are processed.
Formula
Subtraction
Difference = Minuend − Subtrahend, column by column with borrowing
- Minuend
- The number being subtracted from (top)
- Subtrahend
- The number being subtracted (bottom)
Worked example
With the default values below, Long Subtraction Calculator returns Difference of 3,147. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Minuend (top number)
- 5,023
- Subtrahend (bottom number)
- 1,876
Results
- Difference
- 3,147
Step by step
- 1SetupSubtract digit by digit from right to left, borrowing when the top digit is smaller.
- 2Column 1 (from right): borrow needed= 7
- 3Column 2 (from right): borrow needed= 4
- 4Column 3 (from right): no borrow= 1
- 5Column 4 (from right): no borrow= 3
- 6Total borrows= 2
- 7Final difference= 3147
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 2 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to whole numbers, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is borrowing in subtraction?
When a column's top digit is smaller than the bottom digit, you 'borrow' 10 from the next column to the left — that column's digit decreases by 1, and the current column gets +10.
What if I need to borrow from a 0?
You cascade the borrow: move left until you find a non-zero digit, reducing it by 1 and turning all the zeros in between into 9s.